America's southernmost national forest
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Steve Glassman
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MotorHome, January 2008
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Where can RVers walk from their campsite to take a dip in refreshingly cool water in the summer, and swim in the same naturally heated pool any day of the winter? Where can you leave your rig safely in bear and big-gator country and in an hour's drive find yourself at world-class attractions? The answer is the southernmost national forest in the contiguous United States -- Ocala National Forest.
Made up of almost a half-million acres in north-central Florida, an hour west of Daytona Beach and two hours north of Orlando, Ocala is a veritable wonderland for those who enjoy nature in its pristine beauty. Ocala has 19 campgrounds, three of which offer large spring-fed swimming holes that stay 72 degrees F year-round and provide a great stop on the way to better-known attractions in the Sunshine State -- or a destination of its own for those who like to hike, canoe and swim.
The waters at the three springs each have their own distinct personalities. The pleasant swim basin at Juniper Spring was a mere seep until the 1930s when it was dug out and enclosed in a concrete ring. Alexander Springs, on the other hand, gushes, blowing out a large caldron of sand and then produces a river rushing a dozen miles through the forest until its clear waters merge into the tannic-laden, coffee-colored waters of the St. Johns River. In years gone by, Salt Spring was known for jetting up -- fountain-like -- above the level of the waters, but modern demands on the water table have reduced it to a modest flow. Silver Glen Spring is another beautiful spring and provides a picnic and day-use area but no overnight camping.
The Ocala's springs are not just for swimming. Bring your own canoe or kayak or rent one at the Forest Service concessionaire and head downstream. The most famous canoe trail is Juniper Run, a de rigeur canoe trip for Florida naturalists. Going seven miles mostly through cypress forest, the run is a pleasant jaunt year-round. The dense forest provides heavy shade in the summer, with scarcely a ray penetrating the forest floor. In the winter, when daytime temperatures may be a bit cool, the trees drop their leaves, allowing for radiant heating by the sun.
Alexander Spring Run flows through a salad bowl of reeds and aquatic plants. The channel runs wide, shallow and without shade. During all seasons but winter, the glare can make for a formidable challenge.
Float down Salt Springs Run to Lake George. Keep an eye peeled for the many Florida wading birds: great blue herons, night herons, bitterns, mixed flocks of white and glossy ibis, the occasional spoonbill and egrets. In winter, coots can be spotted in flocks of hundred.
Warm days in late winter or early spring may yield a number of alligators -- some measuring up to 12 feet with the occasional monster that is even bigger. Many have the unnerving habit of jumping in the water and heading directly under a canoe; but do not fear, none has ever been known to attack a paddle boat. Keep a sharp eye on the trees high up along the banks of Lake George. It's a favorite haunt of the bald eagle. (Florida hosts the largest population of the national bird south of Alaska.) Ospreys also can be seen roosting on high branches or hovering over the swamp woods scanning for fish.
During the summer, scissor-tailed flycatchers are a common sight. These graceful birds always come in pairs. If you see one, look for a second, and often you'll spot four or even six patrolling the sky. Otters frolic in the spring runs, and night-loving raccoons can occasionally be seen in the daytime along the banks.
The St. Johns River, in most places as broad as the Mississippi but moving much slower, bounds the forest on the east. The river is one of the great bass-fishing treasures of the country, but its registry of species reads like a who's who of American fish. Striped bass can be found here, as can many other normally saltwater types such as croaker, stingray, needle fish and mullet. You can even try your hand at trapping blue crabs. Now and then the prized redfish are common enough to lure saltwater fishermen to the river (you need a saltwater license to keep them), and old-timers claim that bull sharks, known as man-eaters, are caught from time to time. Don't ask for an explanation for these saltwater species, 75 miles upstream from the Atlantic, other than to say it's Florida where the rules are frequently different from the rest of the country. And don't be surprised if you reel in a pacu -- a fruit-eating relative of the piranha -- or other exotics, such as an armored catfish.
A canoe or boat trip up the Silver River will give you a view of exotic mammals. If you enter the forest from the west on State Highway 40, cross over the Oklawaha River and then turn immediately left into the park. Put your boat in and paddle up the perfectly clear Silver River, issuing from Silver Spring. Keep an eye peeled on the trees. Green leaves floating down are a good indication that one of the several troops of rhesus macaques are foraging. Most likely, these monkeys escaped from the zoological park at the spring head many years ago, but local lore has it that the rhesus Adam and Eve were props in an early Tarzan movie filmed there. From time to time the state threatens to remove these monkeys from the wild. So far, howls of protests from the public have prevented this.
A word of caution: Don't press too close to the females in the harem unless you want to see a bull monkey jump near (or in) your canoe. It's probably a good idea not to paddle directly beneath the monkeys, either.
For a completely different view of the forest, hike one of the 100 miles of trails. The signature footpath is the Florida National Scenic Trail. From the south, the trail starts at Clearwater Lake off County Highway 42A and exits the forest 65 miles later at Rodman Dam. In days gone by, many Floridians paved the parking spaces in front of their garages with the oak leaves and pine straw raked from the yard. Today the Florida Trail is surfaced like those old-time driveways and can be regarded as a yard-wide leaf-strewn sidewalk through the woods. The leaf-littered pavement is replaced in swampy areas by boardwalks. You are able to stroll through mixed cabbage palm and cypress swamps without getting your feet wet.
When passing through marshy areas, known as prairies, be aware of the Florida sandhill crane. These tall, graceful birds with a red blaze on their heads may entertain you with a courtship dance or simply delight you with their rather quizzical human-like strut. If you are an angler, pack a fishing pole and wet a line at one of the many lakes the trail passes. All bodies of water hold fish, and the fishing pressure in the backwoods is minimal.
The literary-inclined hiker should drive to Silver Glen Springs on State Highway 19 and turn into the forest. Park and stroll The Yearling Trail, named for the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Yearling, which the author researched by socializing with old-time residents. The Academy Award-winning movie starring Gregory Peck was filmed on location along this spur trail. A rustling in the dense undergrowth may signal the presence of the progeny of another character of that literary creation, Old Slewfoot, a Florida black bear. Adult bears will waste no time getting out of the vicinity. Cubs, on the other hand, may climb a tree. It's best not to hang around for too long as an anxious she-bear mother is sure to be close by.
Of perhaps equal interest as you hike this trail is the colony of Florida scrub jays that hang out here. Several of these curious birds, which raise their families communally, will often follow for a 1/2-mile or more, flitting ahead and peering at you for a spell, flying off and then coming back.
The Ocala Forest offers a 22-mile mountain bike trail, starting at Clearwater Lake. Although the modest hills pose little threat, the miles of open-sand track can be challenging. Hundreds of miles of unpaved and little-trafficked forest road also make for great bicycling.
Campgrounds on the Ocala provide different levels of amenities. Some are quite primitive, although almost all have hosts. Others, like the grounds near the springs, provide asphalt roads and pads, running water for filling your tank, hot showers and flush toilets. Very large Class A rigs may have difficulty negotiating most of the loops of the public campgrounds, none of which provide hookups. But there are private campgrounds aplenty in the forest towns of Astor, Astor Park and Volusia. These camping spots have almost the same access to the woods as the public campgrounds, and they have even better access to the St. Johns River. Pontoon and fishing boats with or without guides can be rented at these towns.
The Ocala Forest makes for perfect year-round camping; even in the dead of winter the highs range about 70 degrees F and the lows are in the upper 40s. Every now and then a cold snap will come along. That's when the Florida nature-lover is in real luck. Drive to Blue Spring State Park in Orange City and check out the manatees. On brisk mornings, sometimes as many as a hundred of these sea cows will crowd into the clear spring waters, warming up before heading out for an afternoon of grazing in the river.
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Photos: Steve Glassman
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Tropical Juniper Spring was once a mere seep until it was dug out and transformed into an enchanting swim basin.
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The forest's Paisley Woods Bicycle Trail is a 22-mile-long unpaved path that passes through pine trees, live oak and grassy prairies.
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