Most of our explorations from our temporary stop over at Cedar Key RV Resort has been exploring Florida’s Pure Water Wilderness (PWW) region.
“Florida’s Pure Water Wilderness is an unspoiled, three-county cluster of Mother Nature’s finest work. In just over 2,000 square miles, the region is laced, dotted, etched and framed by some of Florida’s most precious liquid assets. From the Waccasassa, Withlacoochee and Steinhatchee, to the Santa Fe and historic Suwannee, rivers run wild and free here, carving county lines and chasing their way to the glistening Gulf of Mexico. Lakes, ponds, creeks and springs adorn the landscape with their cool, crystal clear shallows and mysterious, shadowy depths.” — Pure Water Wilderness
One of our recent trips was to see the Manatee Springs at the Manatee Springs State Park. Large springs are rated in magnitude by how much water they produce and Manatee Springs is a first-magniture springs producing 100 million gallons of clear, cool water daily from a watershed area of approximately 250 square miles.
Manatee Springs is a winter haven for West Indian manatees which swim upriver to the warmer waters of the springs. Sadly, we didn’t see any manatees due to the timing of our visit.
You can see the surface of the water moving from the force of the springs below but it’s gentle enough that swimming is allowed with a year round water temperature of 72℉. The water is crystal clear with a blueish-green tint in the available light. It is also a popular spot for snorkeling and scuba diving with a series of underwater caverns and caves for those more advanced cave certified divers.
The spring run forms a large clear stream that meanders through hardwood wetlands into the Suwannee River. Visitors get to experience this via a raised boardwalk that follows the run to the Suwannee.
It’s a beautiful spot and nice park with its own campground. The campground was full and there were lots of people swimming during our visit. I can only imagine how busy it must be during the height of the summer months. There are also hiking trails and picnic areas available.
This is another place that has been on my go-to list for awhile, purely to swim with the manatees. Your photos certainly portray a tranquil place, even if the manatees aren’t around this time of year.
Knowing you’re a diver, Mark, I thought of you while at Manatee Springs. It’s a lovely place with what I understand are some interesting diving and photo opportunities. We saw a couple of divers suiting up as we were leaving. Keep it on your list for sure.
Beautiful! I smile knowing there are places where pollution has not affected the area. And, 100 million gallons is a lot water! Show me more!
This particular area is pretty pristine, Monte, but sorry to say at some other areas within the PWW you can see mankind’s impact from some upstream river sources. Over-all, it’s still very nice.
Wow, talk about a place with serenity.