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Blue Springs State Park now requires visitors to make a reservation

A photo of a manatee and her calf at Blue Springs State Park
OPS Ranger Jillian Fonseca
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A photo of a manatee and her calf at Blue Springs State Park

Blue Springs State Park now requires reservations for guests who want to visit one of Florida's most popular state parks.

Reservations are now required to enter the park starting on July 15th. The window for advanced reservations is already open.

Blue Springs State Park is known for its flora and fauna and recreational activities like canoeing, hiking, kayaking and more. During the winter months, the park sees hundreds of manatees that come to the springs for warmer water.

Now, with the system in place, instead of paying for parking when guests arrive, the reservation collects the park's entry fee.

Reservations can be made sixty days in advance and guests must present their receipt when entering the park. Receipts can be a digital version or printed.

If the park's reservation limit for the day hasn't been met, guests can make same day reservations. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is hopeful that this system will help with traffic entering the park.

A similar program is also at Rainbow Springs State Park, Wekiwa Springs State Park and Henderson Beach State Park.

The program allows for a one-time entry. Camping reservations remain unchanged. Reservations are refundable if the reservation is canceled or if guests are unable to get into the park because of capacity. However, no-shows are nonrefundable.

Blue Springs State Park is open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to sundown.

More information on the reservation program can be found here.

Copyright 2026 Central Florida Public Media

Marian Summerall
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