Gemini Springs Park in DeBary gets a lot of visitors, but the vast majority come here for fishing, picnics and the playground. However, if you head out on some of the scenic hiking trails, you can quickly leave the bustling world far behind and enjoy nature at your leisure!
Florida Springs
Hiking Green Springs Park
Green Springs Park in Deltona features a series of very short but scenic hiking trails. I suggest parking at Green Springs Park and wandering around a little bit, and then hiking to nearby Thornby Park via the Spring-to-Spring Trail. It’s a great way to spend an early Saturday morning!
Dueling Springs
Green Springs vs. Gemini Springs? Each is amazing in its own way. Best of all, they’re about five minutes away from each other! So, you can easily hike around both like I did on an early Saturday morning. What are you waiting for?
Spring to Spring
1st Stop: Green Springs Park, Deltona
2nd Stop: 1871 DeBary Hall, DeBary
3rd Stop: Gemini Springs Park, DeBary
4th Stop: Swamp House River Front Grill, DeBary
Sunday Hike at Kelly Park
A series of renovations are taking place at Kelly Park in Apopka, so we could not go anywhere near Rock Springs (which is closed to swimmers and tubers due to the pandemic), but we still enjoyed a scenic hike along the Kelly Loop Trail (1.5 miles). No wildlife sightings this time out, but a nice time nonetheless and we pretty much had the whole trail to ourselves!
Saturday Morning at Gemini Springs
One of my favorite places to wander in Central Florida, 212-acre Gemini Springs Park is located in the charming town of DeBary. It’s peaceful (no swimming in the springs allowed), there are some scenic hiking trails and you will almost always get a glimpse of wildlife here.
De Leon Springs State Park
Due to the global pandemic, swimming at De Leon Springs State Park has been prohibited indefinitely. However, this means that you can enjoy picnicking and hiking here without dealing with the usual frenzied crowds that descend upon this widely popular Florida state park located just north of DeLand. The Wild Persimmon, a four-mile hiking trail, is definitely recommended. In addition, the legendary Sugar Mill Restaurant remains open.
Return to Gemini Springs Park
One of my favorite early morning strolls is to wander around Gemini Springs Park in DeBary and take in the amazing scenery of this 212-acre natural oasis. And it’s the only park so far where I’ve viewed a bobcat, a very special experience (unfortunately, he/she darted away quickly before I could snap a photo)! I return to Gemini Springs Park regularly and always find something new to discover. Don’t miss it!
Rock Springs/Kelly Park, Apopka
For obvious safety reasons, swimming and tubing are not currently allowed at Rock Springs. However, this means that hikers and wildlife viewers have a great opportunity to check out Kelly Park without the throngs of people that usually descend upon Rock Springs throughout the entire summer. In fact, once you head out a little ways on the scenic 1.5-mile Kelly Loop Trail, you will pretty much have the whole trail to yourself. The last two times we’ve visited, we were lucky enough to view some deer, including the fawn pictured above.
Boulware Springs Park
A trailhead for the 17-mile Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, Boulware Springs Park and Historic Waterworks is the site of a 19th-century waterworks building that provided the water supply for the City of Gainesville back in the day. Believe it or not, Boulware Springs produces approximately 194,000 gallons of water daily that flows into Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.
Wandering Florida 