2022 01 24 - Blue Springs State Park - Orange City FL

PICTURE - We were there on a record setting day for manatee sightings.

"In 1970, 14 manatee's were sighted here, two years later the state park was created to preserve this area." 2018 set a new record of manatee sightings at 485.

While we were here, we mostly viewed the manatee's but there is a 4.5 (or 3.5, depending on which lit you are looking at) mile hiking trail. We did not walk on it but this area, and Florida as a whole does not have much for hills that would be hard to hike.

We stayed on the boardwalk which is a half a mile, each way. We were there for about two hours and wanted to be down the road for work by sunset or we may have stayed longer.

GETTING THERE - Their web-site says come early but we were hours from the park at our hotel. Google maps showed it would be about an hour to go the last mile from Orange City to the park. Which was pretty close to correct. What Google didn't tell us was the park was routing traffic past the entrance to keep traffic from backing up into town. That added another half hour wait.

Some people parked in a park and walked the last mile to the entrance and then another half mile after they past the gate. We passed a couple of those groups two hours later when we were leaving.

PICTURE - Manatee's hanging out.

The half mile boardwalk goes to the end of the stream. It starts at the spring and must have a pretty huge flow of water to keep this supplied. The manatee's stir up a lot of mud sometimes but within a few minutes the steady supply of spring water has the stream clear again.

We did stand and listen to one of the 'guides.' Very interesting.

When they count the manatee's, they are ID'ed and named based on their scars from the boats hitting them.

In the off season this area is open to swimming and boating.

COST - $6 per car, or $2 per person if you walk in

For us, this was a last minute thing. I had said on FB that we didn't find work and would be 'stuck' in FL over the weekend. Someone on FB suggested it as something to do. Temps were below freezing over the weekend so we heads further south and came back here on Monday.

The manatee's are attracted to the area because of the constant 72 degrees of the springs. So when they are in the area, they will flock closer overnight when the temps drop.

By the time we left at 4 PM the parking lot was half empty and no waiting line. And the park does not close until 6 PM. Another option if you can't get there early, go late.