Tubing the Ichetucknee River
We are a couple months into summer here in Florida... and that means tubing season is in full effect on many spring-fed creeks, rivers and spring runs. There are a number of wonderful places to enjoy this fun summer pastime, but today we’re talking about the river that has long been the state’s most famous tubing run: the iconic Ichetucknee River.
We have been several times now to Ichetucknee Springs State Park to swim in the magnificent turquoise waters of the headsprings, but just a few weeks ago we had a chance to tube the river with the kids for the very first time. What an absolute blast we had!! We had been waiting for our sweet girl to get a bit older, and now that she’s nearing four she’s old enough to really enjoy the whole experience, and that helped the rest of us relax and enjoy it immensely as well.
What a well-oiled machine they run up at Ichetucknee Springs State Park! Once you get over the confusion of which entrance to go to, (North for swimming, South for tubing), and the logistics of where you can and cannot put tubes in, the whole experience is a breeze.
The South main entrance brings you to a large parking area with a number of picnic tables, clean bathrooms, and the Ichetucknee General Store. The General Store offers tube rentals and wristbands for the tram, as well as a great little snack bar and gift shop. And right behind the general store is where you line up to get on the tram.
We chose to bring our own tubes over renting them. (We absolutely love our River Run tubes we purchased from Academy Sports. They’re also available on Amazon, but cost way more. They’re durable, have ropes to keep us together, and have sewn-in bottoms so we don’t have to worry about the kids falling through the middle. Plus, you can choose to stay relatively dry if you want to, or need to warm up.)
Loading up on the tram.
Little E hurrying to finish her peanut butter and jelly before hopping on the tubes
I think the cost for all of us to get a wristband for the tram and use our own tubes was just under $20 (sweet girl was free) and it was TOTALLY worth it.
Note: There is NO SWIMMING or tubing launch at the South Entrance. You must either ride the tram to the midpoint tube launch or walk on the trail, carrying your tube to Dampier’s Landing or the midpoint tube launch.
The tram took us (and our tubes) up to the midpoint on the river, where we hiked a short way through the forest before launching from the wooden launch deck. The walk through the woods was easy peasy, absolutely beautiful, and the perfect length to build excitement for when we finally saw the river, and really added to the whole experience!
In order to try and get the most peaceful ride we could, we waited until most of the people from our tram had launched before launching ourselves, and didn’t hop in until we saw people from the next tram starting to come down the boardwalk toward us. Its worth waiting for the crowd to thin out a bit so that you get more of the river to yourselves.
I’m going to try, but the Ichetucknee is truly indescribable. The water is so clear you can see everything on the bottom of the spring run, from fish, to turtles, to sea grasses, and more. The kids spent half of the first time down the run with their masks on, bent over the sides of the rafts with their faces in the water, just over the moon, pointing out all the things they were seeing.
Far and away, what wowed us the most, besides the beauty and clarity of the water, was the wonder of the forest surrounding the river. It feels ancient and majestic… like you’re adventuring through time a bit. Gigantic cypress trees loomed over the river giving us dappled shade for much of the day. Cypress knees rise along the banks and tangle with the lush vegetation and flowering water plants on the sides of the river. There's also this really incredible stretch of the river that passes by some small bluffs overhanging the water... this was a fantastic spot to look for fish hiding in the shade of the rock outcroppings.
Halfway through the float everyone was still having a blast, so we chose to skip taking out at Dampier’s Landing (45 min – 1hr float time) in favor of continuing on to the last takeout (90 min – 2hr float time). Another reason we chose to continue floating is that there is no tram service to Dampier’s Landing, so if you take out there, you will have to walk about a quarter mile on a marked path, with your tubes, back to the parking area. No thanks! Longer float, plus a ride back for the kiddos was the way to go.
You used to be able to tube all the way from the North Entrance down to the South Entrance of the park, but the north entrance has been closed to tubers for a couple of years now in an effort to restore the shallow, sensitive area of the spring run that had been negatively impacted by overuse. That shortened the maximum float from about 4 hours to just around 2.
This was actually a perfect length of time for us and, honestly, we couldn’t imagine going for much longer with the kids even if there was an option for it. You are not allowed to take any food, disposable items, or coolers on the river (they check all bags!) and after one float the kids were ready for lunch and sunscreen reapplication anyway.
The wristbands we purchased for the tram (which we HIGHLY recommend) are good for the whole day... so we could have done the tube run as many times as we’d have liked for one price. We found that two times was the perfect amount for us and the kids. The second run all but put our sweet girl straight to sleep by the end. Plus, there is so much else to enjoy in this magnificent state park.
Both kiddos were a bit tired and in need of a rest and break from the sun near the end of our second time down the tube run
Swimming at Ichetucknee Springs State Park
If you are wanting to swim at Ichetucknee Springs instead of tube down the river, make sure you head to the North Entrance of the park. There you will find a beautiful little swimming area at the head spring, along with nice bathrooms, and a few shaded picnic tables. While we enjoyed the swimming area immensely, be aware that there is just a very small beach-type area for the littles, and lots of slippery and jagged rocks in the shallower parts of the spring. It’s not the easiest spring in the area for the younger ones to explore, but it sure is pretty, and definitely worth a visit. The kids had fun climbing around the rocks and we enjoyed swimming out over the spring boils.
Don’t miss Blue Hole!!
Photo looking down into Blue Hole cave from the surface - from https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/snorkel-blue-hole
Also located at the North entrance to the state park is a beautiful boardwalk and nature trail to Blue Hole, another nearby spring that flows into the Ichetucknee. Do not pass up the hike to Blue Hole! We hike out to it every time we visit the park. It is a lovely walk through a simply beautiful, lush, green forest, and it’s pretty rain or shine. We’ve experienced it in both! The boardwalk and wide hard-packed path making the walk a simple, enjoyable one for all ages.
Blue Hole is Ichetucknee’s wilder, more exclusive cousin. It feels… and is, remote. It’s a favorite of divers who flock to the area to explore the underground cave system that opens up here.
Be aware: There is no place to stand in this swimming hole. With no man-made infrastructure other than a wooden deck for divers to stage their gear, this spring is not for the wilderness faint-of-heart. We watched a beautiful banded water snake (non-venomous) hanging out unassumingly by the steps leading into the water the whole time we were there last time. It didn’t mind us one bit and we didn’t mind him either. Hubby and his brother and sister-in-law went in to explore, and even took our 6-year-old… who loved every minute!! I sat this one out as my teeth were already chattering, but after reviewing the photos and video they got underwater, I was so sad I missed it. No wonder it’s so popular with divers.. It’s GORGEOUS under there. Check out the video below that our friend George made of our group swimming in Blue Hole.
Overall, Ichetucknee Springs State Park is on our favorites list for many, many reasons. It's not too far from Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, or Tallahassee... right in the heart of spring country, and offers a little bit (or a lot a bit!) of something for everyone to enjoy. We hope you enjoyed coming along for the adventure, and that you're inspired to get out and have your own adventures in wild Florida with your family and friends. Check out some things you should know below, and please leave us your thoughts in the comments!
Things to know:
Get there early.
Make sure to arrive at the park nice and early in the morning. The park can close due to capacity, and allows a maximum of 3,000 tubers down the river each day.
Word of caution:
While tubing down the river, be on the lookout for snags, or fallen branches or trees that could cause you to get hung up in your tube on them. We did quite a bit of paddling with our arms to move ourselves to optimal parts of the river in certain areas. Hubby also rescued a few people who got hung up and were unable to free themselves, or who’s floats were punctured by branches in the water. The current isn’t raging, but it’s swift enough to take you into a downed tree if you’re not paying attention.
Get to the right entrance!
South Entrance for Tubing - More information on tubing HERE.
12087 SW US-27
Fort White, FL 32038
North Entrance for Swimming
8294 SW Elim Church Rd.
For White, FL 32038
More of our favorite pictures from Ichetucknee Springs State Park
