Happenin’
Places › Florida › North Central Florida › Juniper Springs Recreation Area
Juniper Springs Recreation Area

Photo: H. Means, State of Florida / Public domain · source

💧 Springs

Juniper Springs Recreation Area

Ocala, FL · North Central Florida

About

A 1935 stone millhouse and its slow-turning waterwheel still stand over the spring's edge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and now the backdrop to a 72-degree pool where you can watch sand boil up from the vents below your feet. From the swimming basin, the seven-mile Juniper Run threads a narrow, palm-shaded creek that paddlers regularly rank among the finest canoe runs in the country. Come early on a summer weekend; this stretch of the Ocala National Forest fills up, and the spring's clarity rewards anyone who gets there before the crowd.

Highlights

1935 CCC-built stone millhouse and working waterwheel72-degree spring-fed swimming pool with sand-boil ventsSeven-mile Juniper Run canoe and kayak trailOld-growth canopy and forest campground

Getting there

Related places

Ginnie Springs Springs

Ginnie Springs

High Springs, FL · North Central Florida

Ginnie Springs is a privately owned cluster of seven crystalline springs on the banks of the Santa Fe River near High Springs, where the water holds a constant 72 degrees and visibility so clear that divers call it gin-clear. Float the lazy river run on a rented tube, snorkel the swimming basins, or drop into the Devil Spring cave system that has drawn cave divers from around the world. Summer and early fall bring the clearest river water and the liveliest crowds.

Ichetucknee Springs State Park Springs

Ichetucknee Springs State Park

Fort White, FL · North Central Florida

Ichetucknee Springs State Park protects a National Natural Landmark headspring that pours out cool, sapphire-clear water to form one of Florida's premier tubing rivers near Fort White. Drift the spring run beneath a canopy of cypress and oak, watch for otters, turtles, and wading birds, and cool off in the 72-degree swimming areas at the headspring and Blue Hole. Tubing from the upper river runs only from late May through Labor Day, so plan summer trips accordingly.

Rainbow Springs State Park Springs

Rainbow Springs State Park

Dunnellon, FL · North Central Florida

Rainbow Springs is a first-magnitude spring near Dunnellon that pushes out hundreds of millions of gallons a day to form the clear Rainbow River. Swim in the headspring basin at a constant 72 degrees, then wander 1930s ornamental gardens past three man-made waterfalls built into old mine tailings. From April to September a separate entrance launches tubers for the lazy float downriver.

Part of these collections

Curated guides that feature Juniper Springs Recreation Area.

Florida Springs24 places

Florida Springs

Florida sits on top of one of the largest gatherings of freshwater springs on Earth, and they run a constant 68 to 74 degrees no matter the season. Some are first-magnitude giants pushing hundreds of millions of gallons a day, others are quiet blue sinkholes you can have to yourself at dawn. These are the ones worth the drive: the glass-bottom boat tours, the lazy-river tube runs, the cavern dives, and the winter springs where the manatees come in from the cold.