This is where you go when you want the postcard. The springs pump 72°F water year-round, so the river stays a translucent blue-green even when the Gulf is stirred up. Paddle out from Hunter Springs Park and you'll see fish under your board like you're floating on an aquarium. In winter the manatees crowd into Kings Bay. Three Sisters Springs interior closes to paddlecraft November 15 through March 31, seven marked manatee sanctuaries are active, and cold events can add restrictions, but those protected areas are not a site-wide closure of Hunter Springs or Kings Bay. The town of Crystal River has been a manatee tourism hub since the 1960s, and the conservation rules here are stricter than almost anywhere in Florida. Worth the drive once, worth it again.
Where do I park, and is it free?
- Cost
- $5 park + $5 launch (as of 2026-08)
- Parking
- Limited
- Restrooms
- Listed in the checked source (checked 2026-08-20)
- Showers
- Current availability unverified
- Dogs
- Not allowed
Metered city parking, a paddlecraft launch, and restrooms. Hunter Springs remains a public Kings Bay access point during manatee season, but Three Sisters Springs and marked manatee sanctuaries have seasonal and cold-event restrictions. Follow current refuge signs and stay outside closed areas.
Access sources: crystalriverfl.org (checked August 20, 2026), crystalriverfl.org (checked August 20, 2026), fws.gov (checked August 20, 2026).
How clear is the water?
Spring-fed water can be clear, but visibility varies and is not measured here
What will I see?
- Turtles, gar, and the occasional summer manatee that didn't migrate
What's the fishing like?
Brackish spring water: redfish and spotted seatrout, snook in the warm months, mullet throughout. Clear enough to sight fish. Manatee zone, stay outside every marked winter sanctuary and any cold-event restriction.
What about the current?
Current readings come from Hunter Spring Run (USGS, right at the launch).
How do I share the water here?
Three Sisters Springs across the river is the main winter manatee refuge. Stay outside every closed interior or marked sanctuary area and follow added cold-event restrictions. Anywhere you share open water with manatees it is passive observation only by law: no chasing, no touching, and stay outside the marked sanctuary buoys.
See how it scores before you drive out.
Check Crystal River (Hunter Springs) on the live map