Rock Springs Run State Reserve is a

State Park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

in the U.S. state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. The main entrance is located about north of Orlando in

Sorrento Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...

, west of the Wekiva River bridge on State Road 46 and extends into Orange and Seminole Counties to the south. The park contains a number of Indian mounds, pine flatwoods,

swamps A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

and artesian springs, and a number of creeks and rivers. Among them are Seminole Creek, Wekiwa Springs Run, Rock Springs Run, and the Wekiva River. Activities include bicycling, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding, hunting and wildlife viewing. Among the wildlife of the park are Florida black bear, Florida scrub jay,

sandhill crane The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large Crane (bird), cranes of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to its habitat, such as the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's S ...

, indigo snake, gopher

tortoise Tortoises ( ) are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for "tortoise"). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like o ...

. Amenities include a canoe and kayak launch, rentals, swimming, tubing, about of trails, access to the Rock Springs Run and the Wekiva River, primitive canoe and equestrian camping facilities. The park is open from 8:00 a.m. till 6:00 p.m. year round.

Designated Paddling Trail

Rock Springs Run is part of Florida's Wekiva River/Rock Springs Run Designated Paddling Trail. The 9 mile Rock Springs Run starts at Kings Landing in Apopka, runs through Rock Springs Run State Preserve, and meets the Wekiva River about a half mile downstream from Wekiwa Springs State Park.

Ecology

Four rare snails are found in Rock Springs. The Rock Spring siltsnail ('' Floridobia petrifons'') is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to Rock Springs. The goblin elimia (''Elimia vanhyningiana'') is found in one other spring in addition to Rock Springs. The armored siltsnail ( ''Spilochlamys'' ''gravis'') is found in two other springs in addition to Rock Springs. The hyacinth siltsnail (''Floridobia floridana'') is found in northern Florida and on Cumberland Island, Georgia.

Gallery

Image:Rock Springs Run Preserve SP south01.jpg, Main car road, looking south Image:Rock Springs Run Preserve SP north01.jpg, Main car road, looking north

References

{{authority control Parks in Lake County, Florida State parks of Florida

Designated Paddling Trail

Ecology

Gallery

External links

References