Ruth B. Kirby Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park

Current status: construction

Before anything else: as of October 22, 2026, Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park has no day-use access. The official park page says day use is closed because of construction, and that camping became available again on October 1, 2026. No reopening date for day visitors has been posted. Call the park at 386-454-1369 before you go, and if you are camping, ask what parts of the spring and run are open to campers.

Florida State Parks describes the work as an ongoing restoration. The plan adds a new entrance to the swimming area, a new watercraft launch, new bathrooms and a larger campground. Photos on the project page from late 2025 and early 2026 show a new pavilion and a canoe launch boardwalk going in, and a sign promising completion of phases 1 and 2. When the work is finished, the park should be easier to use than it was before. Until then, plan on Ginnie Springs, about a mile west, if you need somewhere to swim.

What to expect

This is not a hot spring. Gilchrist Blue is one of the cool, clear springs of north-central Florida. The park does not publish a water temperature, but its neighbor Ginnie Springs lists 72°F22°C year-round, and Gilchrist Blue draws on the same aquifer. That is swimming water. On a summer afternoon it feels cold for the first minute and then perfect.

The park covers about 407 acres on the south side of the Santa Fe River, northwest of High Springs. It holds six natural springs, among them Gilchrist Blue Spring itself, Little Blue Spring, Naked Spring, Kiefer Spring and Johnson Spring. Together they put out about 44 million gallons a day, all of it running into the Santa Fe. The main spring is the reason people come: a bright blue bowl with a long, clear spring run below it.

In normal operation, swimming, snorkeling and paddling happen at the main springhead and down the run. Snorkeling is allowed only in designated areas. A concession has sold food and drinks and rented canoes and kayaks (through Anderson’s Outdoor Adventures), and restrooms are available for changing. A pavilion overlooks the springs. The spring run and its floodplain are the most important habitat in the park, with turtles, fish and invertebrates living along the run.

History

The land has an unusual story. In 1958 Ed C. Wright gave the property to Ruth B. Kirby, his employee and fiancée, as an engagement gift. They never married, and after Wright died in 1969 Kirby served as executor of his estate. She and her family ran the springs as a private swimming park for decades. The State of Florida bought it for $5.2 million and opened it as Florida’s 175th state park on November 1, 2017. In 2019 it was renamed in Kirby’s honor.

Getting there

The park address is 7450 N.E. 60th St., High Springs, FL 32643. The park is about 5 miles northwest of downtown High Springs as the crow flies, on the Gilchrist County side of the Santa Fe River, so use the street address in your map app rather than following generic “springs” signs (Ginnie Springs is on a neighboring road). From Gainesville, take US 441 or I-75 north to High Springs, roughly 30 miles in total, then cross into Gilchrist County.

The roads are paved all the way. Once inside, parking is close to the spring area, and the walk to the water is short. Expect the layout of the entrance and swimming access to change when the construction finishes, since a new swimming-area entrance is part of the plan.

When to go

For now, the only way in is with a campsite booking. Once day use returns, the usual rhythm of Florida spring parks applies:

• Summer weekends are the busiest. Many Florida spring parks fill up and close their gates temporarily on hot weekends, so arrive early.
• Weekdays from spring to fall are the sweet spot for swimming.
• Winter is quiet. The water is the same temperature as in July, so a swim is still possible on a mild day, but most people find it too chilly to stay in long.

The Santa Fe River floods after heavy rains, and high river water can affect the spring run. Check with the park after a wet spell.

Prices and booking

• Day use: $6 per vehicle is the posted entry fee, but there is no day-use access while construction continues.
• Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year in normal operation.
• Camping: 25 sites. Seventeen take RVs or tents and have 30-amp electric; eight are tent-only. Each site has a picnic table and ground grill, with restrooms nearby. Reserve up to 11 months ahead through the Florida State Parks reservation website or by phone at 800-326-3521 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; TDD 888-433-0287). Rates are shown at booking.
• Pets: under the statewide Florida State Parks policy, pets are not allowed in bathing areas, on beaches, boardwalks or playgrounds. Service animals are welcome.

Where to stay nearby

• In the park: the 25-site campground, now open again after the October 1, 2026 reopening.
• Ginnie Springs, about a mile west, is a large private campground on the Santa Fe with tent sites and water and electric sites.
• High Springs, about 5 miles southeast, has inns, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and outfitters, and is the usual base for this cluster of springs.
• Gainesville, about 30 miles southeast, has the full range of hotels.

Safety notes

• Cool water: 72°F22°C water pulls heat from your body over a long swim. Kids and snorkelers who stay in for an hour can get chilled even in summer.
• Construction zone: stay out of fenced or signed work areas. They are closed for a reason.
• Depth: spring bowls drop off fast. Keep weak swimmers near the shallows.
• River traffic: the run meets the Santa Fe, where boats, paddlers and tubers pass.
• Wildlife: alligators and snakes live along Florida rivers. Watch where you step on the banks and give any wildlife space.

Nearby stops worth adding

Ginnie Springs is the obvious neighbor, with seven springs, diving in the Devil’s Spring System and tubing on the Santa Fe. Ichetucknee Springs, about 10 miles north, is the classic Florida tubing run. Fanning Springs on the Suwannee is about 25 miles west. None of them is a hot spring; all of them are cool, clear swimming holes.