The Crack in Chassahowitzka Springs

The Chassahowitzka River is just a little over five and half miles, with depths ranging from two to nine feet. Not a raging river by any means, but it’s less about size than composition with this river. The Chassahowitzka is actually a spring (meaning groundwater comes to the surface forming pools) or, more accurately, many springs. 

Florida is home to the largest concentration of springs in the world, and a dozen of those feed this river as it winds from its headwaters at Chassahowitzka Spring through the 5,000 acres of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge. Because it is also partly fed by waters from the Gulf of Mexico, parts of it have a unique blend of fresh and saltwater, giving those five miles of river a mix of ecosystems. It flows through mangrove forests, providing a home for otters, redfish, and even an occasional shark, while blue herons stand gracefully along the shore. 

And in a quiet corner, there’s a spring only accessible via watercraft that’s known as “the Crack.” This sulfur spring gets its name from its geology, as it sits in a 30-foot crack in the riverbed that forms a pool. 

This shallow body of water draws people in to cool down on a hot day, either by splashing in via the handy rope swing, or just for a quiet soak in this tiny bit of paradise.