The earliest review of Blue Spring gave the place an 18th-century version of thumbs down. Naturalist John Bartram visited Blue Spring in January of 1766, and found a “surprising fountain … the colour of the sea, [that] smelled like bilge water, tasting sweetish and loathsome.”

Fortunately for modern travelers, the chemistry of the spring has changed in the last 200 years. “It no longer has that sulfurous odor,” said Dr. Joe Kenner, during the time he served as park biologist in the early 90s. “It would be more appropriately called Green Spring.” One of Florida’s first- magnitude springs, it produces up to 100 million gallons of water a day.

Blue Springs State Park was established in 1972 to protect the  St. Johns River manatees. Before then it was a crowded fish camp  that was inhospitable to the animals. In the early 1970s, only six or eight manatees visited the spring, Kenner explained. Now about 75 manatees visit Blue Springs in the winter.

“When this was privately owned, half the spring run was covered over with boat houses, extending almost up to the spring,” he said. “The few manatees that did show up here were harassed. There was just so much commotion that manatees didn’t stay.”

Blue Spring near Orange City, Florida. Photo by Michael Warren.

Now it’s hard to imagine the area as anything but wild. Raised boardwalks follow the spring run through primeval-looking hammocks. The spring itself is crystal clear and framed by lush vegetation. But the natural beauty of the area has only recently been reclaimed. “With people just wandering between the river and the spring you can imagine what it had done to the vegetation. It was crushed and beaten down. Erosion would wash dirt into the spring. All the trees had been cut down.  It was all bare.”

Park officials tore down the boathouses, moved a camping area away from the spring run and created a designated swimming area. Power boats were banned in the spring run, and canoes are prohibited in the winter.

“We made it more comfortable and pleasant for manatees to come in here,” Dr. Kenner said. “And we’ve had almost a steady increase
in manatees using the area ever since.”

Blue Springs also has 350,000 human visitors a year, most of them during the manatee season. “It’s one of very few places you
can depend on seeing manatees from the shore. You’re virtually right over them.”

Blue Springs was originally a Timucuan Indian village. The east end of the spring run near the St. Johns River is an enormous mound of snail shells. “It’s believed that they intentionally piled shell up to make their houses safe from seasonal flooding. The shells were accumulated over 3,000 years.”

Obviously snails were a popular meal. “They had them at every meal,” Dr. Kenner said. “There was always a pot of snails cooking.” This part of the St. Johns River was colonized soon after the Seminole Indians were driven away, Dr. Kenner said. And after the Civil War, the region became an important source of lumber for rebuilding cities destroyed by the war. “Since cotton had never been a popular crop in Florida we still had a lot of virgin pine forests in the late 1800s,” Dr. Kenner said.

“So in came the lumber interests establishing the saw mills along the St. Johns.” The pine and cypress was hauled 150 miles to Jacksonville by steamboat. “This was a shipping point, a staging area. The whole place was pretty rowdy. In the steamboat era you’re talking about frontier Florida. This was pretty wild country down here at that time.”

Thursby House at Blue Spring State Park. Michael Warren Photo.

When the lumber ran out, settlers planted citrus. That’s where the Thursby’s came in. The built a large frame home overlooking the St. Johns River in 1872. You can still get a peak inside the house, but the place has been closed to tours for three years because of
financial problems.

In addition to swimming, picnicking and canoeing, Blue Springs also has a four-mile hiking trail that meanders through flatwoods,
scrub and hammock.

Alternate Trip: Rent a pontoon boat in Sanford, Florida and cruise up the St. John’s River to Blue Spring. For more information, visit Fun Maritime Academy on Lake Monroe.

***

If you go:

Directions: Take exit 114 off Interstate 4 and follow the signs. Go south on 17/92 to Orange City, about 2.5 miles. Make a right onto West French Avenue.

Admission: $5.00 per vehicle.
Camping: $20.00 per night.
Cabins: $85.00 per night

Contact:

Blue Spring State Park
2100 West French Avenue
Orange City, Florida 32763
Phone: 386-775-3663

More Information:

• Blue Spring State Park
• Friends of Blue Spring
• Uptake Vacation Blog: Blue Spring
• Cold Weather Brings Manatees in Record Numbers

At Wakulla Springs, Florida’s mysterious, primordial beauty has been preserved in a rustic, 1940s-era setting. The place has always been a tourist attraction, but commercialism is kept a minimum. Financier Edward Ball built a Spanish-style lodge and resort here in 1937, and the state took over control just a few years ago. All along, the emphasis has been on conservation.

The state park, located 12 miles south of Tallahassee, surrounds one of the world’s largest natural springs. The lodge overlooks an expansive lawn and swimming area, complete with a diving and observation platform.

The enormous spring covers three acres and fans out into a delightful garden of cypress trees that looks as though it was carefully planned at the beginning of time to serve a primarily decorative function.

The spring’s name comes from a Seminole word that most likely means, “Mysteries of Strange Water.” The place had been enjoyed by native Americans for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived.

Ponce De Leon twice visited the site, perhaps hoping it would prove to be the Fountain of Youth. On his second trip, in 1521, he discovered quite the opposite. A battle with the local Indians ensued, and De Leon was hit by an arrow that would cost him his life.

Two boat tours operate daily, and both are worthwhile. The 2-mile Wakulla River tour is far more scenic than comparable rides at Silver Springs or Weeki Wachee. You’ll see an abundance of wildlife, including a host of birds and alligators. During the winter, the spring becomes a prime spot for bird watching as thousands of migrating species pass through.

Some of the scenery here will probably look familiar, since it was the backdrop for several movies. Wakulla was the other-worldly setting for “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” “Tarzan and the Leopard Lady” and even part of “Airport ‘77.”

The glass-bottom boat tour operates when the water is clear, and offers visitors a glimpse into the 185-foot depths of the spring. Wakulla is one of the world’s largest freshwater springs, and back in 1973 it produced more than a billion gallons of water a day.

The network of caves here have been explored to depths of 300 feet and to a distance of almost a mile. Many Ice Age fossils have been found in the cavern, and mastodon bones can be seen from the glass bottom boat.

After the boat ride, the park still offers many diversions. Though the water is a chilly 70 degrees, there is an excellent swimming area. If you’d like to wander the forest on foot, there’s a 6-mile hiking trail. There are also ample picnic grounds.

The formal Azalea Dining Room in the lodge is well known for its Deep South cuisine and seafood. Meals are moderately priced, and the dining room is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Hiking Juniper Prairie

As the sun rises over the tall grass and scrub pines of Juniper Prairie Wilderness, lighting up the mist on Hidden Pond, the only sound is the gentle breeze in the trees and the occasional call of scrub jays or the echo of woodpeckers. Here in the nation’s southernmost wilderness, six miles by trail from the nearest road, dawn comes quietly and reveals a landscape barely changed by the passage of time.

Located in deep in the heart of Ocala National Forest, about half an hour east of Silver Springs, the wilderness if strictly off-limits to motor vehicles. So to experience this untouched corner of Florida, you’re limited to walking or paddling. Either way, it’s worth the effort.

The seven-mile canoe run from Juniper Springs is one of the best canoeing opportunities in central Florida. The canopied creek winds through dense, primeval forests that seem untouched by man — on weekdays, anyway. Come early in the morning and you’ll paddle through dappled light that filters through the trees down into crystalline water.

At first glance, the run looks too narrow to navigate, but it grows in size steadily as it meanders past ancient cypress trees and lush semi-tropical forests. The narrow creek is filled with obstacles, and it takes some effort to avoid submerged snags and squeeze under overhanging branching. Whether you find it fun or frustrating may depend on your canoeing skills.

For the best experience, avoid the place on weekends and holidays. As many as 50 or 60 canoes may crowd the creek during peak days, but during the week you may only have to share the run with the local wildlife.

Regardless of when you go, you’re bound to spot several species of wading birds during the last half of the canoe run, where the creek is wide and bounded by cattails. With a bit of luck, you may even spot a bald eagle. The creek is also home to a family of playful otters. These animals aren’t shy, and they boldly approach passing canoes. There are alligators too, which is one reason wading or tubing is not allowed on the creek.

The run takes between three and five hours, but it’s worth spending the whole day. The landing at the half-way point is a popular spot to stop for lunch. (Throwaway containers, such as bottles and cans, are prohibited on the run, and violators may be fined $25.)

A shuttle service for canoeists runs between Juniper Wayside Park (at the bridge on U.S. Highway 19) and Juniper Springs. The last shuttle leaves each day at 4:30 p.m. The shuttle is free if you rent a canoe, and $5 per person otherwise.

If you’d rather walk into the heart of Juniper Prairie, the Florida Trail cuts through the center of the wilderness. The scenic trail stretches the entire length of the Ocala National Forest (and much of the state), but the prairie offers the best hiking in the area. It’s also the only section of the Florida trail that runs through a designated wilderness area. Eventually the Florida Trail, which was started in 1966, will include 1,300 miles of continuous trail from the Big Cypress National Preserve to the Gulf Island National Seashore.

From Juniper Springs, it’s a 12 mile round-trip hike to Hidden Pond, located in the center of the wilderness area. Here you can rest and enjoy lunch under the shade of the scrub pines, or fish for bass or panfish on one of the nearby ponds. If you bring a tent and a sleeping bag, Hidden Pond makes an ideal primitive campsite. Primitive means no toilets, and water is only available from the ponds — but it must be boiled or treated because of the presence of a parasite called Giardia, which causes diarrhea.

Although the trail itself sees a lot of human traffic, it’s easy to get away from people if that’s what you want. Just be sure you know how to use a map and compass (or GPS unit) because it’s easy to get lost in the network of side-trails.

Since only a few feet of elevation change can create a dramatic change in the landscape, the trail provides a good overview of the various biological communities in central Florida, from swamp to sand pine to prairie. And this variety of habitats also means a good chance of seeing many types of wildlife. The extensive wildfires in recent years have opened up the prairie in some areas and dramatically increased the bird life.

Save some time before or after your adventure to take the short (3/4 mile) nature trail along the beginning of Juniper Creek and Fern Hammock Springs. Together, Juniper and Fern Hammock Springs produce about 156 million gallons of water a day. A bridge over Fern Hammock Springs provides a close look at the sandy boils where the water originates.

And don’t forget to bring a swimsuit, especially during summer. The 72-degree spring is one of the finest old-fashioned swimming holes you’ll find anywhere, and it makes a great place to cool off after a day of exploration.

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