Manatee Springs State Park Campground

Going when it’s super hot turned out to be a great idea! It was lovely to get into the cool water every afternoon and cool right off. We enjoyed paddle boarding also and seeing the alligators, fish and turtles. Had a great time!

Park staff as always super friendly and happy to great campers. Stayed in Hickory Loop which was quiet. Bathrooms ample and clean. Walk to the springs was a short one from our site 74. You will definitely see some manatee but swimming up close is a no no. The springs themselves are cold and dark and look better in pictures(at least this time of year) on a hot summer day could be refreshing. Having bikes or kayaks would have added to the fun. They do rent a tandem kayak around $50 for 2 hours. Brings cash to the concession to avoid paying card fee of a few dollars per transaction. Night walks down to the pier are a must.

I have trouble walking. I'm at site 38 and no handicap parking for showers. The shower doors and walls are nasty. Also, where I parked with 2 dogs. Was nothing more than a pile of dirt. Both are filthy after 5 days. I was also told that the station had no handicap parking for showers?

Peaceful secluded campsites. Most have a wooded buffer. There are full hookup sites available. We stayed in site 33. Sites have fire ring and picnic tables.

Stayed on site 22, cell service was very bad, no laundry, only stayed two nights to check the park out, very small store, gravel bumpy road in campground, would stay here again if I was passing through area

The springs are amazing and full of wildlife. The manatees will only be in the springs early in the morning or later at night as they go out to the river to eat during the day. The campsite was made of small gravel so it took a little while to get the tent stakes in, but no other complaints. Facilities were clean and well stocked. Some of the wildlife seemed especially comfortable in the campsites. It rained while we were there and a few armadillos hung out under our tarp overhang and a large group of deer slept maybe 15 feet from our side. We didn’t have any issues with the animals, they were just a cute addition to the experience. The concessions and kayak rentals were open so the contract issue a few reviews mentioned must have been resolved.

Quite possibly my most favorite camp site. The hikes are fun and the water is just gorgeous. I haven’t seen manatees yet in my travels here but many others have! Great spot. Clean. Quiet. Fun.

Beautiful swimming and kayaking.

Campgrounds are nice. Sites are a little small. More tent campers than RV. Bathrooms in good shape. Magnolia 1 loop has sewer hookup. We were site 029 pull through with a 34ft TT. Awesome site No cell coverage period. You'll get 1 bar to tease you and think you can do something. NO TV antenna coverage either. One radio station (98.5). We just downloaded a few Netflix movies and watch them on the computer. Spring is nice, hiking and biking trails are nice. Lots of wildlife.

This place is beautiful. While there ddogs are not allowed on the boardwalk or in the swimming area- there are other hikes they can go on and they turn a blind eye to dogs wading in the boat ramp area as long as they are on leash. Note that not all sites allow you to park in the site. This was a little inconvenient because I was in a rooftop tent and had to pitch it on the other side of a barrier. There were other sites that had better configuration for that so take a look at site layouts as they are not all uniform. No reception, though- which was disappointing as I planned to work remote from the campsite and ended up having to log on from the nearby Walmart parking lot instead. Scenery not as good…

Well maintained campground with clean facilities and showers. Campgrounds are in walking distance to the river where there's a boardwalk, kayaking and swimming. I saw manatees and lots of birds.

Nice, spacious, semi-private spots. Great spot to see wildlife.

Manatee Springs seems to have been my family’s de facto go-campground for 40 years. Great campsites, trails, swimming spring, kayaking and canoeing, boardwalks, and the wildlife, oh my word the wildlife. Go in the winter and you’re sure to see manatees, other times of the year you’ll encounter deer, tortoises, otters, wild cats, birds, and more. In July ‘22 they were installing a cell phone booster so that should fix the historical no signal issues in the park. Can’t recommend this park more. Magnolia Loop 1 has tighter spaces but has full hookups. Magnolia Loop 2 has much larger sites but with only water and electric (30 and 15 amp).

The wi-fi was limited and practically nonexistent. Rangers were very nice, bathrooms were clean. Check reservations when checking in because we have a 35 foot travel trailer and they tried to out us in a tent spot.

We liked this campground a lot. With taxes and fees and the $7 RV surcharge (at all Florida State Parks) it came to about $30/night for full hookups.

Poor / spotty cell service in park, but there's free wifi at the concession stand. Concession stand was closed when we were there but there was still ok wifi that reached outside.

Boardwalk and swimming in the springs was open, but we didn't see where to rent kayaks or buy anything, not sure if those are closed for COVID. Boardwalk was really cool and long and we saw a couple of manatees.

Free hot showers. No laundry machines. No trash bins in park, all trash must be taken to dumpsters near park entrance.

It's beautiful here even in the winter.

Totally not the parks fault. Cold enough to run heat but river not cold enough for manatee to come in. Spots are well shaded but that means lots of trees to avoid and bumpy roots to trip over. Spots are sand which was expected. Deer came right up to our spot.

Secluded and quiet yet only 8 miles to Walmart. Spacious sites, clean rest rooms/showers. Beautiful spring. Only downfall was the dumpsters weren't on the loop so have to drive your trash.

Was looking forward to renting a kayak for the day but the park attendant said the contract ran out with the company that operated the rentals and concessions. Didn’t say when someone else would be coming in.

Also, there is absolutely no Verizon cell signal. The only method of getting online is up at the old concession and sit at a picnic table.

I did enjoy the deer that stroll by everyday. One tried to join us around the fire.

Park was clean. Good hiking and the spring area was amazing.

Site states kayak rental and concessions neither are currently available. Absolutely no cell service even for calls. Water and picnic table on top of adjoining site. Spring has spiky metal stairs that end with a steep drop off that as an adult I couldn’t stand.

The campground is amazing. Canoe and kayak rentals or use their launch. Great trails and an elevated trail through the swamps where we saw snapping turtles, deer, alligator, birds and large fish. The rangers are friendly and knowledgeable. At the springs there are step to go in and the water is always 72 degrees. There is a food stand and store at the Spring. Winter is the best time to see Manatees there regularly.

Go in winter to see Manatees. Saw alligator, deer, fish, turtles...Clean facilities. Watersports.

We camped overnight in a tent at Manatee Springs in #80. Be sure to bring tick repellant; this park is lousy with them. 

The park is nice, small, and well-maintained. I wasn't thrilled with the bathroom on our loop, as only one of the showers had a stall door, and the door to the building opened very easily and would stay open unless the person who left closed it behind them. 

We paddled on the river, walked the boardwalk, saw a ton of gators, and had a nice weekend, but I don't think it's worth a return visit. Not that it's a bad park, there are just a lot of parks with more to offer within an hour or two of Manatee Springs.

Generally, we prefer dispersed camping because campgrounds can get pretty loud. This was absolutely the case when we stayed the night, as some of the people on our loop (college guys) were up late drinking, shouting, and playing loud music.

Great place! Swimming - camp sites were nice and big. Very clean. Nice well marked trails to hike! Only down side NO CELL SERVICE.

Manatee Springs, Chiefland, Florida  Beautiful clear spring with swimming area, including area for kids. Two nice boardwalks. Nature trails. Great cafe at the Spring with ribs and pulled pork sandwiches.Yummy! Canoes for rent.  Campground was okay. Not great. Magnolia loop 1 was the best. Good bathhouse in this loop.The other two loops have narrow, bumpy dirt roads and sites not as nice. Most sites hard packed sand. We wound up on ADA site and it was the only paved one. It's a nice pull through. Sites have fire ring and table. Staff and rangers friendly and informative.

We really enjoyed this campground and state park. We stayed in various sites on the Magnolia 1 loop in February 2021. All the loops were nice. The campground on Mag1 loop did flood a bit in very rainy weather and that could have been challenging for people in tents. Manatee Springs and the river are very nice and we did see many manatees. You’re allowed to swim in a specific area by the springs and it’s refreshingly cool. Good hikes right from campground and springs. Canoe-kayak rentals for the river area. The concession stand for rentals also serves excellent smoked BBQ and Cody, the fellow that works there is friendly, nice, and informative. There is no cell service in the campground area but you can pick up some WiFi (2 bars) near the concession stand for free. We really enjoyed our time at Manatee Springs and will return again