Poe Springs is a spring about 3 miles west of
High Springs, Florida
High Springs is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in Alachua County and seventh-largest in North Central Florida. The population was 6,215 at the 2020 census.
History
The present-day area of High S ...
.
It is located in Poe Springs Park, which is 202 acres in size.
The spring is isolated from the main part of the park at its center, requiring a 0.3 mile hike one-way.
The water temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
It is managed by Alachua County Parks and Recreation and is $5.00 per car to visit.
Poe Springs Park is the only county-run park that allows swimming.
In addition to swimming,
snorkeling
Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a ...
is also popular.
However,
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
is not allowed.
The spring produces an average volume of 45 million gallons of water daily that feed into the
Santa Fe River.
The spring vent is 25 feet deep.
Prior to being acquired by Alachua County, the spring was eroding and neglected.
After
Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread destruction across its path in September 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Maria two ...
, the park was damaged and was closed temporarily and reopened in May 2018.
References
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Springs of Florida
Parks in Alachua County, Florida