Just 30 minutes west of Austin, you will find three miles of continuous frontage along the Pedernales Rivers, with 2,427 acres to explore. Local anglers come to fish for white bass, rock climbers hang out and there are four mountain biking and hiking trails with difficulty and length. Fish, swim, enjoy the some of the most pristine public land remaining around Austin. Take Highway 71 west of Austin through the town of Bee Cave and turn left onto FM 3238 (Hamilton Pool Road). Travel 12 miles to the Park entrance, on your right. Day use only. Fee.
Hamilton Pool Preserve
Hamilton Pool is a collapsed grotto formed by thousands of years of water erosion. This pristine swimming hole is located 3/4 miles upstream from the confluence of Hamilton Creek and the Pedernales River. Rock strewn trail leads to the river. Water quality is carefully monitored, so call 512 264 2740 before making plans.. Take Highway 71 west of Austin through the town of Bee Cave and turn left onto FM 3238 (Hamilton Pool Road). Travel 13 miles to the Preserve entrance, on your right. Day use only. Admission is limited to 100 people. Fee
Pedernales Falls State Park
About 30 miles south of Austin off Hwy290, Pedernales contains white water over a gradual slope and deep, slow-moving pools at the bottom of the “falls.” Access to the river from the parking lot is a rugged, steep climb. The park offers camping, showers, restrooms, hookups, and hiking trails. Visit TPWD website for more information. 830/868-7304. Fee.
Krause Springs
There are 32 springs on the property. There is a man-made pool that drops into the natural pool that flows into Lake Travis. Take Texas Highway 71 west from Austin, past the Pedernales River and drive 7 miles. Turn right on Spur 191, take a right turn on County Road 404. You will see Krause Springs entrance is on the right.Day use, camping and 24 RV sites. Fee
When we left St. George Island, we took a leisurely drive to St. Andrews State Park. We drove Hwy. 98 to Port St. Joe and then turned inland on Hwy. 71. When we reached Hwy. 22, we turned left and traveled through to Hwy. 98/30 in Panama City. We crossed the Hathaway Bridge to Hwy. 3031 to St. Andrews State Park.
When we arrived at our site in the Pine Grove Campground, the sand of the site had been raked–like a Zen garden. There are a total of 176 sites on the Grand Lagoon with electricity, water, picnic tables and grills. The sites vary in size and accessibility, so check with the park before booking a site.
Campsite on Grand Lagoon
We had one full day of rain, so we did not explore this park as usual. We did walk through the Lagoon Campground, down to the boat ramp and around to the Buttonwood Marsh Overlook. There were several Great Blue Herons nesting in the marsh, tucking their heads under their wings in the rain.
Buttonwood Marsh Overlook
This would be a great beach for summertime fun. I talked with other campers who had swam, snorkeled, scuba dived and surfed here later in the year. They did warn me that the jellyfish come with the sunshine!
What attracted us to Ginnie Springs were the seven springs and spring runs that empty into the Santa Fe River. Although the weather during our stay was rainy and cold, Ginnie Springs is one of our favorite spots in Florida. Each group of springs has entry/exit stairs with handrails, a pavilion, a bathhouse, a volleyball court, campsites and plenty of parking. The springs have limestone bottoms and each spring was a unique shade of blue.
The water in the Santa Fe River is colored brown by tannin; where the spring water faded into the river water was an eerie sight. The springs are 72 degrees year round, so swimming and snorkeling in them was not a problem. The last day we were there, we aired up the Sea Eagle, our two-person kayak, and set off from the first river entry. Luckily, we were wearing wet suits because the river was about 50 degrees!
While kayaking, we found three unnamed springs on the other side of the river. We would spot bubbles on the surface and paddle close to see the springs. The paddle down to the river take out was about 3-1/2 to 4 hours and the river was high from all the rain this season. During the summer, you would tube, canoe or kayak the Santa Fe, emerging from the river at different springs or just drifting to the tube take out.
The dive shop/office/store sells or rents all types of diving equipment and has instructors available for cave-diving or basic snorkel or scuba lessons. We camped at Ginnie Springs for four nights and five days. We were the only RVers, so we had our choice of camping sites with electricity and water. For tent camping, there are some gorgeous sites along the banks of the Santa Fe. Each tent site came with water, BBQ grill and picnic table.
Ginnie Springs, Otter Springs, Poe Springs, Hart Springs and Blue Springs (one of five in Florida) are located in Gilchrist County, an area with the highest concentration of freshwater springs on Earth. We did not see all the springs in northern Florida, but we tried.
We have many pictures to share when we are able to find a solution for a slide show. Stay tuned.
The last uninhabited crystal clear river in Florida
With Crystal River in our rearview mirrors, we journeyed to Silver River State Park, west of Ocala, Florida. Silver River bisects Silver River State Park, which covers 5,000 wooded acres. The campground is on the southwest side of the river. The remainder of the area is a wilderness preserve. Silver River is a natural river, with no development on the banks except for the theme park on the headsprings and the state park and the campground on the river.
The headsprings of Silver River are the site of the Silver River Nature Park, Florida’s first theme park. It was here that the glass-bottom boat was invented in 1878. Now, you may enjoy a boat ride, zoo, jeep safari and water park.
As luck would have it, it began to rain as we approached Ocala. We made it to the state park as the thunderstorm hit. It rained hard, so we were unable to put our boat into the water. We did bike down to the river to take some photographs.
Here is a link to the slide show on this park. Slide.com appears to have a bug. Click on the link and then select Gallery View if you would like to view photographs of Silver River. When Slide.com is restored, I will paste the slide show here.
That evening, we discovered that our new trailer leaks, “Like a colander,” as my husband put it. After a discussion with Heartland, the manufacturer of our Edge M21, we left the trailer in Ocala at a certified Heartland service center. So, there we were, on a road trip sans travel trailer. We rented a motel room and watched HBO.
We went to the service center at 1 pm the next day. At 3 pm, we drove out with our trailer. According to the service people, all leaks had been fixed. We had wasted two days on repairs, so we decided not to continue to Saint Augustine, on the Pacific coast. Instead, we plotted our path along the back roads to Ginnie Springs, home to one of the largest cave diving operations in Florida.
This beautiful park has almost 1500 acres and some of the most beautiful springs in Florida. I read an article in which a local resident said that on a sunny day, the white sand bottom and the crystal clear water appear to sprout rainbows.
The head springs area of the park is a popular spot for swimming, snorkeling, tubing, canoing and picnicking. You may rent canoes and kayaks here or just discover the beauty of the springs and river from different vantage points. The trails that lead to the waterfalls, garden area and scenic overlook are accessible to persons in wheelchairs.
Originally called Blue Springs and Blue Run, the area was developed as a theme park with glass bottom boat tours, monorail, petting zoo, shops and restaurants. Artificial waterfalls were constructed and non-native plants were planted along the walkways in an attempt to improve on Mother Nature. In the 1970s, larger theme parks drew away the tourists and the park closed.
Rainbow Springs State Park opened in the mid-1990s. The waterfalls and plantings were refurbished to retain the historical significance of the original use of the land as a theme park. In the spring, the gardens explode in pink, purple and white from the planted Althea and Azaleas. Some flowers were already in bloom in January!
The head springs area and the campground are separated by six miles and are accessed off different roads. In addition, there is a entrance just for tubing. It can be confusing finding the different areas of the park; however, you will be glad you did.
