Along US 90 in Marianna, a highway pulloff provides a quiet place to duck into the woods and sit a spell along the shores of a crystalline waterway—Spring Creek. The creek begins at Blue Spring, a swimming area to the north, and flows into a reservoir on the opposite side of US 90.
At the end of a short but pleasant boardwalk through the floodplain forest, you can see the water (and fish) rush down the spillway and into the forest, turning from churning froth to glassy stream. Step off the boardwalk and do a little exploring along the cypress-lined shoreline to see Louisiana herons and snowy egrets in the shallows.
Resources
Overview
Location: Marianna
Length: 0.2 mile
Lat-Long: 30.752359, -85.192961
Type: Round-trip
Fees / Permits: none
Difficulty: easy
Bug factor: low to moderate
Restroom: no
This is the tubing and kayak put-in for a four-mile trip that drops you into the Chipola River and down to Bear Paw Adventures (www.bearpawescape.com), who’ll rent you tubes and provide a shuttle during their season. The boardwalk landing and creek shoreline is also popular with anglers, and the shallow waterway’s coves are ideal for fly-fishing.
Directions
The pulloff and parking area is along US 90 heading east from downtown Marianna, immediately after you cross the bridge over the creek.
Backpacker Tips for Hurricane Prep
I am looking for a spring to tube down with my grandson who is 10. Is the spring crystal clear all the way down it?
What about hotels that are near the spring?
Spring Creek is a longer tubing run with dark water along stretches of it. For taking a youngster, we’d recommend the Ichetucknee River, which is crystal clear pretty much the whole way and takes 2-3 hours to do from the head spring at Ichetucknee Springs State Park. Or if you are both new to tubing, Kelly Park in Orlando has a very short stretch – maybe a half mile – where you put in, ride the clear water down to the swimming area, and walk back up the walkway and boardwalks to do it again. At both places, you’ll want to stay the night before to show up at the gate early to get going, as they are busy in the summer months.