Rock Springs Run State Reserve is a
State Park in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
. The main entrance is located about north of Orlando in
Sorrento
Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...
, west of the
Wekiva River
The Wekiva River (sometimes spelled Wekiwa, a Creek word meaning "spring of water") is a river in Central Florida, north of Orlando in the United States. It originates in Apopka and joins the St. Johns River, the longest river in the state, i ...
bridge on
State Road 46 and extends into Orange and Seminole Counties to the south. The park contains a number of
Indian mound
A number of pre-Columbian cultures are collectively termed "Mound Builders". The term does not refer to a specific people or archaeological culture, but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks erected for an extended period of more than 5 ...
s, 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 spring
An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water contained within the ...
s, and a number of creeks and rivers. Among them are
Seminole Creek
The Muscogee language (Muskogee, ''Mvskoke'' in Muscogee), also known as Creek, is a Muskogean language spoken by Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole people, primarily in the US states of Oklahoma and Florida. Along with Mikasuki, when it is spoke ...
,
Wekiwa Springs Run Wekiva or Wekiwa may refer to:
*''Wekiva'', a synonym of the moth genus ''Peoria''
* Wekiva River, a tributary of the St. Johns River in Florida
**Little Wekiva River, a tributary of the Wekiva River
* Wekiva River (Waccasassa River tributary), in ...
,
Rock Springs Run
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
, and the
Wekiva River
The Wekiva River (sometimes spelled Wekiwa, a Creek word meaning "spring of water") is a river in Central Florida, north of Orlando in the United States. It originates in Apopka and joins the St. Johns River, the longest river in the state, i ...
.
Activities include bicycling, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding, hunting and wildlife viewing. Among the wildlife of the park are Florida
black bear
Black bear or Blackbear may refer to:
Animals
* American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species
* Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species
Music
* Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations grou ...
, Florida scrub
jay
A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian m ...
,
sandhill crane
The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills on th ...
,
indigo snake, gopher
tortoise
Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like ot ...
. 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
Wekiwa Springs State Park is a 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. ...
.
Gallery
Image:Rock Springs Run Preserve SP01.jpg, Check Station
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
External links
Rock Springs Run State Reservea
Florida State Parksa
Absolutely FloridaRock Springs Run State Reservea
WildernetFlorida Greenways and Trails, Wekiva River/Rock Springs Run Designated Paddling Trail
{{authority control
Parks in Lake County, Florida
State parks of Florida