Santa Fe River

The Santa Fe River is a 75-mile river in northern Florida. It rises at Lake Santa Fe near Keystone Heights and drains a watershed of about 1,380 square miles that covers parts of Columbia, Suwannee, Bradford, Baker, Union, Gilchrist and Alachua counties. Florida State Parks traces its source to Lakes Santa Fe and Alto and the swamps around them, northeast of Gainesville. A half-mile downstream from the main parking area at O'Leno State Park, the river sinks into the karst limestone. It flows underground for a little over 3 miles and comes back up at River Rise Preserve State Park. This is the largest swallet-to-resurgence system in Florida. Its tributaries include the New River, Olustee Creek and the spring-fed Ichetucknee River. Gilchrist Blue, Ginnie, Poe and Rum Island springs lie along its banks. The river joins the Suwannee River near Branford.

Columbia County runs the Bible Camp Road, Hollingsworth Bluff, Rum Island and River Rise boat ramps on the river. Other public launches include Poe Springs Park and the ramp on US 41 near High Springs in Alachua County, and the Santa Fe River Park, B.W. Turner and GC Butler ramps in Gilchrist County. There are also paddle launches at O'Leno and Gilchrist Blue Springs state parks. The river has eight flood-stage idle-speed, no-wake zones. Each zone takes effect when a set river gauge reaches a set level. For example, the stretch from River Rise to the US 27 bridge becomes idle-speed when the High Springs gauge reads 34.2 feet or higher.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission calls the Santa Fe the Suwannee's major tributary. Springs strongly shape the river, and its middle and upper reaches have large areas of underwater plants. These waters hold many redbreast sunfish and spotted sunfish, along with Suwannee and largemouth bass.