Ichetucknee Springs State Park is a Florida State Park and National Natural Landmark located 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Fort White off State Road 47 and State Road 238. It centers around the 6-mile-long (10 km)

Ichetucknee River The Ichetucknee River is a spring-fed, pristine river in North Central Florida. The entire of the river average wide, deep and most of the 6 miles lie within the boundaries of the Ichetucknee Springs State Park while the rest is to the south o ...

, which flows through shaded hammocks and

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s into the Santa Fe River. The park contains hardwood hammock and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

outcrops. Like many rivers in this part of North Florida, the Ichetucknee is fed by natural springs which boil up (in various holes) from the

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...

. The state of Florida purchased the property in 1970 from the Loncala Phosphate Corporation for $1,850,000.

History

Phosphate Mining

The Loncala Era

Fauna

Park wildlife includes

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

, raccoons,

wild turkey The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an Upland game bird, upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of Turkey (bird), turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic ...

wood duck The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. Description The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A typi ...

s and

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

s. There are also fish and reptiles: i.e.

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

water snakes Different snakes are called water snakes. "Water snake" is also sometimes used as a descriptive term for any snakes that spend a significant time in or near fresh water, such as any species belonging to the family Acrochordidae. They should not be ...

, American alligators, North American river otters, West Indian manatees in the winter months,

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

, bream,

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

alligator gar The alligator gar (''Atractosteus spatula'') is a ray-finned euryhaline fish related to the bowfin in the infraclass Holostei . It is the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fish in North America. The fossil reco ...

, mullet,

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

, and several types of minnows.

Recreational activities

During the summer, one of the most popular park activities is floating down the Ichetucknee River in an

innertube CBS Innertube was a broadband video channel launched by CBS in May 2006. The channel offered original web-only shows, as well as rebroadcasts of CBS's regular shows. The service was only available in the United States. It was rebranded as CBS.com ...

. From the end of May until early September, "tubing" down the river is the premier activity in the park. They also offer kayaking and canoeing through in certain areas. As the water in this spring-fed river is remarkably clear, swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving are extremely popular. The river's year-round temperature is 72 °F (22 °C) and therefore makes for a refreshingly cool escape from the hot afternoon temperatures in the region. Tubes, rafts, canoes, and kayaks as well as snorkeling and diving equipment can be rented from private vendors outside the park. Seasonality: The tubing season from the North entrance begins on the Friday before Memorial Day. Tubing from the North entrance is closed from the day after Labor Day until the Friday before Memorial Day At the South entrance, the tram service operates from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Rented innertubes and rafts are dropped off (at the end of the trip) in designated areas at the "take-out" point. This is a popular weekend getaway for the students (and faculty) of the nearby

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. Amenities within this state park include restrooms, dressing rooms, a concession stand, nature trails, picnic tables and grills.

Archaeology

A 17th century Spanish mission site has been identified in the park, next to a short tributary connecting Fig Springs to the Ichetucknee River, about one mile (1.6 km) downstream from the head of the river. The mission has been provisionally identified as

San Martín de Timucua The Fig Springs mission site ( 8CO1) is an archaeological site in Ichetucknee Springs State Park, in Columbia County, Florida. It has been identified as the site of a Spanish mission to the Timucua people of the region, dating to the first half ...

, which was occupied in the first half of the 17th century. Plans to reconstruct the mission and open it to the public as an interpretational site were dropped.

Hours

The park opens at 8 a.m. every day of the year (including holidays) and closes at sunset. The Education and Exhibit Center is open Thursday through Monday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Gallery

Ichetucknee Blue Spring Boil Span.jpg, Blue Spring Blue Hole Trail pedestrian bridge views from the Head Spring Trail.jpg, Blue Hole Trail pedestrian bridge viewed from the Head Spring Trail Children paddling down the Ichetucknee River.jpg, Children paddling down the Ichetucknee River File:Ichetucknee Springs SP north springs stones01.jpg, Stones in the headspring