When we left for Silver Springs, rain was in the forecast every day, so we did not take kayaks. As it turned out, rain was not a major issue on this trip. Without kayaks to enjoy the river, we spent much of our trip enjoying the trails and each other.
More than One Way to Experience Silver Springs
My favorite thing about camping here is that the park has several areas with distinct personalities. There are a main area, an educational area, and Paradise Park.
The Main Park
The main park, where the actual spring is located, is on SR 40 and has a huge entrance. From the 1870s until the State of Florida purchased the property, Silver Springs was operated as a private attraction, and this heritage is still apparent when you visit the main side.
The Educational Park
The camping and educational side is on the north and west side, on SR 35. This entrance is much smaller and feels much more like entering a State Park. Indeed, when the original Silver Springs was a privately owned attraction, this side was the state park named Silver River State Park.
As you turn in, you’ll notice a sign listing partners for this wonderful park, including Florida State Parks and Marion County School Board. This partnership is important because it works to provide unique opportunities for public school students and park visitors as well.
Paradise Park
There is a third area of Silver Springs known as Paradise Park. This was once the side of the park “for colored people only”. It is located on the spring bank opposite the big park. I am working on a post about this part of Silver Springs history. In the meantime, you can read more about that here.
Large, Shaded Campsites
The separation of the spring from the education area is great for campers. The camping and educational side of the park tends to be quiet, except when a particularly rowdy group of school children is enjoying a field trip. Campsites are large and most offer shade. Here, you will find no road noise and lots of birdsong.
I highly recommend site 41, which is a buddy site with site 40. The bathhouse, along with a sink for dishwashing, is just a short walk, and the Old Field trail is easily accessible by walking down a tiny hill at the back of campsite 41.
Our First Evening
Steve got the Tiki Hut (our pop-up) set up while I unpacked the rest of the campsite. I moved the picnic table to the back of the site.. We had both a regular grill and a fire ring on our campsite. All sites have power and water available. We made use of the power to run the A/C in the pop-up and make coffee. How wonderful to have both coffee AND a heaping helping of nature first thing in the morning!
As much as I love cooking at camp, it was so hot that Steve suggested that we eat out on the first night. We had a lovely dinner in Ocala and arrived back at the campsite refreshed and relaxed (and FULL!), without the normal first night exhaustion. I believe we’ll make this a new first night tradition. We woke up the next morning ready to go!
Our First Adventure in Silver Springs State Park
Steve planned each day’s activities on this trip. For our first hike, he chose the Old Field Trail, which was just a hop, skip, and a jump from the door of our pop-up. This short trail intersects with the Sinkhole Trail, which was our second adventure of the day. We skipped breakfast, had some coffee, loaded a pack with water and a first aid kit, and started our adventure.
Beautiful Hardwood Hammock
If you want to see a beautiful example of a hardwood hammock, Old Field is the trail for you. This area is dominated by oaks, both scrubby skinny things and gorgeous grandfather oaks. We love the grandfather oaks with their branches flowing low to the ground and covered with moss and resurrection fern. We also noticed plenty of turkey oaks along the way.
The entire area felt open and light. The trail was always wide enough for us to walk side-by-side. Gopher tortoise burrows were plentiful, and wildflowers were everywhere.
Old Field
When we came to the Old Field for which the trail is named, signage explained that at the edges of such fields, hawks and other predators keep watch for their next meal in the open field area. You know that Steve and I are suckers for mushrooms, so I must tell you we saw some that looked just like cherry tomatoes! They were tough-skinned but if they had been in your salad, you would have been fooled.
Sinkhole Trail – Diverse Habitats
Soon, we reached the Sinkhole Trail. The sinkhole was impossible to miss from the point where the two trails intersect. We could not resist walking down to see the small pond that has formed in the bottom. There was evidence of recent wild hog activity, with deep ruts in the soft earth. Red maples and sweet gum are abundant in this damp area, and it feels cool and green, even when it is quite warm.
Fun with Fungi
Following the path kept the sinkhole on our right as we moved through an area of oak hammock where we saw such diversity of fungi! Our favorites looked like fabric draped over the logs upon which they were feasting. There was hickory, too, in this area, and I imagine the hogs must make good meals of the hickory nuts along the forest floor.
Playgrounds, Pavilions and Pioneers, Oh, My!
The trail crosses the park road a couple of times, and then drops you in an area with a playground, a restroom, several very nice picnic pavilions, and a recreated pioneer village. You will also find the museum and research library on the far side of the pioneer village. Yucca was blooming in this area, putting forth sprays of perfect white bell flowers and littering the ground with petals. From this point, you can follow the trail along the split rail fence or cross the road and get back on the Old Field Loop to return to the campsites.
Pokémon Paradise
Just a side note: If you are a Pokémon trainer, this is the place for you! There are a couple of gyms and a half-dozen Poke stops in this area, but they do not appear to generate much interest. Leave a low-level Pokémon in the gyms if you want to earn 50 poke coins, but remember that you will only get 50 coins a day, no matter how many Pokémon you leave in the gyms and no matter how long they are there. I know, I know. . .it does not seem fair to me either, but those are the rules of the game!
There’s Still More to See!
After a simple lunch of chef salad (still no cooking!), we decided to visit the actual spring at Silver Springs. Our campsite neighbor said the monkeys were out all morning! We saw a monkey who was not interested in indulging our curiosity, but that’s a story for my next Monday post.