Wekiwa Springs State Park

Thirty minutes north of downtown Orlando, the Wekiwa Spring boils out of the ground at 42 million gallons a day and immediately starts the Wekiva River — one of only two Florida rivers protected by federal Wild and Scenic designation. The park around it covers 7,000 acres of sandhills, scrub, hardwood hammock, and palmetto flatwoods. It is the closest first-rate spring to Orlando, the most popular state park for Central Florida families, and the only park in Florida currently operating under a mandatory day-use reservation system.

Reservations exist for a reason: every summer Saturday before September 2025, the entrance line was stretching into traffic.

• Location: Apopka (Orange County), 35 minutes from Orlando
• Address: 1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, FL 32712
• Hours: 8 a.m. – sunset, 365 days a year
• Vehicle entry: $6 per vehicle (up to 8 people); $4 single-occupant
• Water temperature: 72°F year-round
• Magnitude: Second-magnitude (~42M gallons/day)
• Day-use reservation: Required for all visitors including annual pass holders
• Park size: 7,000 acres
• Camping: 60 wooded sites plus primitive paddle-in / hike-in sites

• Orlando: 30–35 minutes (I-4 east to Exit 94, west on SR-434, then north on Wekiwa Springs Road)
• Tampa: 90 minutes (I-4 east to Exit 94)
• Jacksonville: 2 hours (I-95 south to I-4)
• Daytona Beach: 1 hour

Effective September 2, 2025, all day-use visitors must reserve entry in advance at reserve.floridastateparks.org — including annual pass holders. Reservations open 60 days out. No extra fee, just the standard entry. Saturdays book out fast; flexible dates pay off.

Wekiwa is a Creek/Muscogee word for "spring of water." The river it feeds, the Wekiva, is spelled differently — a Seminole County developer's variant from the 1800s that stuck. Both spellings are correct in context. The Wekiva River runs about 16 miles north to the St. Johns, joined along the way by Rock Springs Run and Black Water Creek. Together those 41.6 miles became a National Wild and Scenic River in 2000.

The Wekiva River corridor also holds Florida's largest concentrated population of Florida black bears. Bears are real here. The park's Be Bear Aware signs are not theater.

• Swimming in the natural spring pool — 200 feet by 100 feet, gently sloping sand entry, depths up to 5 feet in the swim area and 15–20 feet at the central vent. Lifeguards typically on duty in peak season.
• Kayaking and canoeing on Wekiwa Springs Run, Rock Springs Run, and the Wekiva River. The downstream run to Wekiva Island is one of Florida's classic paddles. Tubing is not offered at Wekiwa Springs — for that, head to nearby Kelly Park on Rock Springs Run.
• Hiking — 13.5 miles total on the main loop, including the Sand Pine Ridge Trail (gopher tortoises and scrub jays), the Wet to Dry Trail, and the 5.3-mile Volksmarch Trail.
• Biking — 9 miles of off-road bike trail plus 8 miles of multi-use horse trail.
• Horseback riding with designated equestrian trails and primitive equestrian camping at Big Fork.
• Wildlife — Florida black bear, white-tailed deer, river otter, alligator, gopher tortoise, Florida scrub jay, limpkin, occasional manatees in cooler months.
• SCUBA and cave diving are strictly prohibited in the spring pool and cave. Snorkeling is permitted.

• 60 main campground sites in a sandhill habitat under longleaf pine. Each site has water, electric, fire ring with grill, picnic table. $24/night plus tax plus a $6.70 reservation fee; RVs add a $7 utility fee. RVs up to 50 feet. Pets allowed.
• Hike-in primitive sites — Camp Cozy (3 miles in) and Big Fork (1 mile in). $5 per person per night.
• Paddle-in primitive sites — Otter Camp and Big Buck Camp on Rock Springs Run, water access only. Florida Trail through-hikers and multi-day paddlers use these.
• Group youth cabins — 13 cabins for organized environmental education groups (160-person capacity).

No general-public cabin rentals. Reservations: reserve.floridastateparks.org or 800-326-3521.

• Wekiwa Springs Adventures (in-park) — kayak and canoe rentals at the nature center. 407-884-4311.
• Wekiva Island (just outside the park, on the Wekiva River) — a destination in its own right, with kayak/canoe/SUP rentals, the Without A Paddle Cafe, the Tooting Otter beer & wine bar, riverside bocce, and Gallery CERO art space. Summer Splash Tuesdays offer 50% off rentals.
• King's Landing (Apopka, on Rock Springs Run) — upstream put-in for the legendary 8.5-mile downstream shuttle run to Wekiva Island. "The #1 kayaking run in Florida" per their marketing — and largely deserved. Day paddles, shuttle runs, and guided eco-tours.

• Wekiva Island (just outside the park) — Without A Paddle Cafe, Tooting Otter craft beer & wine bar. The default post-paddle meal spot.
• Apopka — casual chains and local diners along US-441.
• Altamonte Springs / Longwood (15 minutes east via SR-434) — fuller dining corridor with mid-range chain and independent options.
• Orlando (30 minutes south) — full restaurant scene.

No full-service restaurant inside the park; pack a picnic or plan around Wekiva Island.

• Reserve. Period. Day-use reservations are now mandatory year-round. Book the full 60 days out for summer Saturdays. Use the Notify Me waitlist for cancellation slots.
• Florida black bears are real. Store all food properly, dispose of trash in bear-resistant containers, never approach or feed bears.
• Alligators on Wekiva River paddles. A normal part of the ecosystem; do not approach or feed; keep small children away from shorelines.
• No tubing here. Tubers want Kelly Park on Rock Springs Run instead.
• Summer thunderstorms are reliable May–September; paddle in the morning.
• Bring sunscreen. Summer UV is extreme; the spring's 72°F water provides relief but the swim deck is full sun.
• Manatees occasionally visit in winter; not guaranteed.

Last verified: May 28, 2026. Day-use reservations required for all visitors as of September 2, 2025. Confirm reservation rules, hours, and fees at floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/wekiwa-springs-state-park. Photos via Wikimedia Commons.