Meta Description (164 characters with spaces): “Plan a visit to clear water natural springs in Florida. Do you know where the best freshwater springs in Florida are? A guide to natural springs in Orlando Florida.”

Sub-title (208 characters with spaces): “While the Sunshine State has a lot to offer to keep its visitors entertained, it is also a perfect spot to beat the summer heat. This is an epic guide to the top 10 best freshwater natural springs in Florida.”

Visitors enjoying swimming and paddling in a natural spring. Photo by Jacksonville Beach Moms on Unsplash

No matter what time of the year it is, the Sunshine State of Florida is booming with its gems. Be it its theme parks for which it is titled as the theme park capital of the world, or its city of Orlando which is so beautiful that it became almost irresistible to name it ‘The City Beautiful’, or anything else, this state clearly has an unbeatable edge in offering various escapades to keep its visitors curious.

One such escapade of curiosity is the treasure of the natural springs in Florida. With over 700 natural clear freshwater springs in Florida, the Sunshine State is also home to the biggest collection of clear freshwater natural springs in the world.

In this article, we review the top 10 clear water natural springs in Florida which are a must-visit both for locals and visitors.

Top 10 natural springs in Florida you must visit

All the 700 clear freshwater springs in Florida have something unique and special about them. From sighting rare species of animals to remarkable camping sites on the side of the springs to transparent see-through boating experiences to bubbling springs where the water temperature remains the same throughout the year, the clear water natural springs around Orlando in Florida have an incredible diversification for nature lovers and explorers.

• Alexander Springs
• Juniper Springs
• Salt Springs
• Silver Glen Springs
• Troy Springs State Park
• Rainbow Springs State Park
• Three Sisters Springs
• Wekiwa Springs State Park
• Madison Blue Spring State Park
• Ginnie Springs

Alexander Springs

With super clear water that enables you to view the bottom surface of the spring to a 72° F temperature that remains constant all year round, Alexander Springs is an easy-to-enjoy spot.

Florida has a total of 33 first magnitude springs and Alexander Springs is one of them. It is surrounded by a floodplain forest with trees of maple, cabbage palms, and sweetgum, giving visitors a tropical sensation.

Although it is mostly crowded on weekends during the summer season, the best time to enjoy Alexander Springs in Florida is the spring season. Activities include swimming, scuba diving, and canoeing.

Alexander Springs in Florida is also a perfect camping spot and allows making reservations for it. Simply drive your vehicle and park it in its huge, paved parking space. Then pitch your tent on any spot of the 67-unit campground and enjoy a peaceful night. In addition to camping, the site also allows recreation vehicles.

Juniper Springs

A natural spring that begins the forming of the Juniper Creek with its water flowing into the St. Johns River through Lake George, Juniper Springs is in the Ocala National Forest in the east of Ocala in Florida.

Juniper Springs is also one of the East Coast’s oldest and popular recreation spots, offering visitors activities like swimming, picnicking, trailing, bird watching, hiking, paddling, and camping.

Often considered as a desert-like scrub ecosystem, the Juniper Springs is a collection of small and massive springs that bubbles from the earth and hide under the dense canopy of palms and oaks.

Salt Springs

In between the Ocala National Forest and located near Lake George, is the spectacular Salt Springs in Florida. It is an unincorporated community that is part of the Ocala Metropolitan Statistical Area in the Marion County of Florida.

With certain restrictions as to swimming beyond the marked areas in the spring region, this natural mineral spring in Florida is a busy area with the usual rush of visitors that come here for a wide variety of outdoor activities. These include boating, hiking, snorkeling, swimming, and freshwater fishing.

In the surrounding area of the Salt Spring community, the recreation area and campgrounds offer grocery stores, bait and tackle shops, dining options and restaurants, a visitor center, and a gas station, etc.

Silver Glen Springs

Silver Glen Springs is another one of the 33 first magnitude springs in Florida. It is situated in the Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area on the east edge of the Ocala National Forest.

Besides being an important archaeological site, other daytime recreation activities at the Silver Glen Springs include swimming but with a restriction in diving or scuba diving, boating, and hiking in the woods along the Lake George Trail and the Springs Boil Trail.

Troy Springs State Park

Lying along the banks of the Suwannee River is another one of the 33 first magnitude springs in Florida, the Troy Spring State Park.

It has a depth of 70-feet and offers amenities like swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, hiking, paddling, picnicking, and geo-seeking.

Besides this, Troy Spring State Park also offers a calm place to hold gatherings and events for weddings, birthday parties, etc.

Rainbow Springs State Park

With its sapphire-blue waters, Rainbow Springs is a favorite place for both locals and the wading birds and turtles. The Rainbow Springs State Park is a historical site where the native Americans made regular visits to this area, something that dates back to many centuries.

Activities for visitors include hiking, snorkeling, swimming, picnicking, birding, geo-seeking, walking, and running along the trail and sidewalks, tubing, wildlife viewing, and event organizing for weddings, reunions, birthday parties, etc.

Three Sisters Springs

A natural inlet on the east side of Kings Bay and located on the Crystal River in Citrus County is the Three Sisters Springs in the Sunshine State of Florida.

Recreation activities including swimming are accessible for visitors arriving through paddle boats and motorized boats. Inside the limits of the Three Sisters Springs, motorboats aren’t allowed.

It is a day-only facility and offers many day-time recreational activities although, during the manatee season, some activities might be suspended.

Wekiwa Springs State Park

Located just 20-minutes north of downtown Orlando, near Altamonte Springs and Longwood, is a massive 7000-acre Florida State Park in Apopka, Florida, known as the Wekiwa Springs State Park.

A true gem with emerald springs flowing into the Wekiva River, this one-of-its-kind natural reserve park provides a unique experience to view abundant wildlife and relaxing water soaking activities to beat the summer heat.

Along the trail and sidewalk activities include bicycling, mountain biking, and horseback riding to explore miles of trails as well as birding, camping, picnicking, hiking, geo-seeking, and wildlife viewing, etc.

Water-based activities include fishing, snorkeling, paddling, swimming, and canoeing.

Madison Blue Spring State Park

Known for its cool waters, underwater caves, and being another one of the Florida State’s 33 first magnitude springs, is the Madison Blue Spring.

Madison Blue Spring State Park is located approximately 10 miles east of Madison on the west bank of the Withlacoochee River and is a Florida State Park.

With 82 feet in width and 25 feet in depth, Madison Blue Spring has also been voted as the number one swimming hole in the US.

Activities for visitors include fishing, paddling, scuba diving, birding, picnicking, swimming, and tubing.

Ginnie Springs

Located on the south side of the Santa Fe River, and situated at about 6.5 miles northwest of High Springs, Ginnie Springs is a privately owned park in Gilchrist County in Florida, USA.

Ginnie Springs is known for its cold and clear water as well as caverns with bottoms having sand and limestone, all of which are accessible by visitors.

Activities include snorkeling, swimming, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddling.

On-site facilities include bathhouses, grills, general store, laundry, dump station, picnic tables, playgrounds, volleyball courts, and Wi-Fi internet access, etc.

End thoughts

The Sunshine State of Florida offers a thrilling experience to each one of its residents and guests. Whether it be its modern-day amazing developments with glitz and glamour or its natural habitat and ecosystem, it is filled with wonders and jewels for everyone.