- Scale - 3rd magnitude
- Scenery - good-very good
- How Pristine? - houses nearby
- Swimming - no
- Protection - unknown-private
- Crowds - none
- Access - none, may be viewed from a distance by boat
- Facilities - none
- Safety - unknown
- Scuba - no
Summary of Features
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Quick Directions
About 15 minutes downriver from the put-in at the Highway 47 bridge
on the south side of the Santa Fe River.
Full Directions
From Fort White, drive south on State Road 47 about five miles to bridge
over the Santa Fe River and put in at boat ramp (going downstream). After
about 15 minutes, look for a creek mouth on left and then another just
before the river narrows, deepens, and makes a left turn around some houses
and exposed limestone. There is another creek mouth on the left after the
turn. These mouths appear to lead to the spring.
Note: these tiny runs are not to be confused with the mouth of Cow Creek, which empties into the Santa Fe River above these runs and nearer the boat ramp at the State Road 47 bridge. Traveling downriver from the bridge, one would encounter Cow Creek first, on the left, as a much fuller run that flows south for several miles.
For maps, latitude/longitude data, driving directions, satellite imagery, and topographic representations as well as weather conditions at this spring, go to Greg Johnson's informative "Florida Springs Database" web site at the following address: http://www.ThisWaytothe.Net/springs/floridasprings.htm#Florida
Spring Description
The spring is on private property, and its runs were virtually dry
and not navigable the date of the authors’ visit (Jan. 2001), a time of
historic drought. Viewed from a distance, the spring appears to form a
circular pool and three runs. The runs create a sort of semicircular island
of several acres. The land around the spring is rolling and covered in
thick floodplain forest including cypress trees and cypress knees. There
is 2-3 story house on the island overlooking the spring pool. A small bridge
connects the house to the mainland, crossing the upstream run from the
spring.
The upstream (most eastern) run had some water for about 75 feet, but no flow. The mouth of the middle run is rocky and had some mucky pools but no flow on date of visit. The third run downstream is about 100 yards long. The downstream run was flowing, with water tinkling over rocks and tree roots into the Santa Fe River. The water was clear and only a few inches deep. The runs create channels that are several feet below the surrounding land.
Use/Access
The spring is on private property and not accessible.
Personal Impressions
The authors were confused trying to figure out whether the runs were from different springs or same one, where they led, and if they were indeed all from GIL928971. The western, downstream run was the only one flowing. It is not clear whether one could canoe up the lower run to the spring pool (in times of normal or high water), and/or if doing so would constitute trespassing.
Nearby Springs