Poe Spring rises in a walled pool on the south bank of the Santa Fe River, about three miles west of High Springs inside Alachua County's Poe Springs Park. The vent sits roughly 25 feet down at the deep end of the pool, and a concrete and steel retaining wall with steps rings part of the bank, so entry is by stair rather than by scramble. State and Florida Springs Institute sampling at the vent from 1997 through 2024 puts the water at about 72 degrees year round, with nearly every reading landing between 71.8 and 72.5.

Check before you go. As of July 16, 2026 the designated swimming area is closed until further notice. Alachua County closed it for poor water clarity after Florida Springs Institute researchers sampled the pool and found excess algae and almost no visibility, the result of a deep drought and Floridan Aquifer levels lower than they have been in over a decade. The rest of the park stayed open. County staff check clarity weekly and have said swimming reopens as soon as visibility returns to a safe level, so call the park at 352-264-6847 first.

The run is short. Water leaves the pool, threads a shallow forest-lined channel, and joins the tannic Santa Fe a few hundred feet north. That connection works both directions, and it is the strangest thing about this spring. When the river comes up hard the flow reverses and blackwater pushes back through the vent into the aquifer. After Tropical Storm Debby in June 2012 dropped more than 11 inches, the river rose 14 feet and reversed Poe so completely that High Springs had to shut down its groundwater supply for weeks because the tap water ran brown. Flow has dropped a long way overall: the 1917 to 1972 average ran about 47 million gallons a day, and the last two decades have averaged closer to 13.

Poe is one of Florida's 30 Outstanding Florida Springs under the 2016 Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act, and one of only six of them not listed as impaired, though nitrogen has been measured here as high as 1.76 ppm.

From the parking area a boardwalk crosses the cypress swamp to the water, about a third of a mile one way from the main part of the park. Entry is $6.00 per vehicle or $1 per person walking or biking in, May through September; October through March the park is free. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. May through September and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. October through March, seven days a week, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The county caps the spring at 100 people and closes the gate when it fills, which is worth knowing on a summer weekend.

The hazards here are specific. There is no lifeguard, the posted sign says swim at your own risk, and the steps grow slick when wet. The pool is shallow across most of its width and then drops to the vent. Scuba is prohibited by the county, though snorkelers and free divers work the opening. Dogs are welcome on a handheld leash but are not allowed in the spring. Anderson's Outdoor Adventures runs paddle rentals and river shuttles from the park, and there is a boat ramp and dock for anyone putting in on the Santa Fe. Trails, picnic shelters, a playground and volleyball courts fill out the rest of the grounds.