Blue Springs Recreation Park
Blue Springs Recreation Park
The Blue Springs Recreational Park provides more than just entertainment and relaxation. The springs produce more than 64.6 million gallons of water each day. In the summer, the park can draw up to 1,000 visitors a day, who relish the cool respite of the clear water. Hundreds of acres surround the springs, offering perfect places for family picnics and jungle gyms for the children.
Blue Springs has quickly become a renowed dive spot, attracting diving enthusiasts from across the globe. According to the Florida Geological Survey, diver reports indicate the area is underlain by caves and tunnels hundreds of feet long and that some depths approach 300 ft.
Blue Springs Recreation Area: Blue Springs Recreation Area is located at the head of a first-order magnitude spring*, which feeds the cypress lined Merritts Mill Pond. There are picnic grills, pavillions and covered tables plus swimming, volleyball, paddleboats, showers, restroom facilities, fenced playground and a concession stand . Photography and bird-watching are also excellant at this location. Bird-watchers, if you can download documents in Format, you may download a Florida Birds Checklist courtesy of The Florida Audubon Society.
To get there: Exit I-10 (#142) at State Road 71; head north to Hwy 90 and turn left; continue on Hwy 90/71 until Hwy 71 veers off to the right at the light; stay on Hwy 71 until you reach Blue Springs Road (CR 164); turn right and the park entrance is about 3.5 miles on right.
For More Information call (850) 718-0437 or visit our website at www.jacksoncountyfl.com and click on the Parks and Recreation Department.
* FACTOID: A spring is the water discharged as natural leakage or overflow from an aquifer through a natural opening in the ground. Springs may be classified in 8 Magnitudes with 1 (1st) the largest at discharge rates exceeding of 100 cubic feet per second. There are aboout 78 1st magnitude springs in the United States. Florida has the most, 27, and the Florida Panhandle has about 12. Blue Springs may discharge between 150-300 cubic feet per second of clear water from the Marianna Limestone Aquifer. The water temperature at the spring is generally between 68 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
