Wekiwa Springs State Park

Wekiwa Springs State Park
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Kayaking on Wekiwa Run near Wekiwa Springs

Location	Orange County, Florida, USA
Nearest city	Apopka, Florida
Coordinates	28°46′12″N 81°30′04″W / 28.77000°N 81.50111°W / 28.77000; -81.50111Coordinates: 28°46′12″N 81°30′04″W / 28.77000°N 81.50111°W / 28.77000; -81.50111
Area	7,000 acres (28 km²)
Governing body	Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Wekiwa Springs State Park is a 7,000-acre (28 km²) Florida State Park in Apopka, Florida. It is located 20 minutes north of Orlando, off Interstate 4 at exit 94, near Altamonte Springs and Longwood. The park also contains the head water of the Wekiva River. It also serves as the headquarters of one of the state's five AmeriCorps Florida State Parks chapters.

Although the springs are spelled Wekiwa Springs, the river and most subdivisions and streets in Seminole County use the Wekiva spelling. Wekiwa is the Creek word for a spring, but contrary to popular belief that Wekiva means "flowing water",^[1] it was actually an alternate spelling used by developers.^[2]

History

In the 1800s, Central Florida was primarily agricultural; however, with the end of the Civil War, a stout tourist trade started to take advantage of Florida’s temperate winters, long summers and abundant natural beauty, and out of that growth came Wekiwa Springs. In 1941, the Apopka Sportsmen’s Club purchased the property from the Wilson Cypress Company, which had maintained a small turpentine camp in what is now the park, maintaining the area for recreational use.

Sportsmens Club monument

John H. Land, Mayor of Apopka, Florida, and co-owner of the Apopka Sportsmen's Club campaigned the Florida State Legislature for three years to preserve the land. By 1969 the state of Florida expressed interest in the property for use as a state park, and, starting in 1970, visitors from all over the country and all over the world have been enjoying the natural spring, crystal clear water, and the area's abundant wildlife. A major point for the spring's popularity is the year-round 72 °F (22 °C) temperature of the water.

The spring

Attractions

The spring

The main attraction at Wekiwa Springs Park is the spring, providing approximately 42 million gallons of water to the Wekiva River each day.^[3] The swimming area varies in depth from under a foot to five feet, and a small 15–20-foot-deep (4.6–6.1 m) cavern at the source of the spring. The cavern extends deeper into a cave, which has been explored in great detail. SCUBA and cave diving is strictly prohibited. The park has a nature center, and access to Wekiwa Springs, Wekiwa Springs Run, Rock Springs Run and the Wekiva River. Picnic pavilions equipped with charcoal grills exist in the picnic area. Canoes can be rented at the nature center. There are four campsites in Wekiwa Springs State Park that can only be accessed by canoe or kayak.

Alligator near the springs

Camping

Father and son at Wekiwa Springs Campground.

Spread out across the 7,000 acres (28 km²) is located a fairly substantial camping area. Infrastructure exists to support all forms and types of camping from tents to recreational vehicles. Family, primitive and cabin youth camping areas are available. Camp Cozy is located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the main spring and offers primitive camping. Pets are allowed, but must be leashed at all times. Intoxicants and firearms are prohibited.

Trails and hiking

There is a network of trails in the park, allowing for bicycling, hiking, and horseback riding. The main hiking trail is 13.5 miles (21.7 km) long, and the 5.3-mile (8.5 km) Volksmarch trail is marked with orange diamonds.^[4]

Limpkin in the Wekiva River.

Ecology

The area around the spring is largely undeveloped and has acres of untouched Florida Ecology. Among the wildlife of the park are coyote, rabbit, deer, gray fox, bobcat, raccoon, opossum and black bear. Fishing is permitted, as well as canoeing and snorkeling. However, SCUBA and specifically cave diving are not. The cave has been explored in the past to a distance of about 50 meters.

A young alligator near the spring run

Administrative

Florida state parks are open between 8 a.m. and sundown every day of the year (including holidays). The nature center is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3:00 p.m. EST.

Admission fees

Description	Cost, USD
Vehicles with 2 to 8 people	$6.00
Single Occupant Vehicles	$4.00
Pedestrians	$2.00
Bicyclists	$2.00
Extra Passengers	$2.00

Wekiwa Springs State Park does not have a Sunset Entrance Fee.

Camping fees

Description	Cost, USD
Family campground sites	$24.00 plus tax per site, per night
Primitive camping	$5.00 plus tax per person, per night
Organized Youth and Adult Group Camping	$1.00 per youth; $5.00 per adult chaperon plus tax, per night

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wekiwa Springs State Park.

External links

Wekiwa Springs State Park at Florida State Parks
Wekiwa Springs State Park at State Parks
Wekiwa Springs State Park at Absolutely Florida
Wekiwa Springs State Park at Wildernet

Protected areas of Florida

Federal

National Parks	Biscayne Dry Tortugas Everglades

National Memorials	De Soto Fort Caroline

National Monuments	Castillo de San Marcos Fort Matanzas

National Seashores	Canaveral Gulf Islands

National Forests	Apalachicola Choctawhatchee Ocala Osceola

National Wildlife Refuges	Archie Carr Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Caloosahatchee Cedar Keys Chassahowitzka Crocodile Lake Crystal River Egmont Key Florida Panther Great White Heron Hobe Sound Island Bay J.N. 'Ding' Darling Key West Lake Wales Ridge Lake Woodruff Lower Suwannee Matlacha Pass Merritt Island National Key Deer Okefenokee Passage Key Pelican Island Pine Island Pinellas St. Johns St. Marks St. Vincent Ten Thousand Islands

Other National Protected Areas	Big Cypress National Preserve Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve

National Estuarine Research Reserves and National Marine Sanctuaries	Apalachicola NERR Florida Keys NMS Guana Tolomato Matanzas NERR Rookery Bay NERR

State

Parks	Amelia Island Anastasia Avalon Bahia Honda Bald Point Big Lagoon Big Shoals Big Talbot Island Bill Baggs Cape Florida Bulow Creek Caladesi Island Camp Helen Cayo Costa Collier-Seminole Colt Creek Curry Hammock Delnor-Wiggins Pass Devil's Millhopper Don Pedro Island Eden Gardens Egmont Key Falling Waters Faver-Dykes Florida Caverns Fort Clinch Fort Cooper Fort George Island Fort Pierce Inlet Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou Gasparilla Island George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier Grayton Beach Henderson Beach Highlands Hammock Honeymoon Island Hontoon Island Hugh Taylor Birch John D. MacArthur Beach John Pennekamp Coral Reef John U. Lloyd Beach Jonathan Dickinson Little Talbot Island Long Key Lovers Key Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway Mike Roess Gold Head Branch North Peninsula O'Leno Oscar Scherer Perdido Key Sebastian Inlet Skyway Fishing Pier St. Andrews St. George Island St. Joseph Peninsula Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center Stump Pass Beach Tomoka Torreya Windley Key Fossil Reef

Botanical Garden Parks	Alfred B. Maclay Gardens Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Lignumvitae Key Ravine Gardens Washington Oaks

Lakes, Rivers and Springs Parks	Deer Lake Lake Griffin Lake June in Winter Scrub Lake Kissimmee Lake Louisa Lake Manatee Lake Talquin Alafia River Blackwater River Dunns Creek Econfina River Hillsborough River Little Manatee River Myakka River Ochlockonee River Oleta River Suwannee River Blue Spring De Leon Springs Edward Ball Wakulla Springs Fanning Springs Homosassa Springs Wildlife Ichetucknee Springs Lafayette Blue Springs Madison Blue Spring Manatee Springs Ponce de Leon Springs Rainbow Springs Silver Springs Three Rivers Troy Springs Weeki Wachee Springs Wekiwa Springs Werner-Boyce Salt Springs Wes Skiles Peacock Springs

Recreation Areas	Gamble Rogers Memorial

Museums, Historic sites, and Archaeological sites	Cedar Key Museum Constitution Convention Museum Forest Capital Museum John Gorrie Museum Ybor City Museum The Barnacle Bulow Plantation Ruins Dade Battlefield Dudley Farm Fort Foster Fort Mose Fort Zachary Taylor Gamble Plantation Indian Key Koreshan Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Homestead Natural Bridge Battlefield Olustee Battlefield Orman House Paynes Creek San Marcos de Apalache Yellow Bluff Fort Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Crystal River Lake Jackson Mounds Letchworth-Love Mounds Madira Bickel Mound Mound Key San Pedro Underwater

Preserves and Reserves	Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek Anclote Key Cedar Key Scrub Charlotte Harbor Crystal River Estero Bay Fakahatchee Strand Kissimmee Prairie Lower Wekiva River Paynes Prairie Pumpkin Hill Creek River Rise Rock Springs Run San Felasco Hammock Savannas Seabranch St. Lucie Inlet St. Sebastian River Tarkiln Bayou Topsail Hill Waccasassa Bay Yellow River Marsh

State Trails	Blackwater Heritage Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Gainesville-Hawthorne General James A. Van Fleet Nature Coast Palatka-Lake Butler Palatka-to-St. Augustine Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad Withlacoochee

State Forests	Belmore Big Shoals Blackwater River Carl Duval Moore Cary Charles H. Bronson Cottage Hill Deep Creek Etoniah Creek Four Creeks Goethe Holopaw Indian Lake Jennings John M. Bethea Lake George Lake Talquin Lake Wales Ridge Little Big Econ Matanzas Myakka Okaloacoochee Slough Picayune Strand Pine Log Point Washington Ralph E. Simmons Memorial Ross Prairie Seminole Tate's Hell Tiger Bay Twin Rivers Wakulla Watson Island Welaka Withlacoochee

Other

Nature centers	List of nature centers in Florida

Florida Department of Environmental Protection