Florida's great winter gathering

From November to April, when the St. Johns River drops below comfort, manatees swim up into Blue Spring's constant 72-degree water by the hundred. The count board on Chrissa's winter visit showed more than 400; the Edges of Earth expedition on this page caught a season aggregation past 700 — one of the largest in Florida.

See Where Hundreds of Manatees Gather During Winter in Florida: Blue Spring State Park

Chrissa Travels

A winter visit to Blue Spring State Park on the St. Johns River, a family tradition for the creators since 2020. On their visit the count board showed more than 400 manatees packed into the spring run to ride out sub-60-degree weather in the constant spring warmth. They also report that part of the boardwalk was closed for construction, cutting the walk about three-quarters of a mile short of the spring head.

Key takeaways
  • Manatee counts can top 400 on cold winter mornings
  • Manatees crowd in whenever river temperatures drop
  • Part of the boardwalk was under construction during this visit — check before you go

Blue Spring in Florida Gets HUNDREDS of Manatees! *Here's How to See Them*

Chrissa Travels

Chrissa explains how to see the manatees at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, about a half hour north of Orlando. Every winter from November to April, hundreds of manatees swim up the St. Johns River into the spring's warm water. Her timing advice: go right after a cold front — the Christmas Eve visit in this video, days after a front dropped temperatures, delivered manatees everywhere.

Key takeaways
  • Manatee season runs November through April
  • Best odds: visit just after a cold front pushes temperatures down
  • The park opens at 8 a.m. daily — early visits see the most manatees

We Explored the Part of Blue Spring Most People Skip!

Chrissa Travels

Most visitors never leave the boardwalk — this video hikes Blue Spring's Pine Island Trail instead, a 7.3-mile out-and-back through the park's wild side. The hikers play 'manatee bingo' at the spring, then use the Merlin app to log birds along the trail while covering the flatwoods and river scenery most people skip. It is the definitive look at Blue Spring beyond the manatee run.

Key takeaways
  • The Pine Island Trail runs 7.3 miles out and back
  • Birding is excellent — the Merlin app logged species all along the route
  • The trail shows the park's flatwoods and St. Johns River frontage

How to see them

  • Go right after a cold front — that's when the river empties into the spring
  • Arrive early — the park opens at 8 a.m. and morning visits see the most animals (and the shortest boardwalk crowds)
  • The boardwalk is the viewing platform — Save the Manatee Club's researchers work the same run, tracking individual manatees, returning adoptees, and new calves each season

Beyond the boardwalk

Most visitors never leave the railing. The deep cut on this page hikes the Pine Island Trail instead — 7.3 miles out and back through flatwoods and river frontage, logging birds with the Merlin app the whole way. Summer flips the park's purpose: the spring becomes a swimming and tubing spot (manatees have the run of it only in season, and swimming closes when they're in).

Magical Manatee Encounter! Aleena & Aliya at Blue Springs State Park #animals #toddlers #cute

Aleena & Aliya

A young family's up-close manatee encounter at Blue Spring State Park: two curious manatees linger by the viewing area while the kids watch from the boardwalk — a reminder that winter visits here regularly turn into face-to-face wildlife moments.

Blue Spring State Park: See manatees in Florida

Growing Global Citizens

Tips and manatee footage from Blue Spring State Park: where to stand on the boardwalk, when the manatees are most active, and close views of the herd gathered in the spring run. (No transcript available for this video.)

Journey To Cool: Blue Spring State Park

Florida State Parks

Florida State Parks' Journey To Cool feature on Blue Spring: the official take on the spring's constant 72-degree water, the boardwalk over the run and the manatees that make it famous every winter.

Know before you go

One visit on this page found part of the boardwalk closed for construction, shortening the walk — worth a conditions check in season. The park sits in Orange City, about a half hour north of Orlando.

Sources: the eight videos on this page — three in-depth manatee features, a family encounter, the state parks film, an expedition visit, and the Save the Manatee Club season recap — summarized from their entries in our catalog.

Watch: Blue Spring State Park and Manatees, guided

2 videos · summaries from the actual guides

Edges of Earth Expedition Meets 700+ Manatee in Blue Spring National Park, Florida

Edges of Earth

From the Edges of Earth expedition: Blue Spring State Park hosts one of the largest manatee aggregations in Florida — 700-plus animals recorded in a single season — filmed from the boardwalk as the herd packs the spring run.

Blue Spring 2025-2026 Manatee Season Recap

adoptamanatee

Save the Manatee Club's recap of the 2025–26 manatee season at Blue Spring State Park, where the club's researchers track individual manatees in the spring run — season counts, returning adoptees and new calves.

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