The St Johns is a unique river. To start with it's the longest river system in Florida and one of only 2 major river systems that flows from south to north (the other is the Nile!). The St Johns flows more than 300 miles from it's source waters in southern Florida near Lake Okeechobee, which is a part of the Kissimmee River system (it flows north to south). In the early days of Florida's settlement before the railroads the St Johns was the primary way into the southern part of the state. During the peak of these early days more than 300 paddle wheel steamers moved people and supplies into the wilderness of Florida's developing southern wilderness. Many of the towns along the St Johns have reverted to their "rustic" roots as Hwy 17 and A1A and later Interstate 95 focused attention on the coast.
The downstream half from Palatka to Jacksonville is a series of natural connected lakes, while the upstream half from Vero Beach to Palatka contains most of the source waters and is a maze of braided rivers and crystal clear spring fed creeks. After the adverse impacts of development (both agricultural and urban) on this important water source became more widely known (like the Everglades) more protection of the watershed including un-doing drainage systems and reflooding of wetlands has been done. The result is much land is protected as National and State Wildlife Refuges and Conservation Areas. Trophy largemouth bass fisheries and bird sanctuaries now exist over lands that were drained for cattle and crop farming and the return of additional wetlands has helped to slow degrading water quality.
Supposedly there are some 35,000 springs that form the sources of the St Johns. Many are like the more notable crystal clear springs on the west side of the state like Homosasa, Manatee and Crystal River in that they are crystal clear and cold. Still at it's most upstream portions, the salinity of the water is distinctly brackish (and tidal!) with the result being that the waterways contain a unique blend of saltwater and freshwater critters and plants. Saltwater crab, tarpon, redfish, gators, manatees have been observed at the upstream waters, while largemouth bass, tilapia and many freshwater species can be found in the downstream sections. The river also includes the unfinished portion of natural and constructed waterways of the second cross Florida waterway which branches off the St Johns as the Oklawaha River. We 're looking forward to exploring as much of this special place as we can!
A used space shuttle external fuel tank sits at the docks in Green Cove Springs. At the end of WWII, Green Cove Springs was the largest naval facility on the east coast after Norfolk, Va when some 300 destroyers, cargo ships and carriers were decommissioned/mothballed and their crews were processed for release from the service.
On the larger, lakes portion of the St Johns you still encounter plenty of cargo and ship traffic.
