Juniper Springs Recreation Area Trail is a 1.4 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Silver Springs, Florida that offers the chance to see wildlife and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Trail covers the swimming area and the early stages of the spring run and is mostly a boardwalk through the jungle that follows the water behind the mill house. The water is a clear blue at the end of the trail where the water is a little deeper. It's a short trail but there are a lot of interesting places to stop along the way.
Florida Office of Visitor Inquiry, Division of Tourism, 126 W. Van Buren Street , Tallahassee, FL, 32399-2000, Phone: 904-487-1462 Ocala National Forest Information Center, Pittman, Fl. (see Lee)
Directions from Astor Park, FL: Travel west along State Highway 40 approximately 8 - 10 miles.
really small park... never more than a few feet from a campsite, road, or something else.
Went at 815am, boardwalk was super slippery, also MANY spider webs on path. Be careful. Beautiful ponds, you can see the springs in the water bubbling up. It was worth the danger getting there lol. We did not take the same path back, we cut through the camp sites and roadway.
Only gave 3 starts because so many trails closed due to COVID but if you can make your way around you are rewarded with a beautiful sand boil spring. The main swimming area wasn’t too crowded on a Monday but the Flies are incessant.
Trail covers the swimming area and the early stages of the spring run and is mostly a boardwalk through the jungle that follows the water behind the mill house. The water is a clear blue at the end of the trail where the water is a little deeper but the only swimming allowed is at the very beginning. (I was lucky enough to get a video of an alligator snapping turtle swimming under water at the end.) It's a short trail but there are a lot of interesting places to stop along the way.
The trail itself is not the biggest attraction of Juniper Springs, but it’s a decent trail with a boardwalk. It can get buggy sometimes, but that’s a lot of Florida really. The actual spring is incredible though and makes visiting worthwhile! Cool fresh water that’s very refreshing and the size of the spring is conducive for swimming a good distance, at least when it’s not too crowded. Because of the cooler temperature and the depth I suspect, most southerners and kids seemed to stay near the edges when I was there, but great for a northerner and hydrophile like me. I loved it!
Easy trail to do with kids. Its all along a boardwalk with overlooks of Juniper Creek. At the end of the trail is the most beautiful area.
The is a good out and back to discover Hidden Pond (over populated at night). Better hike is from Hopkins Prairie to Rodman Dam.
Awesome little trail to cap off an amazing hike. Hiked 30 miles from the 88 store down to Juniper springs! Decided to cap off the adventure with this little hike! Really easy and informative
Beautiful boardwalk along the river. the wood is very slippery with mold when wet. We took the shortcut home thru the campground.
Beautiful natural spring. I enjoy very much swimming the entire day in the spring pool. There is also like a 7 miles canoe trail down river that i was not able to do but looks very fun. Good park for a weekend in the woods and some relaxing and refreshing natural spring water activities.