We were hoping to get in some manatee viewing while we were in Florida this winter. We had spent the month of December 2018 in Cedar Key and drove up to Manatee Springs State Park a couple times to check them out. We had also visited Homosassa Springs State Park where they have a few resident manatees as well as the “wild” ones that come into the warm spring waters. We looked to see what other places there were in the area and came upon Crystal River Florida about a 45 minute drive north of us.
Each year in mid-January, they hold a festival which on one hand sounded like fun but on the other hand, it meant there would be large crowds detracting from the manatee viewing pleasure. Since we didn’t really feel the need to check out large numbers of craft vendors and food trucks, we decide to skip the festival and head up sometime after the festival. We investigated how to increase your odds of seeing manatees and found the optimal conditions are when the overnight temperatures are cold and the tide is high. The week after the festival was having cold enough weather, but the tides weren’t working in our favor. We checked the extended weather forecast and tide charts to determine which day we would head there. We picked Monday January 24. We were having below freezing nights and high tide would be mid-morning plus the weather looked to be nice and sunny.
The actual destination in Crystal River is a National Wildlife Refuge - specifically Three Sisters Springs. The place isn’t very large at only 60 acres and surrounded by residential property on three sides and businesses to the east. The only reason I mention this is the only vehicles permitted inside the park are ones with handicap placards. All other visitors must either be on foot or in one of the shuttle buses that run from downtown Crystal River. Instead of dealing with crowds and waiting for the bus, we found a public parking lot at the corner of NE 1st Ave and NE 3rd St. Just two blocks east of there is a paved walking path that heads down to the entrance to the refuge. It’s only 2/3 mile walk so it didn’t take us long. The entrance fee is $20 per person but those over 55 are considered seniors so it came to $35 for the two of us. A chalkboard at the entrance booth informed us there were 300+ manatees this morning!
Once inside, it’s another 1/3 mile walk back to the beginning of the boardwalk. A worker was carrying a few construction cones along the boardwalk and we asked if a portion was closed. He said some of the water on the boardwalk had frozen overnight and the cones were to warn people. Now that the sun was out, the ice was gone. Our goal of cold temperatures had been achieved. To help with the overall scope of Three Sisters Springs, I’ve attached a snapshot from Google Earth and drew in the approximate location of the boardwalk (red line) around the actual spring area. The full length of the boardwalk is about a quarter mile.
Aerial of Three Sisters Springs (boardwalk in red)
The boardwalk has a few viewing bump outs that provide decent view of the springs below. The first area we stopped at had many dozens of manatees in the small pond. Many of them are submerged, laying on the bottom and don’t really move so they can look like rocks. Every now and then, they come up to the surface to take another deep breath and then sink back down. A few of them would expel the air in their lungs with such force that unidentified particles would spew 20 feet in front of them. Fortunately none that were close to the boardwalk performed that trick!
Dozens of Manatees
Tail End
Up for Air
Staring at Me
Blowing Bubbles
We continued out on the eastern side of the boardwalk to the end. From this spot, we could get a view of the exit of the springs to the canal. This was where there was a lot of human activity going on. There was a combination of kayakers and people snorkeling. It was rather crowded with people jockeying for position near manatees. One of the volunteers on the boardwalk explained that when there are as many manatees at the springs as there was today, the actual springs are off limits to humans. It sounded like later in the season when the number of manatees is low, the people are permitted into the area of the springs.
More Manatees
Kayaks Near Springs Exit
We backtrack and head along the boardwalk on the north side of the springs and get to the other side. Along the way are several more viewing spots. One area in particular had amazingly clear waters and the manatees were even easier to see.
Very Clear Water
The boardwalk ends and a gravel path continues on along the edge of the canal. On the opposite side are some very nice homes that are likely quite expensive. There are several spots along this trail that have a decent view of the water. There seems to be a large number of manatees out here as well - possibly a combination of the temperatures rising and the tide heading out. Besides the numerous volunteers that will answer questions about manatees, there were a handful of workers with cameras and clipboards. We overheard them explaining they are documenting the manatees by taking pictures and identifying them by their scars or other markings. We spotted one manatee with several chunks of its tail missing - likely an accident with a boat propeller.
Nice Homes Across the Canal
Manatees in the Canal
Manatee with Tail Damage
We weren’t tired of seeing manatees but we had explored the boardwalk completely so we decided to check out some more of the trail system within the park. There were some small ponds and other marshy areas that had an assortment of birds. As we came around one corner of the trail, we could hear the sounds of a woodpecker overhead. It didn’t take us long to spot the pileated woodpecker about 15 feet up in a tree next to the trail. These are large birds that we don’t run into very often. A normal sighting for us is in a heavily wooded area below the tree canopy so it’s almost always dimly lit. They invariably are more than 100 feet away and they fly from tree to tree not staying still for very long. Getting a picture of one has always been a challenge for me so I was happy that this one was really interested in one spot on the tree and was this close in sunlight. It didn’t seem to mind us watching for quite some time. Bark and wood chips would fall as it worked hard on that one spot.
Pond and Marshland in Preserve
Pileated Woodpecker
Peck, Peck, Peck
We returned to the boardwalk for another manatee check. The first pool looked to have nearly as many of them as when we first arrived but as we worked our way to the spring’s exit, the progression of them heading out from the springs was rather astounding. The exit is narrow enough that they almost need to go thru single file. While we were watching them, all of a sudden there was a simultaneous splash from each manatee. Apparently something spooked them and they all did a strong tail flip to get away from it.
Heading Out of Springs
We worked our way around to the other side of the boardwalk and checked out the ones in the clearer portion of the spring. There was at least one very young one likely nestled in next to its mother. As we continued on the gravel path next to the canal, a new batch of snorkelers had arrived. Since I don’t swim, I’ll have to be like the turtle we saw and simply watch the manatees from land. We continued along the perimeter trail and it eventually got us back to the main entrance and the walking trail back to our car.
Surreal Looking Water
Baby Manatee
Snorkeling with Manatees
Turtle Watches Manatees Pass By
It was a fun morning but we were getting hungry, so we found some food in town and then headed to Crystal River Preserve State Park. The Churchhouse Hammock Trail is just a little over a mile long, but there were a few geocaches along the way. It was nice to get a real walk in since manatee viewing is a very slow pace. Sections of the trail were rather rutted probably from feral pigs but overall it was a nice walk in the woods.
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