Wekiwa Springs State Park
I see people asking all the time “SHOULD WE CANCEL A TRIP IN THE CAMPER BECAUSE OF RAIN”. If you live in Florida, I would say no in most cases, just pay attention to the ever-changing weather. The BAD thing about Florida during rainy season is that it usually rains every day. The GOOD thing about Florida is that it does not usually rain ALL DAY, so you just have to plan around the inevitable rain and keep a constant eye on the radar. The weather forecast for the weekend leading up to our camping weekend was all rain and red cell thunderstorms. It was by far the worst rainy forecast we have had in a while with rain predicted all day every day. Thankfully, we wanted to go camping so badly, we were not deterred. We packed all of our raingear; made rainy day alternative plans, and headed out to the campsite hopeful it would not rain all day. I am glad we went, because although it certainly did rain, we were able to do everything we wanted in the park before the rain blew in and were ready for it when it came.
The big draw of Wekiwa Springs State Park are the springs. Although most people head down there to go swimming and enjoy being in the crystal-clear water, I cannot overcome my fear of the Florida critters that call the water their home. For me and my husband, it is heading out in the canoe, paddling down the river, and just taking in the beauty and peacefulness that surrounds. The Wekiwa Springs are BREATHTAKING AND PICTURE PERFECT. We started at the canoe rental in the state park and then paddled about a mile down the river to Wekiva Island before turning around. On the way down we did not feel the current helping us along, but on the way back it was just enough to make the trip back a little more challenging. I brought my cell phone with me for pictures, but we have already found a waterproof bag so that Matt will feel comfortable bringing out the real camera to capture everything! There are MILES AND MILES OF RIVER, with different paths to take if you are up for a day long canoe paddle. We did start first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds and potential rainstorms. We saw lots of wildlife including, an alligator, a snake, lots of birds, and lots of turtles. By the time we returned, the park had reached capacity with day guests and the water was becoming more crowded.
Matt’s parents came over to the park for the day to join in the fun, along with all the other locals, which made for a crazy long line to get into the park. When the parking lot is full, the park rangers close the park to day guests. After his parents waited in line for over 2 hours, the park reached capacity. Thankfully, his parents were registered as the second car at our campsite, so they were still able to get into the park, but that does not move you through the line any more quickly. By the time they arrived, we had just finished our canoe ride. We walked around the springs for a bit before heading back to the campgrounds for lunch. Some of our other friends that were going to join us were not able to get into the park and join in our camping adventure. Although it is a bit crazy on summer weekends, I have heard the weekdays are much calmer and it is completely worth planning around the crowds. The park was also just rewarded a large grant from the state to redesign the entrance and hopefully fix some of the traffic issues, but that will take some time to complete.
We had planned on a more elaborate dinner, but we could see the rain getting closer on the radar. We moved up some of our campfire recipes to lunch time. After grilling and eating our first lunch because we were starving, we started on the Dutch oven MEXICAN CHILI CHEESE DIP. We found this recipe to try something new while camping. We really enjoy sitting around the campsite, listening to music and just enjoying the weekend. This gave us something new to try while hanging out. Matt started the coals, we set the Dutch oven down right in the coals, cooked the meat, onions, cheese, beans, and salsa all right there in the campfire. IT TASTED AMAZING and maybe even better because it was so fun to make. This led to a little bit of overconfidence and we dove right into the brownies in the cast iron skillet over the coals. WE HAVE SOME WORK TO DO TO PERFECT THAT RECIPE. No worries because we always keep S’MORES on hand in case of emergencies.
We had set up the tent over the campfire in case the rain blew in before we finished, but our luck held and made it through the cooking. Then the rain came. IT WAS INEVITABLE. We knew it would happen and we were ready. Matt’s parents headed out pretty quickly, after enjoying more hours in the park then they had waited in line. We waited it out in the camper for a bit while the storm was more intense, and then we sat under the awning, listening to the rain fall. It turned out to be a great day in the park and I was exhausted and collapsed into the bed when it was ALMOST late enough for bed.
When we went to sleep, the weather was still saying it would be raining in the morning, but as luck would happen, it stopped raining by 6am and held off until much later in the afternoon. We were able to take a hike through the park (TWO DEER WALKED RIGHT IN FRONT OF US), visit the springs, and cook my favorite griddle breakfast before packing up and heading out.
I am glad we went ahead with our plans and were able to enjoy our time in the park. Wekiwa Springs State Park is on our list to revisit, although maybe in the fall or spring when the weather is a little bit cooler.
