North Central Florida Springs Day
Stop 1: Troy Springs State Park [6/174]
July 22, 2017
North Central Florida Springs Day Part II - Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park
North Central Florida Springs Day Part III - Lafayette Blue Springs State Park
North Central Florida Springs Day Part III - Lafayette Blue Springs State Park
Summary:
After our Garden of Eden hike last weekend, we needed a new adventure. The plan was to hit up Troy Springs State Park and Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park. En route, we passed the turn to Lafayette Blue Springs State Park and tacked it onto the end of our itinerary.
Springs are defined as any natural situation where water flows from an aquifer to the Earth's surface. The springs we visited today were either on or nearby the middle stretch of the Suwannee River, also referred to as "spring country". This is the stretch from Suwannee River State Park to Branford, which is home to Troy Springs State Park (Stop 1).
Florida State Parks has created the Suwannee River Wilderness State Trail, which is a partnership of camps, hubs, and parks along the river for trail users. The link provides resources to maps, boat ramp locations, float plans, a paddling guide, and outfitters. While Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park is not actually part of the Suwannee River springs, it's close by and a very popular attraction for divers. It's being included in this 3-part series because it's right smack in between Troy and Lafayette Blue. I'll save my passport stamp for the Suwannee River Wilderness State Trail from when I complete the trail in full in one go. Who's with me?
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Lafayette Blue Springs State Park
Springs are defined as any natural situation where water flows from an aquifer to the Earth's surface. The springs we visited today were either on or nearby the middle stretch of the Suwannee River, also referred to as "spring country". This is the stretch from Suwannee River State Park to Branford, which is home to Troy Springs State Park (Stop 1).
Florida State Parks has created the Suwannee River Wilderness State Trail, which is a partnership of camps, hubs, and parks along the river for trail users. The link provides resources to maps, boat ramp locations, float plans, a paddling guide, and outfitters. While Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park is not actually part of the Suwannee River springs, it's close by and a very popular attraction for divers. It's being included in this 3-part series because it's right smack in between Troy and Lafayette Blue. I'll save my passport stamp for the Suwannee River Wilderness State Trail from when I complete the trail in full in one go. Who's with me?
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Lafayette Blue Springs State Park
- Region: North Central
- Address: 674 NE Troy Springs Rd Branford, FL 32008
- Hours: Daily 08:00 - Sundown
- Admissions: $5/Vehicle, $4/Single Occupant Vehicle, $2/Non-Vehicle Entry, or FREE with an Annual Pass [Honor Box]
- Website: https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Troy-Spring
- Brochure: N/A
- FT Ranger on Site: No - Honor Box for payment/Display annual pass on dashboard
- Year Park Opened: 2005
The Gear:
- Snorkel, mask, fins
- TeVa Terra Fi Lite Sandals
- Florida State Park Passport
- GoPro Hero 3
The Story
Troy Springs State Park is exactly what it sounds like. The main attraction is the 70-foot deep spring that can be accessed through the park or from the river. You can snorkel, swim, and if you have the proper certifications - go scuba diving! I would love to get certified now, but the time is not now. Not when I have to replace my house's malfunctioning air conditioning. There is also a nature trail and picnic area too. We arrived around 10 in the morning, so it was not crowded.
The Nature Walk
We began with the nature walk in order to warm-up and brave the cold waters of the spring. Short and flat hike. Gained some knowledge, enjoyed nature, and put my feet on more trails. Not a bad start to the day. What made this hike stand out was the "green carpet" that we were stepping on. According to a sign at the park, this green carpet (pictured below) is made of mosses and liverworts that cover moist limestone. The plants are referred to as the plant version of amphibians - bridge gap between water and dry land plants. Their nutrients come from the limestone and rainwater. They break down the limestone creating a new soil in the rock's cracks which allows more plants to live on the limestone. This explains why there was plenty of grass growing on the "green carpet".
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| Saw Palmetto - Spotted everywhere on the trail Troy Springs State Park, Branford FL |
Whenever I see the word resurrection, I automatically think of a Cylon Resurrection Ship. Instead of a Cylon mind downloading into a new body of its model, this fern will become a deep green color after rainfall from its drought, brown, lifeless self. And also...Sparkleberry. What a fabulous name. Sparkleberry.
Other than that, nothing too crazy to report. Obviously not a golden orb spider being totally up to something. I cannot take a picture of those spiders to save my life. I'm pretty sure Gladys got a good one. If what I think is going on is what's actually going on, then I got to conduct unexpected field research on the reproductive habits of golden orb (banana) spiders. Picture TBD.
The Visitor Center? And Stamping Station
Here lies the visitor center. The hiking trail leads you past here to get back to the main part of the park. As you can see, it looks less like a visitor center and more like a place where someone lives. If I want my park stamp, it's necessary for me to approach the structure as awkwardly as possible.
At least it's called a visitor center and not a welcome center. I don't feel very welcome, but I very much feel like a visitor. Gotta love the padlock on the door. They did make this park's stamp an introvert's dream. You get to do it yourself! No ranger, no problem. The wiring holding the stamp was anything but flexible.
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| Passport Stamp - FL State Parks Troy Springs State Park, Branford FL |
The Spring
The main attraction! Here's a sign that was at all three parks for whatever possible reason.
Cypress knees, my love, it's been too long!
Pretty!
This is the walkway down to the spring from the parking lot/restrooms/picnic area. There are no stairs, only a very windy accessible ramp.
Cypress knees, my love, it's been too long!
Pretty!
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| Troy Springs State Park, Branford FL |
Even prettier!
Snorkeling Troy Springs
Started out with the video. Now for my boring commentary and photos. There's the remains of a steamship below the spring surface. I barely captured it. The steamship was called the Madison and was a floating mail service and trading post. The Confederate forces used it in the Civil War in 1861 as a privateer. They scuttled it in spring 1863 to make sure it did not end up in the wrong hands. Scuttled steamship remains pictured below. Source: Florida State Parks website. For additional reading, perhaps a quick bedtime story, click here. There's even a picture.
My only decent turtle footage was on the video. I do have semi-decent pictures of fish though:
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| Steamship Madison Troy Springs State Park, Branford FL |
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| Steampship Madison (left side of picture) Troy Springs State Park, Branford FL |
My only decent turtle footage was on the video. I do have semi-decent pictures of fish though:
No fish
Fish!
More fish!
A Gladys-Fish!
A Kat-Fish!
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| Troy Springs State Park, Branford FL |
Hurdles:
If you happen to have a wetsuit in the car and plan on snorkeling for awhile, wear the damn wetsuit. Sometimes people get in the way of beautiful pictures. Taking pictures of banana spiders is hard. My underwater GoPro skills are way below par. I had to delete a lot of trippy pictures that didn't show much of anything. All this typing of Branford, FL makes me think about Bran and how I still have to wait a whole entire day for Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 2. If you have bug spray in your car and you're about to walk around in the forest, use it.
Relevant Quote:
"There's probably more history now preserved underwater than in all the museums of the world combined. And there's no law governing that history. It's finders keepers."
-Robert Ballard
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