Northern Ocala National Forest — Salt Springs, the Ocklawaha & Lake George

Three days in the wild northern reaches of the Ocala National Forest, the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi, centered on the great blue boil of Salt Springs about an hour and fifty minutes south of Jacksonville. Day one is Salt Springs itself — a swim in its mildly saline, crystal water and a paddle down the Salt Springs Run through a jungle of palm and cypress toward Lake George, alive with manatees, herons, and blue crabs. Day two follows the wild Ocklawaha River and the trails and overlooks along the western shore of Lake George, Florida's second-largest lake. Day three walks the atmospheric Yearling Trail through the pine scrub that inspired Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, with easy fringe hikes near Sweetwater and the Silver Glen area, before the drive home. Overnights are near Salt Springs and Palatka. It is a weekend of springs, blackwater river, big-lake horizons, and deep scrub forest, anchored firmly on Salt Springs and the Ocklawaha rather than the busier southern springs.