Welcome to Blue Springs State Park

A safe haven for the endangered manatee, Blue Springs State Parkprovides winter habitat for these slow, gentle creatures. The manatee can be observed from a platform built over the springs, and are commonly seen between November and March. Pumping over 65 million gallons of crystal clear water daily, the springs offer great swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. The springs flow into the nearby St. Johns River, and ranger lead canoe tours are offered daily. Only 1 ¼ hours from the Orlando area, the park offers great amenities; a campground, hiking trails, fishing dock and picnic areas being a few of the many available.

One of the most popular activities at the park, swimmers will enjoy cooling off in the springs and at the dock area downstream. Blue Springs Run offers great canoeing, and canoe rentals are available at the concession area in the park. In addition to the springs run, an overnight canoe trail runs from Blue Springs to a primitive camp on nearby Hontoon Island. Maps of the trail are available at the park office. For those desiring a guide, rangers offer canoe tours into nearby waters on a regular basis. Snorkeling and scuba diving are both available in the spring area. Scuba divers must register at the park entrance station between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. with a current certification card and a partner.

The camper will rejoice at the wide variety of camping options available at Blue Springs State Park. In the main campground area, 51 combination tent and RV campsites are featured, each with a picnic table, grill and water. Twenty-seven of these sites also have electric hook-ups, however only a few of the sites are large enough to accommodate large RV's. In addition, six furnished rental cabins are available by reservation. For those who like to rough it, the parks offers primitive tent only camping at the end of the flatwoods nature trail, and at nearby Hontoon Island at the end of the overnight canoe trail. The main campground offers restrooms, hot showers and potable water. For the hiker, a self-guided boardwalk trail meanders through a lush subtropical hammock and ends at Blue Spring. In addition, a four-mile hiking trail winds through both hammock and open flatwoods and ends at a primitive camping area. Anglers will find an abundance of freshwater fish including largemouth bass, speckled perch and shellcrackers at the fishing pier is located on the springs.