Kat Sack here! Sometimes Katastrophic Sackrilege to the running community, but most definitely The Mountain Lioness to those who follow and join my adventures. I currently call Tallahassee, FL home. The mountains are my favorite place to be and explore but given my location, I dive into other types of rad places too!

I created this blog as a personal project to document my adventures. Photos are great, but I love text describing more of the story and to recall what I have learned. I am no expert at outdoorsy activities, but I learn as I go! If you end up here, I hope you can get something out of it.

My original focus was on backpacking, hiking, camping, kayaking, and mountain biking. I have thus shifted the scope as I discovered my love for National and State Parks. I have the National Parks Passport and the Florida State Parks passport which have allowed me to discover places I originally would never have seen. Now I write about national monuments, history, run-cations, etc.

At some point I hope to dive into personal growth as well with topics including self-sufficiency and improvement, turning boredom into adventure, steps to heal my body and mind, and overcoming social adversities.

Life is an adventure. Go outside. Pay attention to all that is around you. Get lost in the moment. Everything has a story. Listen for it, even if you do not speak the same language.

Ponce de Leon Springs State Park


Springing Back to Life

Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

FL State Parks Quest 38/175

Ponce de Leon, Florida

23 March 2019


I like escaping real life, just as most everyone else. Some weekends I have no solid plans and with being out of the competitive running world, my Saturday and Sunday mornings are left open. I decided to add another Florida State park to the mix and see more of the rural part of the Florida Panhandle. I packed up the car with gear for hiking, paddling, and camping. A solo weekend getaway in the wild was exactly what I needed - a hike at a rejuvenating spring and getting a new passport stamp, peaking the highest point in Florida, camping alone along a river, and paddling a less touched section of a river.

First stop - Ponce de Leon Springs State Park. Not to be confused with the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, FL.

"This beautiful spring is named for Juan Ponce de León, 
who led the first Spanish expedition to Florida in 1513 
- as legend has it - 
in search of the "fountain of youth.""

The second-magnitude main spring for the 386.94 acre park is a convergence of two underground water flows and maintains a year-round water temperature of 68 degrees. It produces 14 million gallons of water every day to a 350 foot springrun stream that junctures at Sandy Creek. There are two hiking trails - Spring Run and Sandy Creek. I only walked along the Spring Run loop.

From the park brochure:
"Although there is not a lot written about the history of Ponce de Leon Springs, European settlers and the Indians before them used this spring as a source of drinking water and recreation. 

 "The harvesting of timber and turpentine were the major industries in and around the area that is now Ponce de Leon Springs State Park. The majestic longleaf pines were ideal for building homes, businesses and the railroad that traversed the panhandle of Florida. The spring was owned by the Smithgall family in the mid-1920s. They added many amenities to the property including a restroom with showers, eatery and a skating rink. The Smithgalls also added a wooden retaining wall around the spring to prevent erosion."

For more photos from my visit to the park, visit my Ponce de Leon No Edits Gallery: The Mountain Lioness No Edits Gallery ~ dissociation; rejuvenation

Park Profile - Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

  • Region: Northwest
  • Year Established: 1970
  • Location
    • Physical Address: 2860 Ponce de Leon Springs Road Ponce de Leon, Florida 32455
    • GPS: 30.722919, -85.930257
    • Google Maps
    • Distance from Tallahassee: 109 miles | 1 Hour 40 Minutes | Eastern to Central time zone change
  • Phone: 850.836.4281
  • Fees: 
    • $4/Vehicle
    • $2/Pedestrians, Bicyclists
    • FREE with an Annual Pass (additional car passengers $2)
  • Hours: Daily 08:00 - Sunset
  • FL State Parks Website
  • FL State Parks Brochure
  • FT Ranger on Duty: Yes?
  • Passport Stamp Location: Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

The Gear


The Story

No real time constraints, as relaxation and no stress were key for the weekend. Driving West on I-10 continues to show the lingering affects of Hurricane Michael. I snuck a few photos this time where there were several clean-up crews in place. This is about 5 months after the merciless storm. So many trees forever gone.

Ponce de Leon Springs State Park is located in the less than 2 hours driving range from Tallahassee, FL. The parking area was currently under construction, so there was a temp lot just outside the park.
-- Walton Outdoors: Parking Improvements in the Works at Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

From this area, it is an extremely short walk from the lot to the closed to cars gate and then the ranger station. I kind of felt as if I was walking up to a drive through window.

I showed my annual pass for my admission fee and got my passport stamped.

They didn't really have any printed brochures on hand, and I didn't plan much when I arrived. Even though I had swimming/snorkeling gear, I wasn't in the mood to jump in. Afterall it was still March, and even though non-Floridians think Florida is always warm, that is not true in the northern part of the state. Families were having picnics in the pavilions and children were swimming in the cool waters.

There were stairs, ramps, and ladders to allow easy access to the spring. I just stuck my feet in for a bit before proceeding across the bridge towards the Spring Run Trail.

The hike of the Spring Run Trail begins!
Link to Strava Hiking Activity: Ponce de Leon, trying not to fall in


The beginning of the hike follows the spring run sourced by the fresh, clear waters of the spring. Kids were splashing around and people were fishing. I watched weird formations in the water, probably caused by tiny bugs on the water of the surface. Some looked like weird faces, and others look like they were created by aliens. I was fascinated. 

I'm terrible at identifying fish but caught a few on camera.

The trail reaches the point where the spring run converges with Sandy Creek. The clear blue water meets the murky brown waters in a an almost-clear line.
FL State Parks: Sandy Creek at Ponce de Leon & National Water Quality Monitoring Council: Sandy Creek

There were two other young women taking lots of pictures of each other and so I offered to take pictures of the two of them together and got some great pictures of myself in return.

The trail then followed the brown waters of Sandy Creek.

There were several beautiful dragonflies. I took more nature pics that can be viewed at The Mountain Lioness No Edits Gallery ~ dissociation; rejuvenation.

After the short hike, I arrived back at the bridge to the main spring and recreation area.

I walked up a boardwalk to the bathroom and sparse information area and proceeded to the car to continue my journey.

Afterwards I drove about 15-20 minutes and got lunch at a place called Café NOLA in Defuniak Springs, FL. Address: 400 E Nelson Ave Ste B, Defuniak Springs, FL 32433. I had an a la carte meal of some of my favorites - raw oysters on the half shell, crab balls, and of course a beignet for dessert.

By the large pond down the street from the restaurant there was a gazebo called 'The Opinion Place' - a place to sit and visit with one another.

The town was a lot cuter and had more going on than I expected.

Roar for More!


Hurdles

I'm trying to research the Smithgall family that the park purchased the land from in the 1920s and trying to determine if it is the same Smithgalls of Smithgall Woods State Park in Georgia.

GA State Parks: Smithgall Woods State Park
"Smithgall Woods was acquired by the state in 1994 as a gift-purchase from Charles A. Smithgall, Jr., a noted conservationist and businessman."

Quote

As the spring is sort of but not really named after the fountain of youth--

Resources


    at
    Labels: , , , ,
    Location: Ponce De Leon Springs State Park, 2860 Ponce De Leon Springs Rd, Ponce De Leon, FL 32455, USA

    No comments:

    Post a Comment

    Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)