Sink your feet into fall.

"There are still wild rivers that give you a great experience, and we're one of them,” said Sam Cole, a park services specialist at Ichetucknee Springs State Park.

When summer passes the baton to autumn, the colors of the season in Columbia County aren't red or orange. They are blue — like the clear water — and maybe pink, like the inflatable raft floating across the water's surface.

"Florida has its own unique water experience," Cole said. "We call it the lazy river. And the river flowed and the Ichetucknee is the king."

In Fort White, folks stop outside Ichetucknee Springs State Park first to fill up. Not on gas, rather hot air. Finding the perfect tube from the Lowe family's rental shop known as "Tubeland," is a must because there are no places to rent tubes within Ichetucknee Springs State Park.

"They tie it onto your car for you," said Abbie Bell, from Jacksonville.

If you have your own floatation device, bring it along. The park has an air pump available to inflate whatever may be hiding in your trunk.

Floaters will want to enter Ichetucknee Springs State Park from the south entrance. Cole recommends parking in the lot that’s "as big as a Walmart parking lot." Then you'll need to hike into the woods.

Two dispatch points will allow floaters to navigate the river for different amounts of time. The midpoint launch will provide a two-hour ride.

Dampier's Landing is a five-minute walk from the parking lot. From the dock here, expect to float for about an hour.

The midpoint launch is a 20-minute walk from the parking lot. From this dock, expect a 1 hour, 45 minute ride down the river.

"It's such a long float that you really forget how beautiful it is," Bell said. "And how close to nature you are whenever you come back."

The summer launch at the north entrance to the park is closed for tubing between Labor Day and Memorial Day. However, kayakers and canoes may still enter the spring at the north end. Word of caution: There is no transportation back to the north end of the park from the south end. It's best to launch from the midpoint and be close to your car when you're done.

"It flows at a mile an hour," Cole  said of the current.

You wouldn't think 1 mph could sweep you off your feet. However, life rings and ropes at each exit point help folks get back on their feet.

"It's not the Colorado River Rapids," Cole jokes.

Yet, climbing out is anything but graceful. Tubers should know how to swim and be comfortable on the water. Plus, because an afternoon rain shower is still possible, be ready to get drenched.

One thing missing in Ichetucknee Springs: alligators.

"I've actually never seen an alligator," Bell said before her sixth visit.

Cole said he thinks it's because of the flow. "The water is flowing so far, and alligators are pretty lazy creatures," he said.

The water is 72 degrees all year while the nature stays current, too.

"Every single time, I see something different than I saw the last time," Bell said.

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