Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

Just off I-10 Exit 96, half a mile south on a county road, a spring pool sits in the shade of a 386-acre hardwood forest. The water is 68°F, crystal-clear, mostly three feet deep, and drops to 25 feet near an old cypress tree at the far end. There are picnic pavilions with grills, a pair of short nature trails, an estimated 2,000 gopher tortoises in the park, and carnivorous pitcher plants reintroduced with help from the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

That is the entire pitch. Ponce de Leon Springs does exactly what it promises: clean, cold, gorgeous water and a shaded picnic ground in the Florida Panhandle.

• Location: Ponce de Leon (Holmes County), right off I-10 Exit 96
• Address: 2860 Ponce de Leon Springs Road, Ponce de Leon, FL 32455
• Hours: 8 a.m. – sunset, 365 days a year
• Vehicle entry: $4 (honor box, exact change)
• Water temperature: 68°F year-round (Panhandle springs run cooler)
• Magnitude: Second-magnitude (~14M gal/day per park sources)
• Swimming depth: Mostly 3 ft; drops to 25 ft near the cypress
• Parking capacity: 41 vehicles — fills fast in summer
• Camping: Day-use only
• Phone: 850-836-4281

The easiest I-10 spring stop in the Florida Panhandle. Exit 96, south on CR-181A for half a mile.

• Pensacola: 1 hour east on I-10
• Panama City: 55 minutes north on US-231 to I-10
• Tallahassee: 1 hour 30 minutes west on I-10
• DeFuniak Springs: 20 minutes east on US-90

• Swimming in 68°F crystal-clear water — mostly 3 ft deep (ideal for small children), with a 25-ft drop-off near the old cypress tree. No lifeguard. ADA chair lift available (call ahead to arrange).
• Snorkeling near the deeper section; exceptional visibility on calm mornings. BYO gear.
• Nature trails — Spring Run Trail (parallels the spring run where crystal water meets tea-colored Sandy Creek) and Sandy Creek Trail. Combined: about 1 mile.
• Birding — Great Florida Birding Trail site; winter brings brown creepers and golden-crowned kinglets at the southern edge of their range.
• Gopher tortoises — an estimated 2,000 in the park; nests marked with green stakes.
• Pitcher plants — rare carnivorous varieties reintroduced with the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
• Fishing in Sandy Creek — catfish, bass, bluegill, chain pickerel. FL license required.
• Picnicking — four reservable pavilions ($26.88/day with tax) plus numerous open tables.

• Restrooms with large changing rooms and showers
• Four covered pavilions with grills (non-reservable Memorial Day–Labor Day; first-come, first-served)
• Open picnic tables throughout
• ADA chair lift at the spring (call ahead)
• Ranger-led seasonal guided walks
• No food concession, gear rental, or camp store

Day-use only — no camping. Nearest options:

• Falling Waters State Park (15 miles east, Chipley) — campground + Florida's tallest waterfall
• Florida Caverns State Park (30 miles east, Marianna) — campground + Florida's only accessible cave
• DeFuniak Springs (15 miles west) — chain motels, Victorian downtown
• Panama City (50 miles south) — full beach resort infrastructure

Dining: Pack a picnic. Nearest restaurants are in DeFuniak Springs (15 miles) or Chipley (20 miles). The on-site pavilions and grills are the best place to eat on a park day.

• 41-space parking lot fills fast in summer. Arrive by 9 a.m. on summer weekends.
• Exact change required for the $4 honor-box entry. No credit card reader.
• The water is 68°F — genuinely cold. Bring warm towels for kids after swimming. The shallow 3-ft area is safe but bracing.
• No alcohol anywhere in the park — pavilions included.
• Alligators on the Spring Run and Sandy Creek trails. Keep children close.
• Cat-faced pines from 1920s turpentine collection are visible along the trails — a piece of Panhandle history.
• Pair with Morrison Spring (5 miles south) for a same-day double-spring visit; or with Florida Caverns SP (30 miles east) for a cave-and-spring combo.

Last verified: May 28, 2026. Verify hours and current pavilion policies at floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/ponce-de-leon-springs-state-park or call 850-836-4281.