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

Photo: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration / Public domain · source

💧 Springs

Salt Springs Recreation Area

Salt Springs, FL · North Central Florida

About

Salt Springs pushes 52 million gallons a day through four rocky vents in the heart of the Ocala National Forest, and the water carries a faint mineral salt you can taste. Wade in over the tumbled limestone and you will share the 74-degree pool with mullet and the occasional blue crab, which is why snorkelers come back. It is the kind of spring you settle into for an afternoon under the live oaks rather than rush through.

Highlights

52-million-gallon-a-day spring with a faint mineral salt tasteSnorkel the four rocky vents over tumbled limestoneMullet and blue crabs in the 74-degree poolLargest campground in the Ocala National Forest

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 Salt 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.