Blue Hole Spring (Florida Caverns)

Most people drive to Florida Caverns State Park for the caves — it's the only Florida state park that offers public tours of a dry, air-filled cave, a half-mile of limestone rooms full of stalactites and stalagmites. But the park has a second draw out in the daylight: Blue Hole Spring, a clear, cold swimming spring that's one of the sources of the Chipola River.

The spring rises through a vent in the limestone about 38 feet down and stays cold year-round. On a clear day it's a beautiful swim; after heavy rain, when the Chipola floods into it, the water turns murky and the park closes the swim area until it clears. Plan a Caverns visit around both — the cave tour and the spring — and check the water before you count on a swim.

• Location: Florida Caverns State Park, Marianna (Jackson County), Florida panhandle
• Address: 3345 Caverns Rd, Marianna, FL 32446
• Hours: 8 a.m. (Central Time) to sunset, 365 days
• Entry fee: $5 per vehicle (2–8 people); $4 single occupant; $2 pedestrian/cyclist
• Water temperature: Cold and clear year-round (about 70°F)
• Depth: ~38 feet at the vent
• Swimming: Yes — but the swim area closes when the Chipola floods (water turns murky)
• Phone: 850-526-2650

The park is about a mile north of Marianna, off State Road 166. Note that Marianna is in the Central time zone — park hours are Central Time.

• Tallahassee: about 1 hour (I-10 west)
• Panama City: about 1 hour
• Pensacola: about 2 hours

Blue Hole is a karst spring: water flows up through a vent in the limestone roughly 38 feet down and feeds the Chipola River, discharging on the order of 30 gallons per second (a second-magnitude spring). When the river is low and the spring is running clear, it's a deep, blue, cold swimming hole ringed by hardwood forest. When the Chipola is high, floodwater backs into the basin and clouds it — which is why the swim area is the part of the park most often closed.

• Swimming — The Blue Hole basin, when clear. A roped area and a small beach; cold water year-round.
• The cave tour — The park's headline attraction: ranger-guided tours of a dry limestone cave, Florida's only public dry-cave tour. Tickets are separate and often sell out — reserve ahead.
• Hiking & nature — Trails through hardwood hammock and along the Chipola; rich birding.
• Paddling — The Chipola River runs through the park; canoe/kayak rentals have been planned — confirm current availability.

• Florida Caverns State Park campground — On-site campsites (the Blue Hole Campground loop), the most convenient base.
• Marianna (~5 minutes) — Chain hotels off I-10 for a non-camping stay.

• Marianna — Small-town restaurants and quick options a few minutes from the park; nothing in the park itself beyond seasonal concessions.

• Check the Blue Hole status before you go. It closes when the Chipola floods — call 850-526-2650 or check floridastateparks.org. The caves and trails stay open even when the swim area doesn't.
• Reserve the cave tour ahead. It's the main event and sells out on weekends and holidays.
• It's Central Time. Don't get caught an hour off on the 8 a.m. opening or sunset closing.
• The water is cold. Genuinely brisk year-round — better for a hot summer day than a cool one.

• The swim area closes during and after floods. High water on the Chipola turns Blue Hole murky and unsafe; obey posted closures.
• The cave tour involves stairs and tight passages. Not ideal for those with mobility limits or claustrophobia.

Last verified: June 3, 2026. Blue Hole Spring is within Florida Caverns State Park (3345 Caverns Rd). The swim area closes during flooding — confirm status and reserve cave tours at floridastateparks.org or 850-526-2650 before visiting. Hours are Central Time.