Juniper Springs Rec Area - Tropical Camp Area

Nice spots for tent camping. Got surprisingly cold when I visited. Would’ve been 5 stars if it weren’t for obnoxiously loud and rude neighbors that were yelling/screaming until midnight. If you camp here, expect to hear lots of partying.

Juniper Springs Recreation Area: Tropical Loop Campground has some nice, private sites. This is the area we spent 5 nights. We had a very good site. However, Sand Pine has better sites. Only Tropical camping area has pull throughs. (There are many trails and the boardwalk which are temporarily closed. )

There is a challenging kayak run which begins here in the park. Kayaks can be rented here.
Concessionaire run, not adequately maintaining bathrooms. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer with a desire for a campsite that has at least some visual privacy - after the trailer is in the spot.)

Overall Rating: 4 because there are some cozy sites. Price 2023: $ 20 w interagency pass Usage during visit: heavy during Thanksgiving weekend. Light usage by Monday. Sounds like usage picks up on weekends. Site Privacy: There are some great sites. See ‘Sites’ below. Site Spacing: Nice spacing for many sites. Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Over Thanksgiving weekend it got pretty noisy due to one large multi-site group.
Road Noise: None Through Traffic in campground: No reason for any. Electric Hookup: No Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes. Potable Water Available: Scattered spigots and near the bath/shower rooms. Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Yes. The level of cleanliness, seems typical of concessionaire run campgrounds. Poor.
Showers: Yes. Not very clean. Pull Throughs: Yes - all pull through sites are in this loop. Cell Service (AT&T): 2 bars. Setting: Juniper/ Palm trees Weather: high in the 60s lows in the 40s. Bugs: None. Solar: Surprisingly, on the clear days our 400 w panel charged the 100 ah battery to nearly 100%.
Host: Concessionaire run. No host. Rig size: Site specific. About 46’ would be maximum. Sites: TROPICAL LOOP: 6,(our site),4, 24,(right next to the bathroom),14,

For a pull through w separation created with an RV: 3,1, 25, 22, 20, 16, 15.

To begin with, Juniper Springs Rec Area, boasts not 1, not 2, but 3 individual campgrounds (Tropical, Sandpine and Fern Hammock Springs) to choose from. Recently having traveled here with a bunch of camping buddies, we were able to experience all 3 campgrounds, but for this review, I’ll focus on the flattest and quietest campground that is most ideal for RV and trailer campers: Tropical Camp Area. While you can tent on any of these sites, you’ll discover that this particular camping area is really made for RV’s. While the perimeter of Tropical is very well established with thick brush and decent tree lines, once inside this camping area, there is no privacy either between sites and / or in front of them, so you’re entire camping experience will be in full view of the entire Tropical community. 

Here at Tropical, you are furthest away from highway 40 (where all of the swooshing of passing by traffic comes from) and located the furthest north in the Juniper Springs recreation area. You will also enjoy being closest to the entrance of Juniper Springs as well as the closest located to the actual Juniper Springs Pool where you will be able to snorkel and swim. There are 34 campsites, with the most attractive sites being #11-20 as they are the furthest north and above the fray of hiker traffic which cuts right between these sites and those that are located below this (sites #1-10 and #22-34) and dissected by a decently hiked main trail. Of all the sites here in Tropical, I recommend those located on the outside periphery without direct trail access running through or behind them (sites#3, #13, #15, #16, #18, #25, #31, #33). 

Being surrounded completely by either palms or mighty tall pines in the Ocala National Forest was absolutely wonderful and apart from just a few basic amenities: flat sandy floor campsite, fire ring w/ flip grill, standing grill, massive bear-proof safe boxes (honestly, the largest I have ever seen!) and lantern post / garbage hanger. The campground also provides a fairly nice (coin free) bathroom / shower facilities along with a single kitchen sink for cleaning up dishes. There’s a community water spigot (no washing dishes here though) and a dilapidated shelter that is located just due east in Fern Hammock Springs camping area that is closed (again, due to ill repair) along with outdoor amphitheater seating and a small screen for viewing (all closed while we were there). Over at the entrance of Juniper Springs at the Main Gate, you’ll be able to purchase firewood and ice, along with ice cream and various other assorted sundries.

As for Juniper Springs itself, while most of the amazing natural springs scattered throughout central Florida are nothing short of fantastic attractions in their own right, I was quite disappointed to discover just how miniscule the natural springs were here at Juniper Springs Rec Area. The spring itself is really just an oversized pavilion pool with tons of seagrass apart from two very small outcrops beneath the crystal-clear water where you’ll see a bit of Sulphur bubbling to the surface. The nearby visitor center is brand-spanking-new, complete with a substantial outdoor seating and picnic area to utilize, and the spring pavilion itself is nice in that it offers up a few rows of concrete seating that surrounds the spring. Nevertheless, when compared to the many other springs in Florida, Juniper Springs is quite small and while nice with a recently refurbished old mill with a fully functioning water wheel that propels water downstream, I would easily recommend other more substantial springs like Blue and Ginny Springs. 

Further, while I normally bring my tandem kayak everywhere I go camping, we didn’t have the time or capacity to bring it this time – and we were in luck, because the canoe / kayak launch was closed. Additionally, there were numerous hiking pathways and boardwalks that were closed down having fallen apart due to lack of maintenance with no clear indicator that the State Park was working on fixing all of the amenities that are clearly falling in disrepair. On both fronts, I was quite bummed to discover so much of the park lacking proper access to enjoy the number of amenities that I thought my camping fee was paying for. The State Park should do a much better job of communicating what amenities are not available / closed and/ or consider offering discounted fees to access their park or to camp. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) There are a ton of other springs in Florida to choose from that I would highly recommend (just check out my reviews for Ginnie and Blue Springs) as they offer MUCH more in the way of actual natural and man-made amenities; (2) Please note that you cannot bring inflatables here to Juniper Springs; (3) If you don’t really care about enjoying the springs or having any access to a proper river to kayak or fish in and are simply looking for a nice place to camp, then Juniper Springs wouldn’t necessarily be a bad decision as the campgrounds themselves here are so amazing; (4) If you do decide to come to Juniper Springs and want to camp in Tropical, I highly recommend sites #13, #15, #16 and #18; and (5) When you get tired of digging through your cooler to figure out what the next meal will be, I highly recommend Los Magueyes Mexican Restaurant just an 18 minute drive west from Juniper Springs – try out the taco shooters, fajitas mariscos with plenty of the house margaritas (sin sal, por favor!) with an extra shot of JC Tradicional for added punch. 

Happy Camping!

Great camping warm showers nice bathrooms. A lot of the trails are closed though and kayak rentals are closed as well this site is next to a field for good star gazing

Quiet little campground with plenty of wildlife and trails. The sites , day use area and bathrooms were clean. The Springs were beautiful and the water was pretty cold. There was a lifeguard on duty and a cute little wheel house. We definitely will return.

First camping trip at this location was a blast! We had an 8 person tent, a 10x10 canopy and a 15 foot travel trailer. Site included a picnic table, fire ring, grill, and bear box. Shower houses were clean, and close to most camp sites. Highly recommend yhis campground.The swimming area was so much fun too!

You will wake to tropical birds at sunrise, perhaps fall asleep to the hooting of owls.

Gorgeous springs, walking distance from campgrounds.

Our site was huge with room for two or three large tents. Restroom was cleaned frequently with good hot water. Potable water faucets were well spaced. Downside was you had to pay for each canoe or kayak you wanted to paddle down the spring run. Also the shuttle service was canceled indefinitely so you had to have a second car at the takeout. As in many scrub oak areas, make sure you have a favorite tick repellent since they were just hatching and were everywhere. Had there not been any issues with canoeing or kayaking the spring run, this would have been a 5 star. We did however go to Alexander Springs run and paddled upstream as far as the launch in that recreation area.

The spring is accessible with a short walk from the campground. You can swim in the nice clear water. Campground provide clean amenities, nice campsite (we were site 34 which has a lot of privacy - some site are less private). Well maintained. The road noise is a little bit high so are the navy jets..

Nice area especially if you are into kayaking or ATVs. The kayak rental here was seasonally closed but was open at nearby Silver Springs. Campground is well maintained, bathhouse clean. Staff was friendly.

Would have liked a little more space between campsites for a bit more privacy.

Overall great experience and great staff.

We ended up at Juniper due to other backwood sites being full. This site isn’t as remote as we thought it would be but it is a very nice and quite spot and we couldn’t be happier. They support all forms of camping from RVs to tents. We camped out of a rooftop tent and enjoyed every moment. The employees were super kind and helpful and answered any questions we had about the area.

Sites all have blacktop for your rig to sit on most a fairly level. Sites have some separation so you are not right on top of one another. Friendly staff too. Great bathrooms and showers.

We went to Juniper Springs in March, and arrived without making a reservation (newbies), they had several spots open and the lady running the check in building wrote a list of the available spots and we drove around to pick one. The tent only loops are a bit crowded/not super private feeling, so we ended up taking a tent/rv spot in the sand loop. Very spacious! Lots of trees, could hardly see the neighbors. All the sites have bear boxes to lock your food up. The bath houses were alright, not pristine, but not filthy. The springs were nice and cool. Very beautiful and we're planning to come back eventually.

Pretty campsite with tropical foliage all around privacy and bear boxes. The springs are beautiful with swimming pool area with a water wheel house. The canoe trail was beautiful very narrow and trees hanging over with some tight turns that will flip you.

This state park is heavily wooded and offers direct access to the springs. Lots of wildlife (take precautions for racoons) and bring your mosquito repellent! Larger adjacent campsites that can accommodate multiple families. We bring extra gear like a kiddie pool to keep kids busy as springs a bit cold for them for any length of time. Bring bikes or kayaks. Bring everything you need as no stores close. No TMobile cell service.

Excellent campground with paved spots, close walking distance to springs, Bear boxes, and in a quiet, peaceful location.

When in Ocala National Forest, we stayed at Salt Springs, Juniper Springs and Alexander Springs. Heads up!The different sites within the forest are operated by different concessionaires and you have to pay to use (even day use) them individually! If you’re camping, you don’t have to pay day use fee. If you want to see multiple sites and ok with moving camp to save a few bucks - it’s a smart move.

Pros

• Many sites are very private - we were shaded by palmettos! We could smell the pine trees too :)
• hot showers with good pressure! They’re individual showers at the back of the bathrooms so a bit more private too.

Cons

• no canoe rental at juniper springs due to COVID. We had been looking forward to the paddling trail :/ the staff basically said there was no place that we could get canoes from to use either
• Our favorite spring was Alexander springs! Alexander Springs seemed much more natural and scenic. Juniper Springs was a a bit hotel pool like :)

We had a great time camping and hiking the Florida Trail

The grounds were very clean, spacious, and safe. Our spot was a short walk away from the springs which were very beautiful although they were crowded and cold. There was a walking trail that was very cool as well. There was also a food box.

Very clean bathroom, nice campsites ❤️

Very nice place to stay with private and big campsites. The Staff are very welcoming and helpful. The spring has a nice concrete wall around it with a ledge you can sit on in the water. The canoe run is amazing.

This is a good place to camp with your kids during nice Florida weather. In the rainy season, expect rain and flooded campgrounds. Especially Fern sites 61 & 62, very easily flooded, but nice and close to the showers. The 1 spring they offer to wade in is nice but gets very crowded on the weekends, full of grass on the bottom and rules in place- no jumping, can’t go in during a thunder storm etc. There are not many hiking trails at all here, just short paths through the campgrounds to the spring, or you can go out and back on the FL trail. The staff was nice and they offer ice and firewood 8am-8pm. The Juniper run canoe run is open if you have your own vessel, they are not renting canoes until 2021. We didn’t see any bears or gators but they are there. We did see and hear tons of frogs, everyone got a tick on them too. And I nice snake! Cool place but only for a couple nights and pray for no rain :)

Nice sized campsites that are private. The springs are beautiful but you can only swim at the day recreation pool spring which was somewhat small. Be sure to make reservations as the campground tends to fill up regularly.

We had a wonderful family camping trip to Juniper Springs. But here are a few things to consider when planning your next trip:

Pros: Very clean camping sites. No trash around. Close to walking trails. Firewood available for purchase. Picnic tables , grill , bear box and fire pit with grill available at each site.

Cons: Bathroom was not cleaned daily. Due to the park being a bit crowded, the women’s shower had hair and hair ties everywhere.

Sites are awfully close to one another, there are trees and shrubs in between but you could still hear your neighbors conversations.

Sites located in the middle of the campsites are much smaller than those on the outside.

Overall it’s a beautiful place to visit, the springs are crystal clear and if you like to kayak this place is for you. A wonderful weekend getaway.

We stayed at camp 54, the site was nice and secluded while also near the amenities.

I camp here quite often. My go-to camp site for weekends. Great camp sites for both RV and Tent but I’m a tent camper. Lots of room on the site, nice clean facilities, nice fire rings. Lots of hiking trails, kayaking at the springs and the best swim area.... I highly recommend.

I had an amazing time here.  It is back to nature with water and electric hookups. The spring itself is beautiful and great swimming as long as you can stand the 72 degree water. We had a mama raccoon and her 3 babies stop by our campsite and our neighbor spotted a black bear.....not too close.

The kayak run was amazing. We used a double seater kayak and it was an adventure. We managed not to fall in the water but it was a team effort. The run even had a small rapids area, very small, but fun for Florida.

We tried to walk-in to camp like the website advised; however, we were informed the website was incorrect and we needed reservations.