With more than 300 document springs in the Suwannee River Basin its hard to decide where to start searching for the most spectacular of these features. This area has one of the highest concentrations of freshwater springs in the USA. Of Florida's 33 first-magnitude springs (ones flowing at least 100 cubic feet per second, or 64 million gallons a day), 21 are in the Suwannee Watershed.
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| Springs of the Suwannee River Watershed |
When spring hunting I look at maps like these, then compare them to Google Maps and search for the most easily accessible groupings of springs to visit in a day. On this day I've decided on Lafayette Blue Spring, Peacock Spring, Convict Spring, and Troy Spring because they're all located within about a 25 mile distance of one another, with a little detour to get to Peacock and Convict Springs making the whole trip about 45 miles. Of course I have to get there first. Its a good 3+ hour drive from the Orlando area north to Gainesville and then west on 27 toward Fort White and beyond.
With this post I start in the middle of my journey, at Peacock Spring. I figured I would scope them all out then start really hiking, swimming, and photographing at Peacock because of its reputation as one of the country's best cave diving systems.
Its kind of surprising how rural and primitive the 733 acre park is. I'm more accustomed to the crowds of Central Florida. Located on a quiet country road this place would be easy to miss except for the sign.
But after some hairpin curves and little hills, and lots of mud puddles, I finally reach a small parking area and boardwalk that leads to the main spring.
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I had done no research on Peacock Spring aside from reading about the cave diving that occurs here. I did notice it was a much more mature crowd than what I'd seen at nearby Troy Spring. Peacock was also much less crowded and more natural. A very welcome surprise. I assumed that the "peacock" referred to the limestone formations just below the surface so I was trying to find an angle to capture the "peacock." I would later learn that the name of the spring has a more colored history and has nothing to do with the limestone formations. I could've sworn I saw a peacock in there.
A large map details the cave system at Peacock Springs.
Looking south over the spring toward the Suwannee River.
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| Orange Grove Sink Photo: Jill Heinerth |
Orange Grove Sink is one of two major springs in Peacock Springs State Park — which boasts an additional nine sinkholes and springs, and a long slough, meandering down to the Suwannee River. With over 38,000 feet of explored passage, Peacock offers divers the chance to explore one of the longest underwater cave systems in the United States.
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| Peacock Springs |
While I prefered to think that these springs were named for the peacock-like limestone formation just below the waters surface—its a better story than the truth—the reality is that in 1875, a Dr. John Calvin Peacock purchased the property, where he raised cattle and religious fervor in church services held in his home. This tract of land, located within the buckle of the southern Bible Belt, boasts an early connection with radical christianity. One spring, appropriately named Baptizing Spring, was the site of a Timucuan Indian village, and later a thriving Spanish mission. Natives and immigrants were dunked in the clear water as they were supposedly "saved" from their native beliefs.
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| Diving Peacock Springs one encounters this warning sign at the limits of daylight. Photo: Jill Heinerth |
A better history of the area begins when The Nature Conservancy purchased Peacock’s 250-acre ranch to create the park, and in 2006 the Trust for Public Land expanded the territory to encompass an additional 481 acres. In 2011, the park name was appended, to honor the late Wes Skiles, a cave-diving filmmaker and springs’ advocate who worked tirelessly to protect Florida’s water resources.
After exploring Peacock Spring its time for lunch at the Luraville Country Store. It is not just a meal break, it’s a visit with cave diving history and a chance to review the large cave map shellacked to the eight-foot wooden cafe table. The place is a hangout, not just for post-dive exaltations but also for local coffee-drinking philosophers and dusty, itinerant farm workers. On the wall, archival photos of past floods and other mementos of Old Florida history hang over racks containing Spanish tabloids, chewing tobacco and Slim Jims. The resulting blend of cultures and confections give the store a unique funk factor that makes it memorable and special.
