Juniper Springs (referred to locally as "the Springs"), located in the

Ocala National Forest The Ocala National Forest is the second largest nationally protected forest in the U.S. State of Florida. It covers of North Central Florida. It is located east of Ocala, Florida, Ocala and southeast of Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The ...

east of

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making it the 43rd-most popul ...

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 ...

, is a natural spring that forms the

headwaters The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...

of Juniper Creek that winds its way to Lake George in the Saint Johns River. It is one of the oldest and best known recreation areas.

Description

The springs, set in a

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

forest, are in an oval-shaped pool with

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

caves Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock ...

present on the bottom along with areas of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

and aquatic grasses. The pool is approximately and and surrounded by a basin of rock and concrete. Next to the pool is an old

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

mill house with a waterwheel that used to generate electricity from the spring’s flow for the campsite. Because the Juniper Springs spring-shed is largely within Ocala National Forest, the water isn’t affected by fertilizer and septic tanks, as are many of Florida's springs and rivers. Wildlife includes alligators, deer, raccoon, turtles, bobcats, otters, heron, and innumerable spiders.Allen, Rick
"Kayaking Juniper Springs Run: 7-mile run is fun, but challenging"
, ''

Gainesville Sun ''The Gainesville Sun'' () is a newspaper published daily in Gainesville, Florida, United States, covering the North-Central portion of the state. History The paper was founded in July 1876 as the ''Gainesville Times'', by brothers E. M. and ...

'', Florida, 10 July 2011. Retrieved on 9 August 2019.

Recreation

Juniper Springs Recreation Area—which encompasses the spring, Juniper Creek, and adjoining camping and trails—is a popular recreation spot for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, camping, and hiking. Swimming is particularly popular as the water is 72 degrees, 365 days a year. The Juniper Springs canoe run is a nationally recognized attraction. The run takes between three and five hours to complete, from starting point near the Juniper Springs pool to an exit point off State Road 19 on the way to Lake George. ''ReserveAmerica'' has named Juniper one of the top 25 canoe runs in the U.S. and between 30-35 canoes and kayaks are on the water every day with a record of 100.Crane, Kristine
"Boy Scout’s project may speed up Juniper Run"
''Daytona Beach News-Journal Online'', Florida, 25 April 2015. Retrieved on 8 August 2019.

Gallery

References

External links

Juniper Springs Recreation Area
Ocala National Forest Official Website {{Protected areas of Florida Protected areas of Marion County, Florida Wilderness areas of Florida Springs of Florida Ocala National Forest Bodies of water of Marion County, Florida Civilian Conservation Corps in Florida