Hi there!
So you can go to Fern Hammock Springs as a day trip from Orlando or as part of your road trip through Central Florida.
Fern Hammock Springs can be a perfect easy short walk to do in Ocala National Forest.
It’s a nice leisurely walk through the forest to get to one of the pretty springs in Ocala National Forest!
You’ll need to know to go back here (now you do!) so they are some of the hidden springs in Florida!
Don’t miss it if you go to Juniper Springs! It’s just a short walk from there!
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You can go to Fern Hammock Springs to see the springs of course.
It is also one of the Ocala National Forest springs you can go to in order to see bubbling springs!
You can see bubbling springs in Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area too!
You might also see an alligator at Fern Hammock Springs.
Because there are alligators, there is no swimming in Fern Hammock Springs.
👆 You can watch the bubbling spring of Fern Hammock Springs as you cross over the bridge!
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Fern Hammock Springs is located in the Juniper Springs Recreation Area of Ocala National Forest.
Ocala National Forest is in Central Florida.
The main way to get to Fern Hammock Springs is to hike the Juniper Springs Nature Trail.
The boardwalk part of the nature trail was closed when I went, and it appears that it is still closed in 2024. See the US Forest Service for updates.
The closed boardwalk is a small part of the nature trail, and it was still possible to go to Fern Hammock Springs using an alternate route when I went. A map to use as a guide to get to Fern Hammock Springs is below.
Hike to Fern Hammock Springs
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You get to Fern Hammock Springs by going to Juniper Springs Recreation Area and doing a short hike.
It is an easy stroll through the trees Ocala National Forest to get to Fern Hammock Springs!
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The bubbling Fern Hammock Springs
Fern Hammock Springs is a spot where you can see bubbling spring boils in Ocala National Forest!
Once you get to the Fern Hammock Springs bridge, look down to see the bubbling springs!
👇 The springs are bubbling!
Fern Hammock Springs alligator
👆 Spot the alligator!
You might see an alligator at Fern Hammock Springs!
I saw an alligator at the Fern Hammock Springs bridge.
Cost to go to Fern Hammock Springs
You can just drive through Ocala National Forest, and it will be free.
But to go to Fern Hammock Springs, you need to enter Juniper Springs Recreation Area, for which there is an entry fee.
The cost to go to Juniper Springs Recreation Area is around $12 per person on the weekend. See current fees.
This means that it will cost $12 per person to go to Fern Hammock Springs.
And you can see Juniper Springs too!
Camping near Fern Hammock Springs
Campsites #61 to 79 of the Juniper Springs campground is the Fern Hammock tent camping area.
The official website to make reservations for the Fern Hammock tent camping area is recreation.gov.
Fern Hammock Springs map
While the normal way to get to Fern Hammock Springs is by walking a boardwalk, this is closed and it’s unclear if it will open up any time soon.
I went to Fern Hammock Springs in May 2022 and it was closed.
A check of the US Forest Service website in summer 2023 shows that the Juniper Springs Nature Trail boardwalk is closed.
A check of the official Fern Hammock camping website in summer 2023 also shows that the part of the trail is closed.
Both of these websites also showed trail closures when I went in May 2022, but I was still able to go to Fern Hammock Springs.
I am not sure if they have closed more parts of the trail since I went, so it’s best to manage expectations in case you are not able to make it all the way to Fern Hammock Springs!
Since it seems like you can still do part of the trail, you can think of it as a nice leisurely nature walk even if you can’t see the springs.
You can try to get to Fern Hammock Springs by taking a trail that goes through Juniper Springs Campground.
You can also try to start this campground trail near Juniper Springs.
Both of these trails were open when the Juniper Springs boardwalk part of the trail was closed when I went.
👆 Map of how to get to Fern Hammock Springs. You can find this map near the Juniper Springs bathroom and take a picture of it. Or save the image above to refer to so you know which campsites to look for in order to find the trail to Fern Hammock Springs! Look for campsites #22 and #10.
And that’s a bit about the hike to Fern Hammock Springs!
Explore more of Ocala National Forest:
- Things to do in Ocala National Forest
- Juniper Springs Recreation Area
- Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area
- Ocala National Forest springs
HAPPY GOING TO FERN HAMMOCK SPRINGS!
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