March 1-12, 2026 Most Recent Posts:
Silver Springs State Park Manatee and More on the Silver River
Silver Springs, Florida Unexpected Trip From Myakka
My stay at Silver Springs in March was cut short by 3 days because of my unexpected hospital stay (see second link above right). I’ve divided my time at Silver River into two posts and have tried not to overlap. So if you are hoping to see manatee. Use the top link on the right.
In addition to its beautiful river, Silver Springs State Park has a fair number of hiking trails accessible from the campground. One day I took a combination of trails to walk from the campground up to the ranger’s station which is nearly a mile away.
The size of the pine cones always amazes me.
I have no idea who is pulling up the sand to make these but they are all over the trails which are covered with pine needles.
These juvenile long leaf pines will one day be towering pines like their parents. I think they are so cute. Longleaf pines are highly fire-dependent and require regular, low-intensity surface fires every 2–7 years to survive and regenerate. Fire clears competing woody vegetation, reduces shade, and prepares the soil for seedlings.
In my previous post (first link above on the right), I showed most of the waterfowl that I saw and the manatee. I saw those same types of birds and the manatee pretty much every day I was on the river. So there won’t be any more pictures of them here. But I only saw the monkeys on two occasions.
I will make some exceptions. This gator just seemed so totally relaxed laying across this tree trunk with his head on another tree. Not a very sort pillow.
One of the most relaxing places in my life.
I much prefer to see the Rhesus macaques monkeys from my kayak. I have had some concerning encounters with them on land. They are a non-native, invasive species introduced in the 1930s for tourism and have established a thriving, wild population. I wonder what he’s thinking about as he scratches his head.
They travel in troops of 50 to 100, are native to Southeast Asia and are aggressive. Believe me. They are known to carry the Herpes B virus in their saliva and body fluids, posing a risk to humans. But still the question most asked of me on the trails and on the water is “have you seen the monkeys”?
They are definitely fun to watch from a distance.
I’m guessing this is an elder.
I took a few short videos of the monkeys in the trees. They are each less than a minute. It is difficult to hold the camera still on a moving river. Click the highlighted links to see either or both.The first one is an adult and a juvenile.
I’m so sorry in the second one that I didn’t get the camera on in time to get more of him bouncing on that branch. He was just like a kid on a rocking horse. Look quickly at the beginning and then see if you can follow him all the way to the end. I tried.
Virtually every time I go by this spot on the river there is at least one Double-Crested Cormorant sitting on the logs. Today there were 3.
They only have the blue mouths during breeding season.
Alligators definitely eat turtles. Maybe the turtles think there is safety in numbers.
I liked this shot in particular. The last of the monkeys for this year.
Silver Springs has a number of events throughout the year. I have attended the Knap In several times and have been to the SpringsFest before as well. This year they were having a showing of the documentary Out of the Mist: A Silver River Story which I really wanted to see.
So I hiked over from the campground to the head springs area of the park. I started at my site which is at the bottom of the red line and went to the bridge over the river at the top of the red line. A total of about 8 or so miles round trip.
If you rent kayaks from the park you will paddle down this section.
The documentary explores the history of Silver Springs State Park through the perspectives of its historic glass-bottom boat drivers. It covers the environmental, economic, and wildlife history of the Florida park. It was really a beautiful film and one of the boat drivers who had captained for 50 years before retiring this year was in attendance.
I was too busy watching to get photos of the most beautiful parts. This would be great to see on a big screen.
The film interviews several of the drivers about how things were different early on.
Several people in the film talked about how much they liked the separate park during the years of segregation and how sad they were when Paradise Park closed. It had everything Silver Springs had and seemed more of a family sort of place.
I thought the faces of the drivers they interviewed were wonderful.
Since this film didn’t have popcorn, I treated myself to ice cream at the Springside Café. They have food too. As you can see, SpringFest was well attended.
Heading back to the trail I got one last shot of kayakers on the river.
After my last day on the river, the Kayak is docked and ready to be towed back up to the campground. Back UP that long hill.
My last two weeks in Florida were spent at Rainbow Springs State Park. Yes springs and kayaking are the things I love the most about Florida. In addition to the warm winter weather of course.
