Naked Spring

Naked Spring is in the Gilchrist Blue Spring group, located east of the main spring a few hundred feet. Gilchrist Blue is a state park about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of High Springs, Florida on the Santa Fe River.

Naked Spring discharges from the east of Gilchrist Blue about 100 feet (30.5 m) from the main Gilchrist Blue pool. The discharge from Naked Springs' multiple vents is almost equal to that of its nearby neighbor, Gilchrist Blue Spring (above).

Naked Spring's estimated discharge today is around 30 cubic feet per second or about 20 million gallons per day ranking Naked Spring as a robust 2nd magnitude spring.

There are two spring pools. The main pool is oval shaped and measures 99 feet (30.2 m) north to south, 77 fet (23.5 m) east to west and 14.3 feet (4.4 m) deep. Water flows from a limestone fissure on the west side of the pool. It was here that historically there was a floating dock which has since been removed and all swimming and foot traffic are prohibited in the spring area. Aquatic vegetation, including hydrilla and aquatic grass, covers 75% of the pool's bottom.

There's a second pool to the southeast of the main pool. This circular pool has a diameter of approximately 20 feet (6.1 m). On this day the pools form one large, clear waterbody with multiple visible boils. Both pools have excellent water clarity, and a blue-green color. The bottom of both spring pools is composed of limestone and covered in a veneer of sand and silt.

Naked spring was once a popular swimming area for obvious reasons. It is spectacular. It remains surrounded by a dense floodplain forest. Today swimming and foot traffic is completely prohibited as humans have greatly degraded the area around the spring pool.