Pitt and Sylvan Springs

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Operating hours: 8 a.m. until sunset

Location: 6315 E. Highway 20, Youngstown, FL 32466

County: Bay

Nearby Town: Youngstown, Vernon, Fountain

Latitude/Longitude: 30.432718, -85.546503

Effective October 28, 2024, this recreation is temporarily closed for repairs. The trail to Pitt Spring from Strickland Road as well as the boardwalk to Sylvan Spring (from the Pitt Spring Parking Area) remains closed for renovations. 

 

At Williford Spring, the current ADA accessible ramp will be temporarily closed for renovations effective September 16, 2024, until further notice. The existing boardwalk and facilities at Williford Spring will remain open.

 

For information regarding these temporary site closures, please visit: Recreation Site Closures – Northwest Florida Water Management District (nwfwater.com).

Overview

Located approximately 7 miles west of U.S. Highway 231 off State Road 20, Pitt and Sylvan Springs is one of the District’s most popular recreation sites.

Visitors can access the recreation site by car or by canoe/kayak. A small canoe launch allows visitors to tie up their vessels for a quick picnic stop. Composting restrooms make it an ideal pit stop during a day-long paddling trip.

Visitors to Pitt Spring enjoy a great swimming experience. Steps with railings leading into the spring help protect the bank from erosion.

First-come, first-serve picnic pavilions provide a shady reprieve for a quick lunch.

The 10-acre recreation area includes an extensive trail and boardwalk system. One trail and boardwalk system leads from Pitt Spring to the Sylvan Spring area, and includes an overlook and a tubing put-in dock. A tubing take-out dock is at the confluence of Pitt Spring run and Econfina Creek.

A mile-long connector trail also allows hikers a path to nearby Williford Spring.

Pitt and Sylvan Spring is a day use only site that is open from sunrise to sunset. An overflow parking area is accessed off nearby Porter Pond Road where it connects with State Road 20.

The combined flow at Sylvan Springs Group, which includes Pitt Spring, is classified as a second magnitude spring. It is one of 11 springs or spring groups along Econfina Creek, which also features as many as 39 individual spring vents.

Flow from the Sylvan Springs Group and the other springs along Econfina Creek ultimately discharge into Deer Point Lake, which is the primary source of drinking water for residents in Bay County.

To help protect Econfina Creek and its contribution zone, the Northwest Florida Water Management District manages 41,532.31 acres of public lands in the Econfina Creek Water Management Area. (This acreage total includes the Sand Hill Lakes Mitigation Bank, also known as the Fitzhugh Carter Tract.)

Recreation Opportunities

  • Picnicking, swimming, fishing, tube launch, canoe launch, canoeing, hiking, wildlife viewing

Restrictions

Open from 8 a.m. to sunset, seven days a week.

No ATV’s allowed.

Motorized vehicles allowed on designated roads only.

Alcoholic beverages prohibited.