Visit the Welaka State Forest website for more information.Weeki Wachee Springs State Park - Spring Hill, Florida Plan for at least 2 hours if you are just doing the trail loop, more for swimmingĬamp restrooms available at the spring itself 1 mile south of the National Fish Hatchery Public Aquarium, on the right Visit the Welaka National Fish Hatchery’s website. Plan to spend at least 15-30 minutes there. Johns River not many people know about! Welaka National Fish Hatchery Public Aquarium Families of all sizes and ages will find something they love about these places the little sightseers, hikers, swimmers, and explorers in your life will be able to experience the beautiful places along the St.
MUD RIVER SPRING FULL
(I recommend getting to the park early in the day during the weekends – while it doesn’t get “crowded” per se, the small spring itself is a big draw for locals in the summertime.)Ī full day of low-cost, high-adventure fun can be had within a mile along CR 309 in Welaka, FL.
Deer, gopher tortoises, snakes, and birds of all shapes and sizes can be seen along the Mud Springs trail (a flat 1.75-mile loop), as well as Florida’s typical vast array of flowers and trees. In my childhood, the spring was closed to swimmers for ecosystem restoration, but today it’s a popular local spot to cool off in the summer on the weekends. The small spring pumps out nearly 14,000 gallons per hour of clear spring water into a half-mile spring run that flows into the St. It has something for hikers and swimmers alike – a well-maintained trail that winds its way through beautiful pine flatwoods and oak hammocks and a small glistening spring at the end for swimming. Mud Springs, located south of the hatchery in the Welaka State Forest, is a fantastic place to spend an afternoon with your family in the Florida wilderness – the parking and day use fee is only $2 per person. If you have little bird watchers in your brood, this is a great place to spend some time. About a mile from the aquarium you can find the “Beecher Unit”, which houses a bird observation deck and a half-mile loop trail through the nearby woods. As a child I was enthralled by the place, and to this day I make a point to swing by to see what the fish are up to!īetween the aquarium and Mud Springs, you can see the rest of the hatchery facility – medium sized ponds on either side of CR 309. While the facility itself has not changed much in my lifetime, although they rotate out fish and other species, it is still great fun to see and learn about what swims beneath the surface of our spectacular river. Developed in 1926, this 16-tank aquarium houses a wide variety of fish and other aquatic creatures that call the St. daily (no entrance fee), the National Fish Hatchery aquarium is a tiny but entertaining stop at the beginning of your day. Among them, the National Fish Hatchery public aquarium and Mud Spring Trail in the Welaka State Forest are two of my favorites that I regularly visit to this day. Located along CR 309 in Putnam County, there are quite a few gems in this area that enthralled me when I was a little. From the Timucua to William Bartram to today’s anglers and outdoor adventurers, humans have been drawn to this unique spot on the St. Welaka is a small town just south of Palatka (about 30 minutes or so). One of my favorite spots, however, is a place you may have never heard about: Welaka.
There are 310 miles of possibilities with springs, museums, hikes, boat trips, and everything in between. Johns River abounds with opportunities for fun and adventure for kids.
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