The Friends of Silver River State Park

The Silver River has a rich and colorful history from Paleo-Indians 12,000 years ago, to European contact 500 years ago, to the early 1800's when it first became a tourist attraction and shipping center.

However, Silver River's history as a state park is not nearly as extensive! The land was purchased by the State of Florida in 1985 and management went to the Department of Recreation and Parks in 1987. Also in 1987, through the widespread help of grantors and community supporters, the Marion County School District opened the Silver River Museum & Environmental Education Center on park property. Marion County schoolchildren in grades four and seven participate in environmental education programs at the Center.

Silver River State Park opened to the public in 1987, but there was nothing here other than the Education Center. When Park Manager Robert LaMont arrived in 1996 he had one Park Ranger and one OPS employee. There were no roads, ranger station or camping - the "park" was almost 5,000 acres of just plain land, albeit beautiful Central Florida ecology.

The main park entryway off SR 35 (Baseline) was completed in 1999 and that was the beginning of several years of rapid growth. The Ranger Station and campground were completed in 2000 and work was begun on the 1st six cabins, which opened in 2001. By this time, the Park Staff had grown to a Park Manager, Assistant Park Manager, 5 Rangers, one Administrative Assistant, and several OPS employees.

The last four cabins were completed in 2002 while work was begun on the playground and picnic area. In 2003, the picnic area was completed and the canoe/kayak launch was opened in 2004. During the years 2005 & 2006, we let out a big sigh of relief as we "relaxed" in our construction efforts and watched as our visitation numbers skyrocketed.

Recently we began to rent canoes and we are in the planning stages for equine trails on the north side of the park. The Friends group is taking the lead on raising the necessary funds to make this much anticipated project happen. From 1985 to today, even with all the recreational development, our prime concern has been to use the land gently and responsibly to ensure the resource is here for the enjoyment of generations to come.

This brief history of the park comes from the official Florida State Park webpage for Silver River State Park. For more information about camping & cabins, Ranger Programs, the Day-Use Area or the Silver River Museum, please visit their webpage.
www.floridastateparks.org/silverriver

Silver River State Park has over 15 miles of hiking and biking trails passing through many Florida ecosystems. Click on the map thumbnail for a PDF trail map.

While out on the trail, these are some of the animals that might cross your path.
PDF List of Birds/Animals

Under Construction