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!