CLOSED while damage is assessed from Hurricane Idalia.
Bumping down the dirt road into deep forest, it’s hard to believe this park is all about diving.
But Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park – renamed in honor of Florida’s top underwater photographer, who died while open water diving in 2010 – is a top international destination for cave divers.
That’s thanks to its extensively mapped system of underwater tubes: more than six miles of passageways connecting two major springs, six sinkholes, and the Suwannee River.
Resources
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
Overview
Location: McAlpin
Address: 18532 180th St, Live Oak
Fees: $4 per vehicle
Restroom: Portable toilets
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 386-776-2194
Open 8 AM to sundown. Leashed dogs welcome but are not permitted in the springs. No potable water is available inside the park.
Special rules for diving apply, including proof of certification and sign-in / sign-out. No solo dives permitted. Divers must be out of the water at least one hour prior to sundown.
Location
About the Park
You can’t see the river from the parking area, and indeed, the spring run itself simply vanishes into the ground.
Landlubbers have the option of walking marked and unmarked trails through the woods, tracing the trails that divers follow underground; in springtime, colorful wildflowers spice up the scenery.
Summer means you can splash in the two springs, and cool off in the run under the shade of ancient cypress trees with knees taller than yours.
Divers have a choice of open water diving in Orange Grove Sink or cave diving – certified divers only, in teams – through the maze of passageways.
Dive Outpost, an excellent dive shop, is just up the road and can help you find a buddy if you need one.
Trail Map
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos of Peacock Springs
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Royal Springs Staring into Royal Springs, it feels like looking into a bottomless pit. Steep and broad, it drops 42 feet into shimmering waters of turquoise and royal blue
Troy Spring State Park A first-magnitude spring along the Suwannee River, Troy Spring State Park has the remains of a Civil War steamboat cradled in its rocky waters.
Lafayette Blue Springs State Park A beauty spot along the western shore of the Suwannee River, Lafayette Blue Spring is both a swimming hole and a lesson in the curious nature of karst.
Suwannee River Wilderness Trail Showcasing springs, sandy beaches, waterfalls, and haunting swamp forests where manatees gather, the 170-mile Suwannee River Wilderness Trail is a paddling trip of a lifetime