Best Ocala National Forest springs near Orlando Florida! 🌴 swimming, snorkeling, camping, picnic 🌴 Florida travel blog

Hi there!

Ocala National Forest can make for a perfect stop as a part of an epic Florida road trip if you will be driving through the Orlando area.

It’s located a 1.5 hour drive or so north of Orlando.

And what can be a perfect stop inside Ocala National Forest?!

A stop to see some of the best springs in Florida of course!

Here are the springs in Ocala National Forest that can make for a perfect road trip stop, including springs that you can swim at, and springs that don’t allow swimming.

📌 Save this post for later! Save on Pinterest! 👈📌

1. Silver Glen Springs

There is the Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area, and… this is where you will find Silver Glen Springs!

Silver Glen Springs is one of the prettiest springs in Ocala National Forest with amazing water color.

You can swim at Silver Glen Springs.

And if you bring swimming goggles or snorkeling gear to Silver Glen Springs, you might see tons of fish underwater!

👆 Bring a waterproof phone case for snorkeling in Florida springs so you can take video and pictures of what you see underwater at Ocala National Forest springs!

There is no camping in Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area. (Silver Glen Springs is the only “springs” recreation area in Ocala National Forest without a campground.)

See more about Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area.

🌴

2. Spring Boils Trail

The Spring Boils Trail is located at Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area.

If you want a chance to see a bubbling spring (aka “spring boils” or “sand boils”) then you can walk the short trail from Silver Glen Springs!

They are called boils because it looks like it’s boiling.

It is said that this is the beginning of a major spring in the making, and it’s likely what Silver Glen Springs looked like 1,000 to 2,000 years ago!

You can’t swim at the bubbling springs you see at the end of the Spring Boils Trail.

So you can make it a hiking + snorkeling kind of Ocala National Forest trip by going to Silver Glen Springs!

Go for a hike, and then as part of your post-hike recovery, you can go swimming in the springs!

Ocala National Forest hikes that start near Silver Glen Springs:

• Spring Boils Trail is around a half mile round trip and your “destination” is a bubbling spring!
• Lake George Trail is around 2 miles round trip and your “destination” is views of the second largest lake in Florida! (No springs to be seen on the trail, though.)

3. Juniper Springs

There is the Juniper Springs Recreation Area, and… this is where you will find Juniper Springs!

Juniper Springs is the picturesque spring that has the churning Juniper Springs mill as part of the backdrop.

You can swim at Juniper Springs.

Right near the mill at the border of the designated Juniper Springs swimming area seems to be a turtle resting spot!

I saw turtles in this spot in the afternoon and the following morning too.

👆 Ocala National Forest springs turtles: Spot the turtle!

You can also go and walk around Juniper Springs to see the other side of the mill.

And then if you look in the direction that the water from the mill flows, then you can see some bubbling springs here too for some more Ocala National Forest spring boils!

You can go camping in Juniper Springs Recreation Area at the Juniper Springs campground. There’s a trail to the springs from the campground.

See more about these Ocala National Forest springs Juniper Springs Recreation Area.

4. Fern Hammock Springs

Fern Hammock Springs is located in Juniper Springs Recreation Area.

To get to Fern Hammock Springs requires a short hike.

And Fern Hammock Springs is another spot where you can see bubbling spring boils in Ocala National Forest!

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. (As of May 2022.)

But you can still get to Fern Hammock Springs by taking a trail that goes through Juniper Springs Campground. You can also start this campground trail near Juniper Springs.

👆 Ocala National Forest springs map for Juniper Springs Recreation Area: 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.

You can’t swim at Fern Hammock Springs.

And if you are tempted to swim here, it’s a known alligator resting spot in Ocala National Forest!

👆 Ocala National Forest springs alligators: Spot the alligator!

See more about Fern Hammock Springs.

5. Salt Springs

There is the Salt Springs Recreation Area, and… this is where you will find Salt Springs!

You can swim at Salt Springs.

You can go camping in Salt Springs Recreation Area at the Salt Springs campground. There’s a trail to the springs from the campground.

See more about Salt Springs Recreation Area.

6. Alexander Springs

There is the Alexander Springs Recreation Area, and… this is where you will find Alexander Springs!

You can swim at Alexander Springs.

You can also go scuba diving at Alexander Springs.

You can go camping in Alexander Springs Recreation Area at the Alexander Springs campground. There’s a trail to the springs from the campground.

Cost to go to Ocala National Forest springs

There are many recreation areas in Ocala National Forest, and of these, there are 4 “springs” recreation areas.

Each of these Ocala National Forest recreation areas require separate entry fees.

The cost to go to the Ocala National Forest springs will vary depending on which recreation area you go to.

There is also a weekday rate and a weekend rate.

Most of the Ocala National Forest springs recreation areas are $8 per person on weekdays and $11 per person on weekends. See current fees.

Tips for Ocala National Forest springs and beyond

According to Florida state parks, there are over 1,000 springs in Florida!

So a “very Florida” thing you need to do during your Florida road trip is a stop for some springs!

There are lots of springs located across North Florida and Central Florida, and Ocala National Forest is one of the best places to see springs in Florida!

And, maybe you will even see an alligator in Ocala National Forest!

Can you go swimming at springs in Ocala National Forest?

Yes, you can swim in Ocala National Forest!

There is a designated swimming area for several of the Ocala National Forest springs.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the water temperature of the Ocala National Forest springs are a constant 72 to 74 degrees year-round.

This means that in theory, you can go swimming at the Ocala National Forest springs any time of year.

In terms of water temperature, the 70s can be considered warm enough for swimming for many people!

As long as you can handle coming out of the water wet to a cooler air temperature, then you can go swimming in Ocala National Forest any time of year – summer, spring, fall, and even winter!

It really just depends on your tolerance for colder water and just how much you want to go swimming in Ocala National Forest!

There could be areas of a spring that are shallow enough that you can stand.

And there may also be areas that are deeper where you can’t reach the bottom.

👆 Add a personal float to your Florida springs packing list! This way if you are in deeper water you won’t have to constantly be treading water!

See more about what to pack for swimming in Florida springs.

To recap…

Things to do in Ocala National Forest to see springs

The “springs” recreation areas in Ocala National Forest

• Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area
• Juniper Springs Recreation Area
• Salt Springs Recreation Area
• Alexander Springs Recreation Area

And that’s a bit about Ocala National Forest springs!

Where are you going next?

• Driving from Orlando to St Augustine
• Driving between Jacksonville and Orlando
• Driving between Destin and Orlando
• Driving through Miami
• One day in Everglades National Park
• Florida Keys road trip from Key Largo to Key West

More springs in Florida

• Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park
• Fanning Springs State Park

HAPPY SEEING THE BEST OCALA NATIONAL FOREST SPRINGS!