On Saturday during our stay at Manatee Springs State Park, we drove to Fanning Springs State Park for the day. Fanning Springs SP is about 10 miles from Manatee Springs SP. We where there on June 30.
http://www.floridastateparks.org/fanningsprings/default.cfm
We got there early before alot of people showed up. One of the park rangers told me that they average 1,500 visitors (a day, coming and going) on Saturdays and Sundays during the warm months (esp when school is out for the summer).
In my opinion, the spring at Fanning Springs is a better swimming hole than Manatee Spring, but I would take either of them on a Monday thru Friday. Once a couple hundred people show up at any spring in Fla, I will pass on swimming there, I will just paddle down stream aways and find my own swimming spot.
Heres a few pictures of the spring itself (sans the crowd).
Fanning Spring runs out to the Suwannee River also, heres a picture of the run looking out towards the river. The run to the river is pretty short, probably about 100 feet. There is a floating dock that separates the spring head from the run and power boats will motor up from the river and tie up to the dock. Boats coming and going all day long, pontoons, jet ski, bass boats, jet boats, really fast boats.
There is a canoe/kayak launch at the park that is right on the Suwannee River, you can drive your vehicle down to it and if you remove the rope between the posts, you can drive closer to unload, only have to carry the boat about 10 yards. The launch itself is a nice sandy little beach, but the walk to you vehicle is a little bit gravely and rutted.
While we were getting our boats ready, some Hollywood type showed up and I got a picture of him wearing all my gear. :wink: aint that right Jack? :lol:
And just a few minutes after that photo was taken about 6 jet ski's came racing up the river under the bridge behind me, (Opps, I mean behind Brad Pitt), so you knew it was the weekend.
The Suwannee river is pretty wide so the power boats pretty much stayed in the middle and we kept to the sides. Wide enough so that their wake was not a real problem as it had a chance to dissipate before reaching us. Tho there is a pretty pronounced drop off close to shore and if you are on the shallow side you could get rocked pretty good when the wake goes from deep to shallow.
We decided to paddle to our left (south) away from the bridge.
Once again the houses where on the developed West side of the river and the East side was protected property. Lots of nice sandy beaches available to get out of your boats and take a break or a swim. Course if the water level is higher they would all be underwater.
Paddled a few miles down and then turned around and came back.
Saw the usual birds plus one very nice bald eagle. (no picture) And of course the jumping sturgeons, didn't get hit by one, about 30 feet was the closest.
DM
http://www.floridastateparks.org/fanningsprings/default.cfm
We got there early before alot of people showed up. One of the park rangers told me that they average 1,500 visitors (a day, coming and going) on Saturdays and Sundays during the warm months (esp when school is out for the summer).
In my opinion, the spring at Fanning Springs is a better swimming hole than Manatee Spring, but I would take either of them on a Monday thru Friday. Once a couple hundred people show up at any spring in Fla, I will pass on swimming there, I will just paddle down stream aways and find my own swimming spot.
Heres a few pictures of the spring itself (sans the crowd).
Fanning Spring runs out to the Suwannee River also, heres a picture of the run looking out towards the river. The run to the river is pretty short, probably about 100 feet. There is a floating dock that separates the spring head from the run and power boats will motor up from the river and tie up to the dock. Boats coming and going all day long, pontoons, jet ski, bass boats, jet boats, really fast boats.
There is a canoe/kayak launch at the park that is right on the Suwannee River, you can drive your vehicle down to it and if you remove the rope between the posts, you can drive closer to unload, only have to carry the boat about 10 yards. The launch itself is a nice sandy little beach, but the walk to you vehicle is a little bit gravely and rutted.
While we were getting our boats ready, some Hollywood type showed up and I got a picture of him wearing all my gear. :wink: aint that right Jack? :lol:
And just a few minutes after that photo was taken about 6 jet ski's came racing up the river under the bridge behind me, (Opps, I mean behind Brad Pitt), so you knew it was the weekend.
The Suwannee river is pretty wide so the power boats pretty much stayed in the middle and we kept to the sides. Wide enough so that their wake was not a real problem as it had a chance to dissipate before reaching us. Tho there is a pretty pronounced drop off close to shore and if you are on the shallow side you could get rocked pretty good when the wake goes from deep to shallow.
We decided to paddle to our left (south) away from the bridge.
Once again the houses where on the developed West side of the river and the East side was protected property. Lots of nice sandy beaches available to get out of your boats and take a break or a swim. Course if the water level is higher they would all be underwater.
Paddled a few miles down and then turned around and came back.
Saw the usual birds plus one very nice bald eagle. (no picture) And of course the jumping sturgeons, didn't get hit by one, about 30 feet was the closest.
DM
