Blue Springs State Park (Blog Hike #832)

Trail: Magnolia Trail, Blue Loop
Hike Location: Blue Springs State Park
Geographic Location: southeast of Clio, AL (31.66361, -85.50772)
Length: 2.1 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: December 2020
Overview: A loop hike along the bluffs and through the floodplains downstream from Blue Springs.
Park Information: https://www.alapark.com/parks/blue-springs-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=943136
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of US 431 and SR 10 in Abbeville, drive SR 10 west 15 miles to the signed entrance for Blue Springs State Park on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and then drive into the campground.  The signed trailhead is on the main campground loop road across the road from the small loop that contains sites 47 through 50.  A grassy area at the trailhead provides room for a few cars to park.

The hike: Located in the rural wiregrass region of southeast Alabama, tiny Blue Springs State Park protects 106 acres around its namesake springs.  The springs discharge 3600 gallons of clear water every minute, and the cool 68 degree water feels great on a hot summer wiregrass day.  The springs get their name from the blue tint of the water, although I am not sure that the water here is any bluer than the water at other springs in the region such as Ponce de Leon Springs in nearby Florida.

            In terms of amenities, the park features a 50-site developed campground, a fishing pond, a playground, and some athletic fields.  The park offered no hiking options until 2018, when an expansion financed by the Forever Wild Land Trust created the opportunity to construct the trail system featured in this blog entry.  The trails do not lead to the springs, but they offer three loops of increasing length through the forest along the Choctawhatchee River, the ultimate destination of Blue Springs' water.  The three loops are marked by rectangular paint blazes colored beige, white, and blue respectively.  The trails have the issues normally associated with new and seldom-used trail systems, but I had a pleasant hike on the seasonally warm December morning that I came here.

Trailhead sign, bench, and kiosk

            A small white sign marks the trailhead, and a bench and an information kiosk also stand here.  All three loops head into the woods on a common treadway.  The forest at Blue Springs State Park is the usual coastal plains mix of loblolly and slash pines, oaks, sweetgums, and magnolias.

            The trail descends to the Choctawhatchee River floodplain and begins heading south along the fringe of the floodplain.  The trail on the ground is sometimes faint, but large numbers of paint blazes keep you on track.  Also, wooden distance markers mark your progress in quarter-mile increments, and a few blue wooden arrows mark potentially confusing turns.

Hiking through the floodplain

            At 0.3 miles, you cross a small sandy-bottomed creek on a wooden footbridge just before the white and beige loops exit right.  Stay left to hike the blue loop, which is the longest loop.  Near 0.7 miles, the trail curves right to begin heading out of the river's floodplain by climbing gradually along a small creek.  Some wet areas here were easily negotiated on my hike, but this section could get quite muddy after a good rain.

Crossing sandy-bottomed creek

            Next the trail comes very close to the park's west boundary as it begins heading north on a rolling course.  At 1.7 miles, the white and beige loops rejoin from the right just before you re-cross the small sandy-bottomed creek on another wooden footbridge.  Some blue arrows direct you through a sunny grassy meadow just before the trail comes out at the campground loop road.  The trailhead and your car sit just to the right.

Blue Springs

            Either before or after your hike, you will want to stop by the park's namesake springs, which are located near the park's entrance.  The springs area features numerous picnic tables, vending machines, a playground, some athletic fields, and concrete steps that lead into the water.  While the springs are very popular during the summer, I was the only person at the springs on my visit in mid-December, and I enjoyed a Dr. Pepper after my hike while admiring the blue-tinted water.