Its headwaters are the Homosassa Springs, and from there it flows west into the Gulf of Mexico.

The river is home to common bottlenose dolphins, West Indian manatees, alligator snapping turtles, nine-banded armadillos, snakes, birds, eastern box turtles, oysters, raccoons, American alligators, Virginia opossums, North American river otters and many species of both freshwater and saltwater fish.

The island was originally created when G. A. Furgason, a developer of the Homosassa area, hired a dragline operator to create the island from a pile of rocks submerged during high tide in order to keep boats from running aground.

The monkeys were moved from the park due to their "problematic" behavior, including stealing candy, entering cars, and biting visitors.

The river acts as a natural fence because the monkeys prefer not to swim.