Park #119 – Werner Boyce Salt Springs State Park

Just off the busy 6 lane Highway 19 near New Port Richey is a wonderful natural park. Once you pull off the highway you immediately leave behind the shopping mall and fast food joints and drive into what seems vast wilderness!

As I drove along the entrance road, wildflowers were blooming along both sides offering great views. Once parked, I picked the Springs Trail to explore. Right off the parking area is a small bridge that goes over a small spring. There is a sign that says Cauldron Spring, but the water is so dark, I’m not sure how they know it is a spring! The dark stained creek is still very pretty.

I walked a bit further down the trail and came upon a striking view across the creek over sawgrass, palms and pines. Just a perfect scene. Unfortunately the sun was in my eyes, so I saw this trail with great purple shadows with some yellow wildflowers blooming around the palm tree. So I set up to paint. I think I started off good, then over-worked the painting with too many strokes. Sometimes the hardest part of painting is knowing when to stop!

After painting, I decided to put my gear away and hike around the trails and take advantage of the golden setting sunlight. I walked all the way back to the main Salt Spring. There is a small dock at the spring, but from the trail it looks like any other salty bay. I’m sure canoeing and kayaking here is the best way to view the springs. Guess I’ll have to add another park on my list to revisit!

For more information about this park, visit their website