Alexander Springs

Today I went to Alexander Springs in Ocala National Forest, FL. This was the one I was most looking forward to for this trip, as both the swimming area and the underwater features looked pretty ample from what I had seen when researching it. I didn’t anticipate any trouble getting into Alexander Springs, and it was the only spring on the agenda for today, so I wasn't in a hurry to leave early like yesterday. As I was leaving the resort, the weather became gray and overcast, with a few raindrops here and there. I was hoping this weather would be confined to the coast. I had broken the plastic clip that holds my snorkel to my diving mask yesterday at Wekiwa Springs, so I stopped at a dive shop in town called Atlantic Scuba to get a new snorkel clip before heading out. They seemed really enthusiastic about helping customers, and I think they were maybe a little underwhelmed that a snorkel clip was all I needed. They had plastic and silicone clips, so I went with silicone since my previous two were plastic.

It took a little less than an hour to get to Alexander Springs from Daytona Beach. The weather was now mostly sunny with only a few small clouds. Unlike Blue Spring and Wekiwa Springs, which were in relatively suburban areas, Alexander Springs was pretty far out in the middle of nowhere.

( Click here for the full trip report with pictures and videos )

Anyway, in summary, I would put Alexander Springs in the top three Florida springs I’ve visited in terms of the swimming hole, the underwater features, and the park in general (the other two being Blue Hole Spring at Ichetucknee Springs State Park, and the Devil’s Spring System at Ginnie Springs Outdoors). I also liked the canoe run here better than the one at Wekiwa, because it was wider in addition to being more peaceful and secluded. I’m a little uneasy about having pulled my leg right at the beginning of swimming hole season, as it took a while to heal when I did that at Havasupai (granted, I didn’t hike on it for eight miles after pulling it today, so hopefully that helps). Well, I guess that’s it for my brief “spring vacation”. I’m hoping the North Carolina mountains are hot ‘n ready like a Little Caesars Pizza when I get back.