Hunter Springs Park - City park in Crystal River - 18 NE 2nd St, USA

Our first time coming to kayak with manatees and this is where we launched. We had our own kayaks and the ramp was easily accessible with an area for loading and unloading at the ramp. A sandy beach was available for play and a swimming area was roped off from boating traffic. The park was great. We paddled to Three Sisters pretty easily and loved the view. The parking is pretty small, so if it is a season that is pretty busy, I'd suggest going early. We visited yesterday December 28th, 2023, and the high was 65°. For many visitors, it's much warmer than home, however, if you're warm-natured or a local, the breeze and temp can make it feel quite cold. It wasn't too bad and the water temperature was definitely warmer than outdoors. We had a wonderful experience. PRO TIP: Next time, I'll definitely bring snorkeling gear to see whatever all the fuss is about. Tons of private charters and tour companies head out to this area to snorkel. Not only is kayaking available, but so is snorkeling and swimming in the area.

Easy place to launch kayaks or paddle boards to enjoy the river or bay for the day. Parking is $5 per vehicle and $5 per vessel to launch. You need a credit card, no cash is accepted. We arrived at 8am on a Saturday and the park was already starting to fill up. I would recommend arriving no later than 10am if you want a spot to park. Launching your vessel is easy and we immediately saw manatees once we got on the river. There's plenty of places to explore in King's Bay and plenty of wildlife to view.

This is a nice little beach close to my parents. It has kayaking and can see the manatees. It's very well kept. This is my new place when visiting.

Nice little park with picnic tables public restrooms beach area boardwalk overlooking kings bay nice parking area. Very crowded in spring summer fall on weekends!

This place was wonderful!! I am from VA and was looking at manatee tours when I saw someone mention coming here and seeing them for free in the wild. I came in august at 11am so I was very nervous I wasn’t going to see any. But there was a mom and baby right in the swimming area! The baby looked like it had a hook in its mouth so I reported it to wildlife. Other pluses are that the water was clear and I got to see some fish swimming around too! My son had a lot of fun playing in the sand. Highly recommend!!

Very good place to cool down and relax during hot season. Clear water with sandy beach area. Swimming area from shallow to deep water. Pay parking for only $5 and launching area for kayaks also for $5. Pay parking can accommodate few cars only. There are restrooms and open shower area. Picnic tables. Added photos of the rules and regulations.

Great little place with tiny beach if you wanna get in 72 degree water and snorkel to see manatee. I suggest paddle board or kayak to stay warm, unless it's super hot and sunny, then it's refreshing .

It's a beautiful small beach, parking is $5 first come first serve. More parking by the 2nd and 3rd stop signs to the right (Free). It cost $5 per kayak or board to launch. No grills or canopy allowed. They do have stationary grills and again 1st come 1st serve. Busy on weekends and family oriented and Deputy's are detailed there for safety.