Lime Spring, also known as Little Gem, forms an oval pool that measures 13ft by 16ft. Depth of the pool is 12ft/ Limestone bluffs rise approximately 25ft above the pool to an access trail. Wooden steps lead down the eastern bank of the spring pool. Grasses, shrubs, and mixed hardwoods sparsely cover the surrounding hillside. Behind the trail above the spring the hardwood forest becomes denser. The spring is located within the Suwannee River State Park.
From the boat landing in the Suwannee River State Park, cross over the wooden bridge and follow to the riverside trail and the spring is on the left, approximately 250 feet west of the boat landing. You'll know you're on the right path when you cross the entire-too-large-for-its-size-run of the Lime Sink, which is farther back into the hiking trail system.
The spring itself is actually about 10ft lower in elevation than the hiking trail, so you'll have to scale down (and up) some fairly sharp clay and sand inclines to get to the spring itself. There is a walkway that appears to have gone down to the spring at one point but the bank has been washed out, making it useless to access the spring.
It's a very pretty spring, although it's very small. It's only about 20ft from the Suwannee, so there's very little if any opportunity to swim. The water falling over the limestone "cliff" is still very cold so perhaps there's an opportunity to swim in that larger area. Cypress trees grow out of the side of the area so look out for the plethora of cypress knees in and around the spring.
I have to say, it's a lot of work to get to this spring, and I don't know if it's worth it. You have to pay to enter Suwannee River State Park, then park at the boat ramp, then walk a good 5-10 minutes, then scale off of the trail to find a spring that you can barely enter and more likely will just observe.
3631 201st Path Live Oak, Florida 32060
