Boating

Boating in Florida

Discover the true lake experience by boat. Discover the true lake experience by boat. Although well-known for its warm weather tubing, the 2,669-acre Ichetucknee Springs State Park is also a wildlife haven, where beaver, otter, gar, softshell turtle, wild turkey, wood duck and limpkin all find a home. The main draw is the park’s eight major crystalline springs that join together to create the six-mile Ichetucknee River. Paddle boats are available on weekends and holidays April through August from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm. The upper portion within the state park is a National Natural Landmark, perhaps the most pristine spring run in the state and best enjoyed by canoe or kayak during the cooler months. Three nature trails also guide visitors through the lush park forest or through a majestic sandhill environment with towering longleaf pines.

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Springs and Lakes and Rivers

Florida's springs are windows into the past and places of tremendous natural beauty. No two springs are the same, and each one has its own unique place in human history and in Florida’s ecosystem. Florida’s springs were what first lured tourist to the state, with their refreshing waters and wildlife viewing opportunities. Silver Springs State Park was the site of a 19th century tourist operation which showcased the spring’s beauty, a tradition which continues today. Each visitor is transformed by the therapeutic quality of the clear flowing water and lush banks of Florida’s springs. Springs also played a substantial role in the settlement of Florida. They were centers of American Indian communities and were used for places of permanent settlement or respite on long journeys. Evidence of Florida’s history, including Pleistocene fossils, Timucuan artifacts and early 20th century equipment dots the landscape and spring runs of the state. In fact, a mastodon skeleton recovered from Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park is on display in the Florida Museum of History. Florida is the premier location to experience springs worldwide, because of the abundance and magnitude of our many springs. The natural wonders are created when rainwater collects underground and flows to the surface through the aquifer. The aquifer is a network of limestone caves and crevasses which form the drinking water reserve for most of Florida. Researchers from around the world use parks like Wes Skiles Peacock Springs and Lafayette Blue Springs to map this underground system.

Boating near the Sanctuary

Otter Springs

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Hart Springs

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Fanning Springs

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Savannas Preserve

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Savannas State Park

$3 per vehicle, use the honor box. Correct change is required.

Located on Florida's Southeast coast, scenic landscapes within the park represent examples of what some of the first pioneers would see traveling through the area. Savannas Preserve State Park provides a representative sample of a basin marsh that extended throughout southern Florida prior to the rapid suburban sprawl.

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