Alexander Springs Recreation Area

What to expect

Alexander Springs is not a hot spring. The Forest Service gives the water as a constant 72°F22°C, which is what you get from Florida’s aquifer, not from volcanic heat. If you want a warm soak, this is the wrong state. If you want very clear, cool water with a sand beach in a subtropical forest, it is one of the best and easiest springs in Florida.

The spring is in the Ocala National Forest, in northeast Lake County. It is one of only 27 first-magnitude springs in the state, and unlike many it has no steep limestone edge. The basin slopes gently from a sandy beach, so you can wade in to your knees, then your waist, then swim out over pale sand while small fish dart around your feet. Maples, sweetgum and cabbage palms crowd the floodplain around it.

The site is a developed day-use area run by a concessionaire, Naventure, for the Forest Service. There are picnic areas, restrooms, a boardwalk, a camp store selling snacks, ice, firewood and beach items, and a campground a short walk away. It is busy. The Forest Service warns that weekends fill and the gate may close at capacity.

Getting there

The entrance is at 49525 County Road 445, between Astor and Altoona.

• From Altoona (SR 19): drive 5.2 miles north on SR 19, turn right onto CR 445, and go 5.1 miles. The entrance is on the left.
• From Astor (SR 40): take Butler Street to CR 445A, turn left onto CR 445, and go 5.8 miles south. The entrance is on the right.

From Orlando, the usual route is north to Eustis and then SR 19 through Umatilla and Altoona. Roads are paved all the way.

Only personal vehicles that fit a standard space are allowed in the day-use lot on reservation days: no RVs, trailers, boat or kayak trailers, or camper vans. Parking is right by the beach.

When to go

Year-round. The water temperature never changes, so winter swimming is possible for anyone who does not mind cool air when they get out. Spring and fall are the easiest months: warm days, fewer people, no reservation requirement.

Summer weekends and holidays are the hard part. From Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays need a Recreation.gov vehicle reservation, released 14 days ahead at 10 a.m. ET. Even Springs Hopper pass holders need one on some dates. Cancellations at least 48 hours ahead are refunded minus $2, but weather and no-shows are not refunded.

Daily hours: entry starts at 8 a.m. The swimming area closes according to the length of the day; staff post the time when you arrive. The campground gate locks at 8 p.m. during daylight saving time and at 6 p.m. the rest of the year.

Rules and fees

• Entry: a per-person day-use fee, paid at the gatehouse. The official Forest Service and Recreation.gov pages did not list the amount in October 2026, so bring cash and a card. An annual day-use pass, the Springs Hopper, covers Alexander, Juniper Springs, Silver Glen and Salt Springs for a year from purchase.
• Not allowed in the recreation area: pets, glass, alcohol and personal grills. Coolers and bags may be checked.
• Forest-wide rules: a National Forests in Florida order bans public nudity, swimming outside designated areas, and scuba against posted instructions, and limits camping to 14 days in any 30 (see Safety notes for its food storage rules).
• Paddling: day-use fees apply to launch or take out at Alexander Springs. Boating follows Florida state rules, and fishing needs a Florida license.

Paddling and diving

Alexander Run leaves the spring as a broad, quick creek with many small islands. The Forest Service calls it the easiest way into the heart of the Alexander Springs Wilderness. It is about six miles to the take-out, and there is little dry land to stop on for the first several miles. Rentals come from the concessionaire at the recreation area; you paddle back to the springs unless you have arranged a take-out downstream. Launch times can change with the season. Look for wading birds such as limpkins and herons.

Scuba diving is allowed here and nowhere else in the Ocala National Forest. It is open water diving in the wide mouth of the spring, not a cave dive. Follow the posted instructions at the beach.

Where to stay nearby

• Alexander Springs Campground has 67 units for tents and RVs up to 35 feet, shaded and within an easy walk of the spring. There are hot showers and a dump station but no hookups. In 2026 single sites cost $36 a night; America the Beautiful Senior and Access pass holders get 50% off one site. All sites must be reserved on Recreation.gov or at 877-444-6777. Check-in is 2 p.m., check-out 11 a.m., and quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Other Ocala NF spring campgrounds at Juniper Springs, Salt Springs and Silver Glen are nearby.
• Umatilla, Eustis and DeLand have motels and restaurants. De Leon Springs and Blue Spring are east across the St. Johns River.

Safety notes

• Alligators: the reservation page itself says to beware of alligators and not to swim near or in aquatic plants. Stay in the open, sandy swim area.
• Bears: the forest-wide order requires food, trash and other bear attractants to be stored in a bear-resistant container, a closed hard-top vehicle, or hung at least 10 feet up. Do not burn or bury food scraps.
• Cool water: 72°F22°C takes heat out of you fast on a long swim or dive.
• Hunting season: outside developed sites and designated hunt camps, camping in the national forest is banned during the modern-gun deer season. The campground here is a developed site and is not affected.
• Limited signal: cell service is patchy. Download or print your reservation before you leave town.