I have to say the decision between making this a major or minor spring was difficult. The spring itself is very nondescript and is composed of many different vents; I challenge anyone to find the "one vent" to call Gold Head Branch Spring. However, the setting and the park surrounding the outflow of water is so pristine and so starkly different from its home in Putnam County that I recommend the trip to the park heavily, if only for a stop-over.
The spring itself is deep in a ravine. Parking next to the walkway signs, I expected to descend a few feet from the looks of the stairs. In reality, the descent is something like 30-40ft. It's breathtaking actually; I could not believe that I was looking so far down to the spring, especially in Florida. The water was ice-cold as always, and there are more than a few places to remove your shoes and walk up the white-sand tributaries. Even on a Sunday it was very quiet with only a few visitors.
The spring area itself is very overgrown and impassable in most areas, but there's an extensive trail system cut in the surrounding area. The park itself has many other hiking trails and swimming areas (namely a lake) and appears to have decent facilities throughout.
I have to admit I was a little euphoric on this trip as I had just purchased my new Honda Fit Sport (2010) the day before. I don't think this played into the trip much, but I was alone and enjoying the sharp turns and curves of the park roads!
Growing up I'd heard that this park was despondent and not worth visiting, but I highly disagree.
