As we begin our 5thyear of full-time RV life, we wanted to spend the first day of 2019 enjoying nature. About 25 miles from our rv park in Lutz, FL, is Werner-Boyce Salt Springs, another beautiful Florida state park along the Gulf of Mexico. The main entrance is at 8737 US 19, Port Richey, FL 34668. Our map app took us to the wrong location, so use this address if you are not familiar with the area.
Popular activities at the park in addition to hiking include fishing, paddling, and paddling.
Paddling Adventures rents kayaks and paddleboards, but you can, of course, bring your own. One of the kayak launches (into the pristine salt march) is located nearby.
Mullet fishing in the bayou waters of the park was very popular from the 1920s to the 1980s. Net regulations changed the mullet industry in 1994. An exhibit of a 25’ mullet skiff and signage about the industry were interesting. Across the parking lot are the restrooms and observation deck.
Following signs to the Nature Trail, we set out to hike the Springs Trail. Crossing beautiful Cauldron Spring, nearby is the Little Free Library and the Toilet Bowl Spring picnic area. What a strange name, but the water did swirl around a bit!
The trail continued along the spring until we came to the Bird Viewing Stand. Kayakers could be seen in the distance and several ibises were nearby.
In the distance we saw Salt Spring for which the park is named.
Even close up, Salt Spring looks pretty small, but it is a shocking 361’ deep! Upstream a short distance is the Tidal Waterfall. We were expecting to see a waterfall, and it can be much more pronounced depending on the tides of the Gulf of Mexico, but at the time of day we were there it was just a ripple (as shown in the second photo).
Educational exhibits provide insight into the Civil War era salt works here and how salt was made from the salt springs in the park. When settlers came to the area in th early 1800s, they noticed that their cattle preferred some springs over others (the ones with salt). Settlers subsequently learned to extract the salt for their own use.
As with most state parks, this one is dog-friendly except for the boardwalk near the Gulf of Mexico. Our sweet doggie, Sadie, loved the trails but was disappointed that she did not get to go swimming. The park has about 4 miles of mangrove-lined coastal shores with no sandy beaches of swimming areas.
Because it was such a hot day here in the Tampa Bay area, we decided to make a return trip to hike trails in other parts of the park. Admission is only $3/vehicle (we have our Annual Pass to FL State Parks). There is lots more to see here.
For additional information about the park, go to www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/werner-boyce-salt-springs-state-park.
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