Silver Springs Land Side

February 12-26, 2025                                         Most Recent Posts:
Silver Springs State Park                                    Silver River Scrapbook
Silver Springs Florida                                          Return to Osprey

As those who follow me know, I spend my winters in Florida traveling from state park to state park.   Over these years I have come to have my favorites and Silver Springs is way up on the list.   Thus I have been here many times and done nearly everything that is anywhere nearby.

These last few years, I’ve spent most of my time here on the river.  You can see my scrapbook from this year by using the link at the top.

But I do a few other things as well.

One of those is hiking.  The park has a number of trails.  I walked three of them this year.  Two of those several times.

Both the Swamp Trail and the River Trail begin by walking under this sign.

Shortly you come to a fork in the trail.  To the left is the Swamp Trail, to the right, the River Trail.

The swamp trail leads to the student tour boat ramp and is where one year in the past I was a bit harassed by the rhesus macaque monkeys who live in the park.  I did post about it at that time with pictures of the aggressors.

This year, no problems any of the times I hiked this lovely trail.

Ultimately you leave the forest and come to the boardwalk through the swamp.  This is where the monkeys decided they did not want me to come any further.

I always think of the wonderful book Where the Crawdads Sing when I walk this end of the trail.

This is an in/out trail.  The end is a viewing platform at the river’s edge with steps down to the left to a metal gate just above the river level where Marion County school children meet a boat for an educational trip up to the head spring to learn about this important part of their community.

The view headed back away from the river.

If you go to the right at the fork in the trail shown above, you’ll be on the River Trail which leads to the campground boat launch and a picnic table.   This is the trail I took nearly daily to put my kayak in and paddle the river.   Interestingly, as I was writing this post, I discovered I have very few pictures of it even though I hiked it many more times than the Swamp Trail.

It’s just over a half mile one way and a nice hike in the morning going out to paddle.  A little less nice if you have to pull a kayak with you especially coming back up hill.

Whenever I walk this trail to the river, this is the sight I see at the end.  Happily the park allows me to leave my boat here so I do not have to pull it back every day.  Sometimes there are other boats parked here.   The ramp is there to the left.

I met Lorraine and Greg here in previous years and we stayed connected enough to meet up again for a hike on the Swamp Trail one day.  They raise and show Sheltie dogs and another pair of their friends who also have Shelties were here with them.  The 4 adults, 4 dogs and I took a hike together.

I didn’t realize again until I started working on this post that the light had messed up this picture of both Greg and Lorraine.  But it’s all I have so I’m using it.

Another activity at Silver Springs was a visit for Winnona to American Pro RV Service about 30 minutes  south of Silver Springs.  David always did all the maintenance to the two Air conditioners, the two slides, the 4 jacks and the generator.   Now I pay to have it done.   It’s above my knowledge level unfortunately.

Also unfortunately when I asked them to take a look at the continuing leak in the front windshield which 3 other folks have “fixed” for me, they determined it was the running lights on the upper cab.  They advised replacing them all as they were original equipment.  But they didn’t have them in stock so I had to bring her back my second week at the campground.   This is a real pain to do……set up when I arrive after 3pm check in, take down the next morning, go to the shop, come back and set up again for a week, then take down to return to the shop, set up when I get back and then take down to leave.   Fellow RVers know this means jacks, slides, water, electric etc.

But I did it, they got replaced and we’ll see if this is the fix.  I’m hopeful but then I was the last 3 times too.

I also had several visits with my friends Jim and Judy whom I met here at Silver Springs campground when Jim came to my rescue the year my steps didn’t retract and got bent to the point of needing replacement.   These are really wonderful people whom I’m always so happy to run into on the road.   How about those bikes!

I always hike once over to the headspring area from the campground.  By the time I hike there, walk around the headspring area and hike back, it’s about 7.5 miles.

The trail goes through multiple habitats.

It reaches the headspring area at the boat rental and launch of which I neglected to get pictures this year.

But here’s my first view of the headspring area and a glass bottom boat for which it is famous.

The day I went was a Saturday because I didn’t want to do such a long hike on a day I was also on the river for several hours.  You can see in the next two pictures why I don’t go out on the river over the week-end.

The path around the headspring area goes past a visitor’s center, restaurant, snack shop, gift shop, restrooms  and over by the breakwater in the mid left side of the picture.   The building also on the left is the boat house for several glass bottom boats.  They load folks up and give them a very nice historic and natural history tour of the spring and river.  Sometimes I hear the guides talking when I  paddle by the boats and I’m always interested in what they are saying and tempted to just paddle along side.

This bench and sign have been here at least since I was 10 years old because I have pictures of myself here with my Great Aunt Carrie.  The Glass Bottom boats began in 1870 though I don’t know if the sign was here that long ago.

I take a picture here every year in commemoration - for years with David and me and now just me.

I’m following the trail along the break water.

The trail ends down the river at the Sea Hunt hut they call it.  It was in the TV program with Lloyd Bridges.  

Perhaps the 5 cents was what you paid to have your picture taken with your face in the hole.  It’s free now.   I passed several people having friends take them smiling out.

I didn’t need my picture as Lloyd Bridges but I did need it with one of these magnificent Live Oaks.  The tree was way too tall to get it entirely but look at that base.

One last look as I had back to the trail to the campground.

I’ll close with a couple of miscellaneous pictures I took.  One I really liked.  I guess there’s no law against having a very nice wooden sign made with the official National Parks Logo and your name.  Pretty sure the year 1979 must be when the family was formed rather than when they started RVing.

And this one I was not surprised to see here in Florida but it just amazes me that someone would want this on their car.  Hope you can read it.  Let me know if you can’t.  I have a larger picture of just the sticker but I couldn’t bring myself to put it on here twice and I did want to show that this is a Honda CRV whatever that may mean about the owner.

Next stop Rainbow Springs with more meet ups and some good food.  That’s where I am as I post this so if you are in that area near Dunnellon, let me know.

Hope you’ll leave a comment.   It’s nice to see people on the road and hear from them on the blog.