The Chipola River is a tributary of the Apalachicola River in western Florida. It is part of the ACF River Basin watershed. The 92.5 mi river crosses present-day Jackson, Calhoun and Gulf counties. The river flows through what is now preserved as the Dead Lakes State Recreation Area just before reaching its mouth at the confluence with the Apalachicola. The Dead Lakes were formed when the Apalachicola deposited sand bars blocking the mouth of the Chipola. The Chipola River flows for several miles south from the Dead Lakes, parallel to the Apalachicola River, before reaching its confluence with the larger river.