Start Planning Your Tubing Adventure at Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Florida
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Updated February 2024
Ichtucknee Springs State Park in Florida
This guide will help you plan your day at Ichetucknee Springs State Park, in Fort White, Florida. This tranquil paradise in nestled in the heart of Florida’s natural beauty. As you embark on this journey, prepare to be captivated by the crystal-clear waters and lush surroundings that make this park a sought-after destination for outdoor activities.
Whether you want to glide gracefully on a kayak, or leisurely tube down the currents, Ichetucknee Springs State Park offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Join me as we explore the pristine oasis of this unforgettable journey.
Ichetucknee Springs consists of 8 springs that lead into the Ichetucknee River. These springs provide a small current that allows for peaceful tubing along the river. Ichetucknee State Park consists of 2,669 acres and provides a home to multiple animals including otters, beavers, soft shells turtles, wild turkeys, gators and more.
I recommend getting there when they open so you are guaranteed a tube will be available to rent. I had read several reviews on Tripadvisor.com before we went, that stated to get there early in order to avoid long lines and crowds of people. This proved to work well for us plus we went during the week in the summer, so it was less crowded.
Tubing at Ichetucknee Springs
Address: South Entrance 12087 SW US HW 27, Fort White. North entrance 8294 SW Elim Church Road, Fort White
Cost: Park entrance fee is $6 (up to 8 people in the vehicle), $4 for single occupancy vehicle.
Hours: 8am to sunset. Open 365 days a year. You do have to be off the river by 6pm.
This park is really easy to find, and the signs were easy to follow. We headed straight to the South Entrance parking lot once we arrived where we used the restrooms and then went in to purchase the tubes to take on the river. Once you purchase your tubes, you will take your ticket out the door and to the right to get your tubes by showing your ticket.
Amenities
Riverside Grill - open 10am to 4pm daily at the north entrance. Serving hamburgers, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, spicy pork tacos, and drinks.
Riverside Store - located at the north entrance offers souvenirs, paddling supplies, and t-shirts.
General Store Grill - open 10am to 4pm on daily. Located at the south entrance. Serving hot and cold foods from hamburgers, fries, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and ice cream.
General store - open 9am to 4pm daily at the south entrance(you can purchase goggles, t-shirts, cell phone water proof bags, sunscreen and more)
restrooms, shower station
air for tubes or other inflatables
life vest rentals for weak swimmers and kids are $7.50 each
Tram: available from 9am to 4pm daily located at south entrance. Cost is $7.50 per person.
Pets: are permitted on the trails except the ones leading to the springs (Blue Hole & Head Spring Trail). Dogs are not allowed in the spring.
Tube rental
Tube rentals at Dampier’s landing is open from 9am to 2pm.
Single tube - regular tube $7.50, XL tube $9.50, with headrest $10.50-11.00, with mesh bottom $14.00
Double tube - $15.00, with headrest $21.00, with mesh bottom and headrest $28.00
Kayak - $30 and up, tandem kayak $50 and up, kayak lounge $17.00
Canoe - $50 and up
SUP/paddleboard - $45 and up
Raft - $30.00
I rented a double tube with bottoms so my son could ride with me, we didn’t get wet, and he wouldn’t fall through. You can bring your own tubes and they will air them up for $1.25 each (2024 price). Tubes cannot exceed 60 inches. Tube rental reservations can be made ahead of time online.
REMINDER: Food, coolers, fishing, pets, tobacco products, and radios are not allowed on the river.
Things to do at Ichtucknee Springs
tubing - multiple launching locations
hiking
picnics - several picnic tables located throughout the park
scuba diving
snorkeling
mountain bike trail
Interested in a longer kayak adventure?
Paddle Ichtucknee - 3.5-mile paddle down Ichtucknee Springs. This 2-hour journey starts at the south entrance where you will be taken by van to the North entrance to the kayak launch.
Extended Rivers Paddle - This 9-mile experience is designed for experience kayakers. This 4–6-hour paddle starts at the North entrance and ends at William Guy Lemmon Park. This paddle is offered.
Dampier’s Landing Paddle - This 5.5-mile paddle goes upstream, then you will turn around and head back to Dampier’s landing. This tour is about 1.5-2 hours.
For these longer kayak adventures, check out the details online.
Scuba diving at the Blue Hole
Scuba diving is allowed only at the Blue Hole. You must be cavern or cave certified in order to scuba dive this location. SEE MORE DETAILS BELOW.
Tube launch
I decided that we would walk to the Midpoint Tube Launch instead of taking the tram. The tram was $7.50 per person and I didn’t want to spend that extra money.
The start of the Midpoint walking trail is behind the concession stand. This trail is a little over half a mile and we actually beat the tram as they had to wait to load everyone and their tubes. You will have to carry your tubes to the point of entry, but it was worth not spending the extra money. **We did see some pretty huge spiders on their web along our trail walk. So, watch out, Uhhh, Yikes!!
There are 2 options to start the tubing experience
Wherever you start your launch, your goal is to get to the South Takeout Point where you will end your trip.
Midpoint Launch - you can take the tram or walk the trail as I mentioned above to the starting point. This route is a 45-minute float to Dampier’s landing and an additional hour float to South Takeout Point. This trip can be about a 2-hour peaceful trip down the river. You can stop at Dampier’s landing and take a break or keep going to the south takeout.
Dampier’s Launch -(closes at 5pm) walk to Dampier’s launch point from behind the concessions. This is a .25 mile hike. This is a one hour tubing experience to the South Takeout Point.
After you end at the South Takeout Point you can take the tram back to the south parking lot (if you paid for the wristband) or you can walk the trail back to the south parking lot which is .55 miles. If you rented a tube, they will take your tube back even if you are not riding. If you brought your own tube you will have to carry it back to your car. You can have one person walk back and bring a car to pick up the other travelers.
River Tubing at Ichetucknee Springs
Water temps at the springs
This was the first time my kids had been tubing. They were nervous getting into their tube as we got started. When my daughter jumped onto her tube from the dock, she fell right in the water and was shocked by how cold the water was. I guess that is one way to get “in” the water.
The water at Ichtucknee Springs is a cool 72 degrees year-round. The water is so beautiful and clear that you can see to the bottom of the spring. The water is about 4 feet deep, and a few areas are slightly deeper. As we floated down the spring, we saw lots of wildlife such as turtles, a raccoon, fish, birds, great egret’s and the kids claim they saw an alligator. The entire trip was so calm and peaceful as we floated down the spring. Everyone we met along the way was so nice and helpful.
There were times when we had to paddle with our hands to keep from going into the edge of the water or to avoid a large log. This made my kids nervous for fear they would get stuck. Once they figured it out with a little practice they were able to stay toward the middle easily.
The entire float lasted a little over 1 ½ hours. We could have stopped halfway and got out at Dampier’s Landing but we knew we wanted to tube longer so we stayed in, but if you need a break this would be a great place to stop and then you could get back in when you are ready.
After we finished tubing, we landed at the South Takeout point and were able to get out of the water easily. There were rocks built up that made it easy to step onto before getting on the stairs to get out of the water. There will be a sign as you get close, letting you know you are almost there. Once you get near the end you will need to paddle your way to the left where the stairs are located.
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Hiking Trails
There are 3 hiking trails located at the north entrance of the park. See the hiking paths marked with a dotted line on the map above.
Blue Hole trail is a half mile hike through the Ichetucknee forests and leads to the Blue Hole where you can swim, snorkel or scuba dive.
Trestle Point trail is a .75-mile path that leads you around the clear water of Ichetucknee river.
Pine Ridge trail is a 2-mile loop that travels through a beautiful sandhill area covered with longleaf pine trees and open plains.
Snack Time
After we were done tubing, we headed over to the provided picnic tables under the shade trees to eat a snack. I love using our RTIC cooler to help keep our food cold as we travel. One way I save money as we travel is to buy food that we can prepare while picnicking. We brought mixed nuts, cheese cubes (this was a splurge as the cubes are more expensive than the sticks), Everything Bagel pretzel thins, granola bars, and water that we already had in our water bottles. It felt cool enough in the shade to enjoy our snacks as we relaxed after floating in the water.
General Store Grill & Riverside Grill
You can also support the food stands within the park if you prefer not to pack your own food.
Head Spring
Head Spring
After we ate, we loaded the car and drove to the north entrance of the park so the kids could swim in the springs. This meant you had to leave the park and travel for a short distance to get to the north entrance. It was about a 2–3-minute drive and was easy to find.
North entrance address: 8294 SW Elim Church Road, Fort White
There is a larger parking lot and the path to both Head Spring and Blue Hole Spring are easy to get to from this parking lot.
Head Spring was our first stop. The water was beautiful and clear and is a cool 72 degrees year-round. This area had a small section of rocks to climb on for the younger kids as seen in the picture below. The older kids swam out further where the water was deeper. The deeper area is around 17 feet deep. My older kids are good swimmers so did not need a life jacket but if you have little kids, I recommend they wear one in this area. After the kids swam for about an hour in this spring, we walked to Blue Hole Spring.
Head Spring
Experience a clear kayak as you navigate Silver Springs and enjoy time with the gentle manatees. Prices start at $80
Blue Hole Spring
Blule Hole spring is a natural spring known for its stunning blue hues and crystal-clear waters. This is a popular spot for snorkeling and diving due to its impressive depth of 40 feet in some areas.
It is about a half mile walk to the Blue Hole Spring from the parking lot. This area does not have a place for younger kids to hang out in the water. You can watch from the deck above while more experienced swimmers enjoy the beauty and tranquility of this spring. It is deep as soon as you enter the water. You can float or swim around at this spring. My kids were able to take their snorkel gear / snorkel mask to enjoy swimming in this area.
My kids swam to the Blue Hole in the middle of the spring and were able to watch some divers taking pictures down in it. The Blue Hole is about 40 feet deep and has a cave system down at the bottom with about 600 feet of passages. You have to be certified and registered to dive in this area. You can register at the North Ranger Station.
Blue Hole Spring
Restrooms at the North entrance
After we were done swimming in the springs, we walked back to the parking lot and used the restroom. The restrooms were clean and easily accessible. There were also water spigots outside of the restrooms to wash off your feet.
We spent about 5 ½ hours at Ichetucknee Springs State Park. My kids definitely enjoyed this adventure and have already asked several times to go back! It was a cheap day as the tube and entrance fees were minimal. Packing our lunch also helped to keep our costs low.
Tubing down the meandering springs to the tranquil moments spent swimming, this park has offered us a glimpse into the pristine beauty of Florida’s natural landscape. I recommend you stop at these springs when you are in the area.
Some of the areas tend to be more crowded, it does not detract from the beauty of this rejuvenating escape and the countless memories we made as a family. I hope you can find time to visit the springs as I know your children will enjoy it!
Enjoy your Journey,
Meet the author: Jennifer
I’m just a girl who loves to travel. My favorite travels have been traveling across the US in a campervan, visiting all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, marking National Parks off my list, & many smaller trips. I love to share my adventures to inspire others to travel more. If you can dream it, you can do it! Want the whole story?
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