Juniper Springs Rec Area - Tropical Camp Area

I was completely steered wrong listening to a reviewer saying Tropical was the better campsites. They're not bc virtually every one is a pull thru and those are inherently less private. When I biked through the Sand loop I was completely bummed bc they are huge sites with vegetation all around the sites making them awesome for RVs and privacy. The sites are all pretty big in both loops.   

The fact Tropical loop is marginally closer to anything is irrelevant and I didn't hear any noise when I biked through the Sand loop. I'd prefer privacy over marginal noise. 

Now the kayaking. I have my own so I just used the shuttle service which was like $16. I don't think I'd do this run again bc it's honestly too stressful. The current is pretty strong so you can't stop for a second really to grab a drink or take a photo bc you'll end up somewhere you don't want to be and that could be in the marshy grasses where I saw alligators hanging out. Yeah, yeah, ppl say they won't bother you. They don't until they do, just saying. I've paddled Rainbow River and that was lovely, super pleasant - in both directions. It's just the current here is so strong and it's a gosh darn obstacle course so there's no relaxing, it's not 'pleasant'. I leaned to go under one of the 110 (didn't count but seems about right) leaning trunks into the river and tipped my kayak so I had to jump out. I have my own, remember, so it's a lot more narrow than the barges they rent out which tip over a lot less easily. So all my stuff fell out, yay. So scootching down in my seat became the preferable maneuver as opposed to a slight leaning which would surely cause another tipping situation. I wish they would come along and remove all the tree limbs leaning into the river, but also understand that's probably quite an endeavor. 

Camping was fine, I have solar panels which did their job for a few days but I was pretty low on battery when I left. The tree coverage wasn't too extensive but it rained one day and was cloudy so that was part of the reason batteries didn't charge very well. It's interesting to note that this campground charges more for sites than the state campgrounds which actually offer water and electricity. Hmmmm  This struck me as any other campground with just less amenities and the nearest grocery store was a good 14 minutes away so come prepared.

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!