CLOSED while damage is assessed from Hurricane Idalia.
Cradling a bowl of aqua blue, Madison Blue Spring is the most picturesque first-magnitude spring in Florida.
From its billowing bowl of deep blue pouring out through a shallow spring run to the Upper Withlacoochee River, every perspective on it is an amazing sight.
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Overview
Trailhead: 30.481558,-83.24457
Address: 8300 NE SR 6, Lee
Fees: $4-5 per vehicle
Land Manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 850-971-5003
Open 8 AM until sunset daily. When the parking area reaches capacity, the park gates will close.
This can happen early on summer weekends, so come early or wait until a weekday to enjoy a quieter visit.
Dogs are not permitted around the spring basin but are fine in the picnic area.
Directions
From Interstate 10 exit 262, Lee, follow CR 255 north through Lee to SR 6. Continue east on SR 6 until you see the state park entrance sign on the right just before the Withlacoochee River bridge.
About the Park
There is nowhere else quite like Madison Blue Spring, an ethereal natural pool of blue surrounded by rocky bluffs.
From the 82-foot-wide basin, a hundred-foot spring run pours out into the Withlacoochee River across aquamarine shallows.
Swimming
With stairs to ease you down to water level, Madison Blue Spring is a compelling place for a swim. If you’ve wanted to take the plunge in a Florida spring, this is a beauty.
While there is no diving platform, you can simply let go and launch into the depths. The clarity is amazing.
Visitors who prefer the shallows to swimming in the deep spring hang out in the spring run to splash, play, and launch their kayaks into the Withlacoochee.
You are welcome to bring a tube and float along the spring run, too.
Paddling
From the bluffs overlooking the Withlacoochee River, you can see the waters of the spring intermingling with the tannic waters of the river in the riffles across the rocks.
The Withlacoochee is known for its shoals and rapids. It meets the Suwannee River less than a dozen miles downriver from this park.
Picnicking
The park also offers a picnic area in a clearing in the woods behind the spring. There are three large picnic pavilions good for groups.
A beaten path leads around the top of the spring to the picnic area.
Enjoy the views along this short footpath, as they provide the best perspectives down, across, and into the spring.
Cave Diving
With more than 26,000 feet of mapped passages, Madison Blue is considered one of Florida’s top cave dives.
Certified cave divers are welcome to explore the tight spaces beneath the glowing blue waters. Solo diving is not permitted due to the difficulty of this dive.
Explore More
Slideshow of our Madison Blue images
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Reflections on Madison Blue (6/18/2014) Soaking in blue: reflections on the magical waters of Madison Blue Spring, an aquamarine pool along the upper Withlacoochee River, and its future as a spring.