Wall SpringPark, Palm Harbor Florida

by Jim Watkins

Wall Spring, Palm Harbor, Florida

On a recent spring day, I discovered a hidden treasure in the middle of my home county. I grew up in Florida and remember the way it was, the beauty and peacefulness that was here. I found that place once again in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a busy place.  This quiet little park is part of that remembered history and culture.  It preserves the Florida that caused many to “Come for a visit and retire here for life”.

Wall Spring, Palm Harbor Florida

This park is worth the time for a visit to see Florida as it should be seen.   It includes a nature park that exhibits two major important features of the Gulf Coast Ecology, a fresh water spring and salt tidal marsh zones in close proximity to each other.

Wall Spring Park, Palm Harbor Florida

The Wall Springs Park covers 195 acres and includes: a historic spring, boardwalks, nature trails, a playground, an observation tower, and restrooms.  The spring and adjoining waters were once a spa & bathing area from the 1900s until the mid 1960’s.

Wall Spring, Palm Harbor Florida

This is, to me, a typical Florida spring.  The source of the spring is the Upper Floridan Aquifer, the flow rates vary based on the weather, from none during drought to near 7,500 gallons per minute in a wet year. The average water flow is 3,000 gallons per minute or about 4 million gallons per day. The springs in Florida are usually cold water, and Wall is no exception with a temperature at a nearly constant 74 degrees.

Tree Seat at Wall Spring, Florida

Common vegetation found in the Park include the following lists; Slash pine, sand pine, longleaf pine, eastern red cedars, saw palmetto, black and red mangrove, live oak, sand live oak, turkey oak,  southern magnolia, wax myrtle, and prickly pear cactus.  Here a slash pine shows the reactions to stresses that changed it’s shape.  Have a seat, consider the world around you.

Take a few hours to discover this quiet park, full of history and wildlife in the midst of urban Florida.  The boardwalk meanders past the spring then through the pines to the Gulf.   Spectacular sunsets can be viewed from the towers.

Mullet at Wall Spring, Florida

Wildlife routinely observed within the park include the following list: Gray squirrels, fox squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, opossum, river otters, pelicans, herons, ibis, egrets, vultures, ospreys, eagles, wood storks, doves, owls, red-bellied woodpeckers, roseate spoonbills, snakes, gopher tortoise, various fish, (mullet, shown here), and butterflies.

Mallard Ducks at Wall Spring

This is a great place for bird watching.  Opportunities include not only the local birds but in the winter months there are many of the migratory birds that either pass through or winter in this park. Some of the water fowl that are typically migratory (like these mallard ducks) love the area so much that they stay year round.

Want to visit? Here are some particulars.

Wall Spring Park

3725 De Soto Blvd.

Palm Harbor, FL

727.943.4653