A visit to Ocala National Forest and a swing through St. Augustine.
One thing we enjoyed with our trip to Florida was having a homebase that allowed us to plan other adventures out from there. The first place we headed out to explore was Ocala National Forest.
When we first headed out to Ocala National Forest, we had planned to stay at Hopkins Prairie campground, which was a $10/night, first come, first serve campground with beautiful waterfront views. However, as we headed on the road out to the grounds, we found they were waaaaaaaay too bumpy for our poor little bus, and there were deep ruts in the road that snagged our kayak rack. Cut to poor Craig, unloading the whole kayak set up just so we could turn around and figure out where to go next.
Thankfully, Ocala National Forest had several headspring areas that were equipped with campgrounds and day-use areas. We headed towards the Salt Spring recreation area, where we got pretty lucky getting one of the last 3 of the first come, first serve spots. We initially wanted to book a campground spot - our usual go-to method of saving money - but were told our little bus was “too long” and so we ended up at the RV park side of things. Being at the RV park ended up being a really enjoyable experience. There was a lovely social element to being at the RV park; all our neighbors came to say hi and chat with us about our adventure and theirs. I hadn’t expected to have such delightful camaraderie at an RV park, where I had assumed most people would keep to themselves and inside their rigs. While it was a pricey spot to stay at $33/night, it was nice to have a dump station and our own hose right at our parking spot. Definitely something to consider sprinkling into our list of potential sleeping spots.
Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to Ocala National Forest! There were 3 headspring areas that came highly recommended to check out - Juniper Springs, Alexander Springs & Silver Glen. Unfortunately, all of the headspring day-use areas were off-limits for dogs. This was a bit of a bummer, as we had wanted to see, swim and kayak in these beautiful waters. Thankfully, a few factors came together that allowed us to enjoy these springs. First, was ending up at an official RV spot. Since we were parked in a nice spot, we felt that we could comfortably leave the dogs in the bus while we did a little exploring and swimming at Salt Springs. Second, the rangers were all very nice and one gave me a nice detailed explanation of where we would be able to launch with the dogs to explore Alexander Springs.
KAYAKING
Since our kayaking options were limited due to the restrictions at the headsprings, we were only able to get in two kayaking trips. The first was to Alexander Springs. A ranger had explained to me that when people rent kayaks and launch from the headspring, there’s a spot down the river that’s used as the take out point. It was about a mile east out of the Alexander Springs park entrance, with pull offs on either side of a bridge. This was a perfect place to launch from, it allowed us to go against current to get to the headspring and then take the lazier float back (my favorite way to kayak!). The journey to the headspring was lovely and we got to see a few more alligators and turtles sunning themselves. The headspring was gorgeous - even in the Florida winter the palm trees were green and picturesque over crystal clear blue green waters. It was another stunning Florida kayak trip.
Unfortunately, even using this “against the grain” method, we weren’t able to see Juniper Springs. Even the “take out” spot had signs indicating no pets were allowed. So when we wanted to explore some more Florida kayaking, I remembered a nice lake we had passed and found it luckily had a launch. We had some storms brewing, so our kayak day on Wildcat Lake was a little short...not to mention Winston attempting to jump out of the boat! It was still a nice little spot, and I bet it would have been even prettier getting further out on the water.
HIKING
Coming from New York, it was difficult for me to call any of our time on the Ocala National Forest trails “hiking”. With a high point of 435 feet, Florida is the flattest state in the US, but what it lacked in lacked in elevation, it made up for with interesting hikes that meandered through various ecosystems. Many trails would quickly pass through 3 different ecosystems - most prevalently seen were Longleaf Pine Uplands, Flatwood Pines, and Riverine Swamp. Out of the swampy areas cropped up my favorite element of these Ocala hikes, boardwalks that slipped through the palm trees and bushes. It felt like a magical world was waiting for us at the end of our journey.
We ended up on the Bear Swamp Trail a few times, due to proximity to our RV site, as well as its beauty. Would definitely recommend checking this one out! We also went out on the Yearling Trail, which had some interesting facts about the related book & movie, as well as the Salt Springs Observation Trail, which had a boardwalk that opened up into nice views of the Salt Springs area. Both were nice, short walks through the palms that showed off the varied and interesting ecosystems of the area.
SPRINGS
Thanks to our RV spot, we got to spend some time at the Salt Springs Recreational Area, where the headspring allows for swimming and sightseeing. Our first evening there, we thought we’d just go check out the views and look for wildlife. But the sun was shining and the weather was beautiful, so we just had to go for a dip! Just like at Rainbow Springs, the water was a perfect temperature and the clear waters allowed us to observe the fish, crabs, and other water critters that lived at the headspring.
Since we enjoyed our swim so much, we planned a second evening to go back and enjoy. As we were approaching, so were clouds and cool breezes, so we thought we might just have to call off the dip until a passing stranger mentioned that manatees had just been spotted at the end of the headspring! We trotted out in that direction, where we saw 5 or 6 manatees floating around in the water, likely drawn to the headspring by the impending cooler weather. They were remarkable animals, mostly just drifting under the water, occasionally popping their snoots up for a breath. It was INCREDIBLE getting to just hang out in the water so close to them. My favorite part was getting to see up close the symbiosis of the manatees and the sucker fish of the area - the manatees would chill underwater and the sucker fish would move up their backs, eating up the algae. I think visiting Florida in February was a serendipitous time. The cooler weather allowed us to have so many cool manatee experiences, as they were spending more time at the headsprings where we could see and be near them.
In summary, Ocala National Forest was a stunning place to visit for kayaking and enjoying some swimming in these gorgeous, clear waters. Visiting in February seemed to be an optimal time to enjoy the waters and the manatees. However, it’s not the best place to visit with dogs, so keep that in mind when planning your stay!
A QUICK STOP IN ST. AUGUSTINE
When planning our route, I realized this was an opportune trip to swing by St. Augustine. Many travel guides to St. Augustine discuss how, as an older city, it’s less than ideal for driving and parking. This had us worried, until we found a tip about a parking lot at 3 Riberia Street that was designated for RVs. There was also a sign there indicating that overnight parking was allowed with a $35 permit from the town, so that seems to be an option if you’re looking for more time in this charming old town!
St. Augustine lays claim to being the oldest city in the US. Founded in 1565, it’s the oldest continuously-inhabited European-established settlement in the contiguous US. However, there were native tribes in the area that assisted these new settlers, so it does seem a little funny to boast this claim with so many caveats that brush aside original inhabitants.
St. Augustine was a cute city to explore, and I wish we had more time there. We browsed through the Colonial Quarter, which had the original roads through a dense market area. We caught a look at the Castillo de San Marcos fort on the ocean. We drove past Flagler College, formerly the Ponce de León luxury hotel, still gorgeous in it’s Spanish Renaissance style glory. But our longest stop was at the Ponce de León’s Fountain of Youth Archeological Park.
When we set out on this trip, we were excited to see all the odd Americana this country had to offer. Ever a sucker for roadside attractions, oddities, and tourist traps, I knew that we had to see all the American weirdness we could. So when we stumbled upon Ponce de León’s Fountain of Youth Archeological Park, we knew we had to stop. For what it was, tickets were a little pricey at $18 per adult, but a major upside was that the park was dog-friendly! Even the indoor attractions allowed dogs, and I know Reese really enjoyed his planetarium show, where we learned how seafaring explorers navigated by the stars.
My favorite part at this park was the Discovery Globe, a two-story globe that was built to compete with Disney’s Tomorrowland. It was a rotating globe that showed the pathways of European explorers using lights and projection. The introductory video warned us not to expect something wondrous, it was after all built in the 1960s and was simply a globe in a little theater. But I was honestly in awe of how cool this giant globe looked rotating in the dark. I also couldn’t help but laugh at the idea of this now dinky little park trying to compete with The Mouse, but it apparently was quite the contender in its day.
Along with the shows, the park also had old weapons demonstrations, including cannon fires, as well as recreations of the confederation of Timucua tribes that inhabited the land originally. And of course, we got to drink from The Fountain of Youth, so hello immortality! There were also free-roaming peacocks, which is always a fun and lovely sight. Overall, it was a nice day to stroll around in this odd little spot, and we enjoyed our visit there!
As though we didn’t enjoy St. Augustine enough, we finished up our day there with the coolest self-serve taproom, where we got to try a fun assortment of local beers. A nice ending to a nice stop at a nice city!
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