If you visit Blue Springs State Park in Orange City, Florida, in the summer, you’re likely to encounter either a line of cars filled with people waiting to get in since dawn, or a sign announcing that the park is at capacity. On Wednesday, guests were greeted by dozens of new yellow signs indicating that reservations are required to visit the park, which welcomes more than 600,000 visitors each year.
Blue Springs is the latest of four state parks that require visitors to pay for a one-day admission pass online before visiting.
“This popularity has resulted in traffic congestion on local roads, access delays for nearby residents, and frequent park closures when capacity is reached,” a Florida Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson said in an email. “As part of our continued commitment to improving the visitor experience while protecting the natural resources we all cherish, the online day-use reservation program is designed to streamline park entry, reduce crowding and eliminate potential safety hazards on public roads.”
Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka, Rainbow Springs State Park in Marion County, and Henderson Beach State Park in the Florida Panhandle also require reservations. Blue Springs’ changes were announced on Facebook and Instagram two weeks ago, catching some daytime visitors by surprise.
Oleksandra Price drove 45 minutes from Edgewater with her two daughters to find out they needed a day pass to get in.
“The website wasn’t working and the person working (at the ranger station) couldn’t help me,” she said. “We couldn’t pay online. When we called, it took forever for someone to pick up the phone. We basically wasted 30 minutes sitting in our car in front of the park entrance.”
The Creech family traveled from North Carolina to Florida. The annual tradition included a visit to Blue Springs.
Virginia Creech found the online system confusing and could only find camping reservations, not day-use passes. After trying “for a while” I had to call Florida State Parks to figure out how to make an online reservation.
“It makes sense in theory and is a good idea. It just needs to be implemented in a better way,” she says.
State park neighbors who are used to spontaneous visits found the new system hampering their ability to make last-minute trips.
“I totally understand making reservations for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but it’s crazy to impose this requirement on Monday through Thursday when the park is at capacity,” DeLand resident Tina Reishok wrote on Facebook. “I really miss the days when I could just casually wake up and decide whether I wanted to go swimming or go camping.”
Sandra Friend, founder of FloridaHikes.com and author of dozens of hiking guidebooks, said she “understands the appeal of eliminating vehicle lines,” but disagrees with requiring pedestrians and cyclists to make reservations.
“These visitors tend to ‘stop’ outside of the Spring to Spring Trail, and it is unfair to deny access to water and restrooms along the bike path,” she said of Gemini Springs Park in DeBary and the trail connecting Blue Springs and DeLeon Springs. “Prohibiting casual walk-in and ride-in visitors from the bike path by forcing them to obtain a pass in advance seems contrary to the entire spirit of the Spring-to-Spring Trail.”
Friend said he was also worried about annual passholders and older visitors who are not used to the intricacies of the online reservation system.
“What about people who don’t have smartphones or places where the service isn’t good enough to complete such transactions?” she said. “Technology should never be a barrier to enjoying the outdoors.”
Other Volusia County residents also see the benefits of having such a system in place.
“As a local resident who frequents the park, I welcome this new change. The long lines have backed up traffic quite a bit. I think this will help solve that problem,” Casey Matthews of Orange City wrote on Facebook. “For the (French Landing) boat ramp, I think having paid entry with coded gates would solve half the problem.”
Although technically part of a state park, the boat launch at French Landing on the St. Johns River has remained free and open 24 hours a day since Volusia County sold it to the state for $1 in 1979. The boat launch was originally included in the state park’s plans for day passes and after-hours permits, but French Landing was removed from the FAQ section of the reservation information page earlier this week.
“Florida State Parks staff is still finalizing plans to include French Landing on day reservations,” a DEP spokesperson said in an email. “For now, the boat ramp will continue to operate as normal and we will notify you of any changes as they are finalized.”
Unrestricted access to French Landing can pose safety issues in addition to the trash left behind by visitors.
So far in 2025 and 2026, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office has responded to 29 calls in French Landing, including five calls for suspicious vehicles, two calls for suspicious persons, three calls for assault/assault, three motor vehicle accidents, and one drowning incident that killed a 22-year-old swimmer in March.
New talk of restricting access to French Landing has raised concerns among boat ramp users. In the future, we may have to jump through hoops to visit places that have been open for decades. There are also independent kayak outfitters who are concerned about businesses that rely on boat ramps for access to the river.
“This is our livelihood, it’s our guides’ livelihood, and we don’t know what’s going on and how it’s going to affect our guests,” said David Tierler, the new owner of Adventure Inn Florida, which has been operating tours out of French Landing since 1995.
Tierra said manatee tours out of French Landing account for about a third of his business.
Tierer and Aaron Love of AWA Kayak Tours called the park office to ask about access to French Landing and how they could comply with changing park regulations. We both had a hard time getting a clear answer.
Astrid Jackson, owner of Venture Outdoors, said she may go out of business if she loses access to French Landing.
“If we lose access to French Landing or if it becomes complicated to get us and our guests there, we could potentially go out of business,” she says. “This is our bread and butter tour. If we lose that part, it’s probably the end of Venture Outdoors.”
If you visit the park regularly, you can reserve your day pass up to 60 days in advance. Same-day reservations will be accepted until the daily limit is reached. Annual Passholders can select “Annual Passholder” as a payment option, but must present their pass upon admission. You must present your day-use reservation receipt and barcode at the time of admission.
At the time of announcement, vehicle reservations were available online for most dates in the coming weeks, except July 18, 19, and 25. The website states a maximum of 232 vehicle reservations and 50 pedestrian/bicycle reservations per day. A limited number of “Reopen Day” vehicle admission passes will be available online as space becomes available within the park.
According to the DEP, during peak manatee viewing season, the park typically sees 3,000 to 4,000 visitors at any given time, but the average number of visitors in the summer is 2,000 to 2,300 per day.
Standard rates apply for online bookings. $6 per vehicle (2-8 people), $4 per single occupancy vehicle, $2 per pedestrian/bicycle. The park, located at 2100 W. French Ave. in Orange City, is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset.
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