One Tank Trips: Ichetucknee Springs

Recently we took the kids for a day trip to Ichetucknee Springs. While there we floated down the river on innertubes, swam in blue hole, and found a geocache. We had a great time with some friends, and look forward to another trip. Current Cost to enter the park is $5. You can either bring your own floats or rent them from the General Store starting at $7.50. There is also the option to use the park tram to get to the beginning of the river and back from the end of the river for $15 per person, but we opted to use the sort hiking trails to and from.

Our party. All the following pictures, were taken by Ruth with an underwater disposable camera.

Unfortunately we arrived right as a giant unFlorida like weather system moved through the area, so we camped out and waiting around an hour and a half before making it into the river. We considered going into the visitor and education center at this time but it would have involved a mad dash across the parking lot with lightening and torrential rain, so we opted to hang out at the general store and stay dry. As the thunder passed, the kids ended up playing with each other in the rain for a while as we waited for the river to open back up.

Rain at Ichetucknee Springs

The last time we visited the springs our oldest was only 18 months old, and he's now 14 so there were some changes. The north area of the river is undergoing a revitalization project, as some of the plant growth along the river has taken a real beating from the number of people that launched at the North Entrance of the spring, as a result there are two current launch points. Midpoint, which we had intended to use but were unable to due to a tree coming down to block the entire river during the storm, and Dampier's Landing, which is approximately halfway along the current tubing course. The South take out is the furthest that you can tube and is a mile and a half from Midpoint or three quarters of a mile from Dampier.

Everyone launching from the river bank.

Dampier's Landing is a quarter of a mile walk from the parking lot. Then, the river is crystal clear enabling you to see all kinds of Florida fauna and flora. We saw turtles under the water on downed trees, river grasses gentle waving in the current, fish, numerous birds fishing along the riverbank, and part of our group even managed to see a river otter. The water is 74 degrees year round, as it is fed by several Florida springs. It was a relaxing, and after most of the kids raced off paddling and rushing themselves down river, a rather quiet trip for those of us bring up the rear. Once we all made it back out of the river, we walked three quarters of a mile back to the parking lot where we made plans to drive around to the north entrance to swim.

Tubing on the river.

After a hike of just under half a mile we made it to Blue Hole. The hole is a spring, so the water is a balmy 68 degrees. The kids enjoyed swimming around back and forth from the stairs down to a tree branch that was perfect to sit or stand on. They even swam out over the hole and dived down into the Blue Hole itself. The distance to the very bottom of the caves is 268 feet, but the entrance to the caves begins about 40 feet under the water. It wasn't easy for them to dive very far, as the spring water kept pushing them back up to the top.

Picture taken under the floating plants of the river grasses growing under water.

The Springs first saw European settlement in 1608 with a Spanish mission, the Mission de San Martin de Timucua. That was founded close to a nearby Indian village. In the early 1800s the Springs were a popular stopping point for travelers in the area, for drinking it's cool water. Gradually a general store and gristmill were built. Following the Civil War immigration to the state increased and by 1870s the small town of Fort White was settled. At Mill Pond Spring, in the current park, the general store and gristmill grew into the town of Ichetucknee boasting their own post office in 1884. The area has huge amounts of limestone rock near to the surface and so by the early 1900s became the center for phosphate mining in Florida. Also beginning at this time and continuing through the 1940s lumber was harvested for national naval projects. Also home to citrus groves and cotton that moved North along the states railroads, the real heart of the community, for the surrounding settlers, such as the Dampiers continued to be the springs. In the 1950s tubing became an activity in the area and college students from the University of Florida would travel to the Springs during the summer months.

Kate

At the time the area was owned by the Loncala Phosphate Company, but in 1970 they sold the land to the state of Florida. Concerned about the ecosystem of the springs and the growing tourist interest it was developed into a state park. After two years of work on the area, it was declared a National Natural landmark in 1972. To this day 1,000s tube the river each year, often prompting closure of the river early in the day during the peak attendance months of June and July. The nine springs that feed into the river remain both thriving ecosystems and great entertainment for humans as well. Kayaking is also allowed in the river, and there are several trails in the park for hiking.

Boardwalk in the woods in the afternoon sun light.

All in all, Ichetucknee Springs is a great place to spend a hot Florida day. There is a little something for everyone, some history, magnificent spreads of nature for hiking, and of course the river for some fun in the sun. And it's a less than 3 hours North of Tampa and around 30 to 40 minutes from Gainesville.

Limb and river grasses under water at the Blue Hole.