Interesting Places & Friendly Faces: Wekiwa Springs State Park

What an amazing park... guess I say that about most (all?) state parks. What can I say, I simply love nature and Florida... and the Florida State Parks are usually nature at it's best.

Wekiwa Springs

Weikwa Springs State Park is 7900 acres of amazement ranging from the head waters of the Wekiva River, Wekiwa Springs, to scrub and forests. It is an environmentally diverse park with hills, flat-lands, swamps, creeks, lakes, rivers, forests and more.

Fern in the damper areas

Hiking trails crisscross the park allowing foot trail access to most areas. There are over 20 miles of trails which skirt the river, cross swamps and boardwalks, and follow the rise and fall of small hills.

Boardwalk across a swampy area

How wonderful is this? You can walk from your campsite to the head springs for a swim, rent a canoe, grab a snack, or simply enjoy the view. The springs were originally known as Clay Springs and flow at a rate of 42 million gallons per day. Even though the springs keep the water around 72 degrees a swim was out of the question for us in January; however, several guests were taking advantage of the wonderful spring and swimming area.

A lovely hilly trail

On our first day we bicycled the main roads and found the youth camp which was gorgeous in the late January afternoon with winter foliage. There are two youth camps, one is a primitive campground and the other an improved youth camp. The improved camp was built in 1994 with camping cabins, an assembly/dining hall, bath houses, and a few other structures. You can reach both camps on foot, by bicycle or car which makes the camp perfect for active youth.

Horse lovers are not forgotten with a corral, horse loading/unloading docks, an equestrian camp, and eight miles of horse trails.

Youth camp
Cabin down the hill behind the pines

Being winter, I could manage only two days at the park without reserving months in advance but we made the most of those two days. While there we bicycled the paved roads, hiked several trails, and canoed.

Backwoods trail

Our canoe trip was out the Wekiwa Springs Run and then up Rock Springs Run several miles before returning. The current in Rock Springs Run is rather brisk as Rock Springs is a second magnitude spring discharging 49 cubic feet per second. Rock Springs Run is narrow in many places with twists and turns that challenged even experienced canoeist. Other areas are broader with sandbars and thick with water plants. The scenery and changing river bottom makes for a beautiful trip. After a few miles we pass a couple of primitive river camps and decided to stop at Indian Mound Camp. This was a good break where we could stretch our legs with the opportunity to explore the surrounding trails and service roads. The trip was amazing but I did not take my camera so you will need to use your imagination or check canoe sites such as http://www.canoewekiva.com and http://www.clubkayak.com/cfkt/trips/wekiva_river.html.

On our departure day I hiked a 5 mile loop through the scrub, swampy areas, pine woods, and hardwood forests. It is amazing how quickly the terrain changes. It is also amazing how quickly the time passes at Wekiwa Springs State Park.