Blue Springs State Park

Blue Springs State Park is a quiet, 103-acre park featuring  a clear blue underground-fed spring.  The natural spring  has a sandy bottom, pumps 3,600 US gallons of water per minute, and stays at a constant temperature of 68 °F.  The spring is now contained in several concrete pools, and swimming (without lifeguards) is permitted.  As you pass the  gate and park office, the left (east) fork leads to and through the more developed portion of the park – the swimming area, a picnic shed, and public restrooms. As this part of the park has only scattered trees, it is a good place to scan the skies for soaring raptors. Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Cooper’s, and Broad-winged Hawks nest here or very close by. Mississippi Kites breed in scattered shade trees in the nearby agricultural areas and often ply the skies above the park.

Some of the best bird habitat in Blue Springs State Park is in the thickly wooded area below the swimming pools where the spring returns to its natural channel and flows along a shallow stream bed to its junction with the Pea River, a short distance away.  A rough walking trail allows limited exploration of this area.

The right (west) fork of the road winds by a small lake with scattered hardwoods along the shore. The lake sometimes has a few waders on the shore, and in the warm months there are swallows and Purple Martins over the water. Look for Eastern Kingbirds, Orchard Orioles, Northern Parulas, and Eastern Wood Pe-wees in the trees around the water. Go past the lake and turn right. The road proceeds up a hill and terminates in a more natural, forested area. The trees here and along the eastern fork are the most productive for both spring and fall migrants and breeding birds. This is a good place to listen for the songs of the Wood Thrush and other neotropical migrants in April and May.

GPS: 31.6639 -85.5084

Park Main Contact
2595 Hwy. 10
Clio, AL 36017
Phone: 334-397-4875