In my previous articles, I told you already that, along with700 magnificent springs for visitors to swim, dive, or splash in, Florida boasts the largest collection of freshwater springs on Earth.
They are all crystal clear and stay fresh all year.
I’ll concentrate on Ichetucknee Springs State Park today.
This park is located in northern Florida, and it is surrounded by eight large springs that join together to form the six-mile Ichetucknee River.
Visitors can kayak or swim lazily under the lush tree canopy, snorkel, or follow wildlife such as beavers, otters, and wild turkeys.
At the moment, no more than 750 tubas (inflatable rafts) are allowed in the park to go down the river.
Really, it seems that everybody swims there; the number of swimmers is not limited at the park.
Enjoy as much as you can.
The system of springs and caves beneath them was discovered in 1608 by the Spanish Mission of Saint Martin de Timucua (Mission de San Martin de Timucua).
In 1800, this place was famous for the extraction of phosphate, which literally lay on the surface.
Then, until the 1940s, cypresses and long-leaved palms were mined here.
It took us almost an hour to get to this park.
The return trip was measured on the odometer at 83 miles.
Tickets to the park: just swim and walk 6 dollars per car (2-8 people) and if you swim on rafts then 5 dollars per person.
The first spring is called the head spring.
The second spring is the Blue Hole, which has a depth of 40 feet.
The length of the caves under water is 260 feet.
According to statistics, 67 million gallons of water come out of the spring every day.
Impressive, right?
Ichetucknee Springs’ Flora & Fauna
Most of Ichetucknee Spring is a wild, flooded area overgrown with sword grass, cypress trees, and pine woodlands.
A shallow river, the Ichetucknee River, flows out of a huge reservoir with a wide, gentle channel.
In some places, its limestone bottom rises in islands on which ferns, orchids, and trees grow.
Areas of open water are dotted with water lilies and thickets of pemphigus grass.
Closer to the ocean coast, a zone of mangroves begins.
A lot of fish live in the coastal waters; there are even young sharks.
You can also find turtles in warm pools.
Alligators can be found in swamp cypress.
In a drought, the reptiles deepen the swollen channels with their powerful tails, ensuring the survival of many inhabitants of the park.
What Animals Are in Ichetucknee Springs?
You will see Mississippi alligators and sharp-nosed crocodiles together, a rare species of cougar.
Ichetucknee Springs Park is very picturesque in general.
Water, palm trees, meadows, then again palm trees, and again water.
You can groan when you learn about the number of crocodiles and alligators (they live together only in Florida), which are already 3 million, and even take pictures of them.
It is better not to meet local bears and cougars at all; they are painfully ferocious.
Garbage containers, in which the bears like to dig, are made of thick metal and equipped with locks on thick cables.
Ichetucknee Springs is a bird kingdom.
More than three hundred species live here, including some rare ones: the tree stork, the slug-eating kite, the red heron, and the bald eagle.
Red-winged spoonbills, pelicans, and tree ibises live in mangrove bushes.
Of the mammals, you can meet the cougar and baribal, white-tailed deer, and otter.
The park truly maintains a self-sustaining ecosystem.
The breeding alligators and crocodiles have enough fish; the frogs have enough mosquitoes (which is another disaster); and the birds have enough frogs.
All this exists in incredible quantities.
If a flock of birds sits down to rest and feed in a grove, you can hardly see the trees behind it.
Are There Alligators at Ichetucknee Springs?
Yes, take a boat ride to see alligators up close.
Boats are punts with propellers at the back.
During the tour, you can get a lot of information about alligators and crocodiles.
After the tour, you can take pictures with small reptiles.
This pleasure costs $35..
For $40, you can spend 45 minutes in the company of five adult alligators released from cages.
Theoretically, they are not dangerous to humans.
Are There Snakes in Ichetucknee Springs?
Yes, Ichetucknee Springs is home to hundreds of species of mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, amphibians, and insects.
Many of the snakes are harmless and even beneficial to humans.
But not all.
Can You Swim in Ichetucknee Springs?
Yes, you can start swimming with the sunrise till sunset.
Blue Spring Park has a lot of entertainment for visitors: boat rentals, canoes, scuba diving, fishing in permitted places, swimming, walking, and you can come to nature just for a picnic.
Of particular interest is a trip on a pleasure boat along the springs in the hope of seeing a crocodile in its natural habitat.
In any case, this is a great opportunity to see Florida wildlife up close and get a lot of pleasant emotions.
The park has picturesque paths, places for recreation and viewing platforms, cafes, and children’s playgrounds.
How Cold is Ichetucknee?
It is not cold.
Many people come to the park to swim in the beautiful pool with water of an amazing emerald color.
In addition to the striking color, the bath has another feature: the water temperature in it is 72 degrees, which remains unchanged throughout the year.
But it seems to me that the water was about 62 degrees.
What I Like About American National Parks
I like the American approach to the creation of protected areas.
It is very interesting and worthy of distribution.
Virtually every state has protected areas that, regardless of their status, are open to the public.
In any national park, there are information centers where you can get a map of certified trails, camping sites, picnic areas, etc.
Rangers of varying degrees of weaponry and menacing will not let visitors get lost, go into dangerous terrain, or go into the homes of predators.
