Manatee Springs State Park Campground

My daughter and I tent camped on Mother's Day weekend. The grounds were booked but from our spot, we still had privacy and quiet. Spaces were level and came with a picnic table, fire pit, plenty of trees and wildlife! We hiked through about 8 miles of trails, walked the boardwalks through the Springs and enjoyed the beautiful springs themselves! Bathrooms were clean and the ones we were closest to weren't busy.

Great Campground with Respectful Campers!

We had an amazing camp experience at Manateee Springs. We stayed on Magnolia 1 loop with woods to the back of our site. We were greeted every am and evening by beautiful dear. The spring is beautiful! Make sure to bring your snorkeling gear; it looks like another planet below the water. There are some trails that we biked also which were a little sandy but fun since we brought our mountain bikes. Camp was quiet and the bathroom was ver clean. We will definitely be back!  

Florida Find

Hooved friends meandering about the campsite all the time. The water is cool and crystal clear for a great view of the many manatee that visit annually. Great hiking trails and clean facilities. Hosts were very friendly and kind!

Oh DEER what a campground! 

Friendly staff. Great place for kayaking, nice trails. Beautiful spring for swimming and snorkeling. RV camp sites with privacy, shade and full hookups. The bathhouse at the campground was clean. During the winter you can enjoy the manatees.

Beautiful Springs!

This is a nice camping area there are bathrooms with showers, water and electric at most camping sites, the raccoons will go through your things looking for food. It has a freshwater spring that has grown a lot of algae about 6 Years ago it was very blue now just a small section of blue remains. The spring was relatively empty until 12pm when traffic picked up and then only one or two people ventured in. There are kayaks available to rent and a food/snack shop. There are caves available to dive in but the area was covered in duckweed. No life guard on duty but the rangers are pretty vigilant.

Singing the blues water lost

We recently camped at Manatee Springs and the highlight of this park is their beautiful swim area with a dock all along the head spring. The campsites were fair and the bathrooms were not bad and included showers. There was a nice trail w/boardwalk that was great for viewing the swamp and flora &amp; fauna. The boardwalk went down to the Suwannee River that offered a great place to fish or to view some big Sturgeons that start jumping around dusk.

We felt that the campsites were a little neglected compared to other Florida State Parks we had visited.

There is a nice cafe that also serves beer &amp; wine.

We viewed the "Dive Spring" called "Catfish Hotel" which had a inch layer of green scum that was not very appealing except to mosquitoes.

There is a nice playground and this would be a great place to picnic with family and friends.

*There is also Fanning Springs State Park that is approx. 10 min. away that also has a GREAT swimming hole!

Manatee Springs State Park

I have been here every year for the past 4 years, the campground is clean, they all have a picnic table and fire ring. Wild deer can be spotted through out the entire park including walking through your camp site. Beware raccoons will go through your stuff in the middle of the day not just at night. The spring here is beautiful and a short walk from the different camping loops. They have a BBQ place by the spring and a mini store. Also they have canoe, kayak and pontoon boat rentals. Nice boardwalk out to the Suwannee river. I took away one star because the bathrooms could be updated but they aren’t horrible.

Love this place

Our family had a great time here. The water is beautiful and we even had deer visit us.

Beautiful place to camp

Manatee Springs State Park very nice park clean restrooms nice cleared out areas for camping they sweep them out each time a new person comes, down by the Springs they have a concession stand for lunch and drinks We had a good time at Manatee Springs.

Lots of deer all over the park have a very long dock out to the river kayak

Camping spots on the outside loops are less crowded and more secluded. We were at 45 and it was a nice spot with only two neighbors. The springs were amazing and beautiful! Can get crowded with local day trippers.

Amazing springs, more tourist than hoped. 

This campground has a beautiful spring, hiking and bike trails as well as the boardwalk out to the Suwannee River with a dock for fishing.  They also have a concession with canoe, kayak and paddle board rentals.

Great Park to see Deer!

Florida in its natural state. We had an incredible time camping here. Swimming in the Springs, canoeing, and seeing so much wildlife. The deer will literally eat out your hand! We saw 3 alligators, one was a 13 footer! During winter and early spring you can swim with the manatees. The campsites are shaded with plush vegetation, there clean facilities with showers. There is camp store and barbeque stand, as well as canoe rental and shuttle on site.

Natural Florida Beauty

I wish we could have stayed longer! We arrived late to our reservation after driving from Texas. The people we talked to at the office are super nice and helpful, and provided us with a gate code to get in.

Even in the dark, we had no problem navigating our way into our campsite. I booked an RV site, even though we were tent-ing, as it was the same low price either way. The sites are very spacious and the grounds are beautiful. Bath and shower house was very clean.

Come morning, we had a couple of deer visit us!

They have canoe, kayak, sup, etc for rent for great prices. The river is beautiful, and abundant with wildlife. Saw plenty of birds, fish, alligators and snakes. Next was the spring, and that was out of this world.

We have a new favorite Campground!

Truly amazing

Wonderfully quiet.  Store where you can rent canoes.  Dock to go fishing.  River is quiet and deer Comte right through your campsite.

Great Family Campground 

This place has gorgeous springs. You can only swim if the manatees are gone. People were also scuba diving underneath us while we swam. The water is always 72 degrees year round. We also rented a canoe and paddled out to the river but the current was pretty strong. We paddled back and approached the swimming area and saw a little gator, almost ran it over. 

They have a nice store next to the springs and they sell food too. 

The site hosts were very helpful and very nice. 

The deer will walk right up to you because they have no fear of people. 

Beautiful springs 

Weekend gateway 

We came during the week in the summer and the campgrounds were peaceful. There were lots of deer roaming the camps but I think that was due to the fact that people were feeding them which is disturbing. Our campsite (#11) was a dirt site which was not good when it rained (and it did). They have some gravel sites and a few concrete sites available as well. The hookups for the sites are not very well thought out. The hookup for the sewage was well far forward of any traditional RV or trailer’s setup. In addition, our site required us to dump UP HILL!! Gravity said otherwise. Would I stay again? Probably, but I would be more particular about which site I chose.
Manatee Springs itself has great swimming in a small area and is a good spot for kayaking in the Suwannee River. The map they give you at the Ranger station is not to scale, everything is much closer together than it appears. 
A con is that we had no cell service in the campground. There was WiFi provided at the concession stand at the Springs but it was poor. Additionally, there is only one dumpster for the campgrounds at it is at the RV dump station which is a bit of a walk if you don’t have a car with you.

Choose campsite wisely

Nice campground close to the spring.   Good hiking trails.  Biking is iffy because of the loose sand, but doable.  Just be ready for that fast stop in loose sand.  
I believe they built a new bathhouse recently.  
Be sure to have all your supplies as the closest town is a bit of a drive.  Cell service was marginal.  
The snack bar at the spring, when we were there, was an awesome bbq.   
There’s a nice boardwalk along the spring run.   We were there when there were no manatees so swimming was nice, but cool.  Always 72°

Off the beaten path

Great Camping with mostly good sites. Lots of animals like deer, raccoon, armadillos, alligators and manatees. Definitely snakes but that's everywhere. Sites vary in sizes but pricing is very decent. They have renovated bathrooms and showers in one loop but other loop is still old. They have kayak rentals and the springs are great for swimming, snorkelling and diving. They also have a boat dock that can offer tours of the river. During winter months you can see plenty of Manatee and even kayak in the water with them. Highly recommended you try kayaking at least one. There are also walking trails and most of them are good for mountain bikes. Overall it's a great state park with many things to do. Great to go with a group of campers to enjoy fires at night and the springs during the day. Only thing that is a pain lately is the roads are not maintained at all and many pot holes. Several sites have many roots and can be dangerous and several sites wash out during rain which ruins the experience. Also many of the full hookup sites have the sewer in the wrong place and you can't even use it because of where it was placed. It was really bad designed.

Great Camping and Kayaking

A great place to kayak! You will be able to see a lot of manatees if you are lucky. The showers are large. The campsites are good and shaded. It is slightly tight in some spots if you have a large camper or RV. But overall very relaxing campground with beautiful springs.

beautiful water, secluded campsites

Step into a world of deer, manatee, and unknown river surprises at Manatee Springs State Park. The campground here is placed delicately in the FL scrub and is surrounded by short hiking trails that pass by major sinkholes. Swimming in the headspring is eye-opening. The cave entrance is mesmerizing. There is a larger cave entrance near the main swimming area, however some eutrophication seems to have taken over the surface currently. #Savethesprings

A Quiet Northern Feel

State park off the beaten path. Rv sites can be tight, lots of tent sites. Springs area is small but cave divers are always there. Make sure you check for ticks.

Love the wildlife

I’ve stayed here a few times.  Close to bike trail.  Hiking trails clearly marked.  Sites and restrooms clean and well maintained.  Sites are shady and nice size.  

My favorite local campground

Loved everything about this place, except our sewer drain was too high. Use the dump station instead. Boardwalk through swamp is amazing. Wildlife incredibly friendly. We had deer and raccoon walking through our site in the evening. Kids loved biking around, getting oranges out of trees, playground, more. Kayak rentals on site. 

Favorite campground on our 2 week trip

We rented a tent campsite for 5 nights. We had such a fantastic time here. What fantastic facilities. Bathrooms nice and clean and modern. Campsites large with hookups. The spring is beautiful. We saw manatees and otters. Lots of wildlife. Rented a super cheap kayak and had a great time on the river. Also went hiking on all the trails. So much to do and the staff were super friendly and helpful! We can't wait to come and camp here again.

Fun kayaking and exploring

The nicest campsite we have ever had. Paved, pull through, full hook-ups. Very shady and private sites. The bathrooms were very clean. Highlights of camping at Manatee Springs are the springs and the manatee sightings. We were there in January and the manatees were a bit elusive, but we did see some in the Suwannee River which runs parallel to the park. There is an 800-foot long boardwalk that winds through a cypress tree forest and the 8-miles of trails were great for running, hiking or biking. There wasn't a lot to do in the surrounding area although we did make a side trip to Cedar Key, a very interesting little town on the coast. We stopped at Shell Mound on the way back. It is an archeological site in the Lower Suwannee National Refuge where native people created a mound of shells from seafood. The shells formed the little spit of land that still exists there. On another day, we drove to the Withlacoochie bike trail to ride. It was about 45 minutes from the campground but worth it. We rode from Citrus Springs to Floral City. The 2nd half was more scenic than the first with lots of lakes near the trail.

Very nice state park with great campground

Went through the boardwalk and saw a ton of wildlife! No manitees since the water was a bit cold at the time but had beautiful walkways and scenery. Awesome place!

Took the family and they loved it!

We were excited about having electricity and shade in the heat of the summer.  Our site was large and shady.  No tent pad outlined just set up anywhere on the site.  The one drawback on the site was the dust got everywhere.   Well...there is also the lack of wi-if if that’s a priority for you.  Considering some of the difficult conditions we have camped under in the past this was a very mild inconvenience. The bathroom in the Hickory section needed updating and because of the dirt roads and tent sites by evening were usually affected by everyone tracking in.  There was a dishwashing station on the backside that was helpful. We rode over to the Magnolia section and there were 2 other bathrooms, 1 that was newly updated, the other had some improvements made in the past 10 years or so.   The good news is that once we arrived we were so happy with the spring here that we never moved our car or drove anywhere.  There is one concession stand that served bbq chicken, beef and pork plus hot dogs.  You could also buy a few swim supplies and tent kayaks there.  Next time we come we’ll be sure to same time cooking and eat here. A float to use in the spring would also be nice.  I did have an opportunity to use my mask and fins here.  I am hoping to get a spot here in the winter during manatee migration.  I LOVE THIS SPRING!

The Spring is Amazing

Amazing state park to visit. We recommend staying at least 1 week to envelope yourself in the pristine wilderness Florida has to offer. First of all, you won't get much of a phone signal out here. During our stay we had to drive to Cheifton once in awhile to get phone messages and emails. The campsites are beautiful and have a good amount of vegitation separating you from your neighbors. We camped here in our motorhome and had adequate clearance for our roof and we were able to get around the turns in the road well without hitting any trees. There are times that it's a tight squeeze though. 

We had the opportunity to kayak, the spring is beautiful and very clear, lots of fish and wildlife to experience.

We're looking forward to a future visit.

Breathtaking area to explore!

I have vivid memories of this park from my childhood. It was great being able to go back after so many years. This park is a wonderful hidden gem that you will most definitely enjoy. The park is broken into three loops and some primitive camping mixed in. Some small trails. Plenty of wildlife from deer, fish, birds, and if you visit in the winter, manatees are everywhere. There is a swimming area at the spring where you can dive. Kayak and canoe rentals are available at the snack house. We stayed in spot 19 which was perfect for our rig at 30’ overall. Nice privacy between spots. Highly recommend!
Pros: Quiet. Privacy. Nature. Hiking and Kayaking
Cons: No cell service. Weird RV waste hookups that stick out of the ground more than 12” in some areas making it difficult to hook up for smaller rigs. There is a dump station available though.

Back to old Florida

It's really difficult to book a campsite b/c it's always completely booked. We finally got a spot booked but it was an ADA site so we had to set the tent up on a concrete slab. Sure, no problem. Well, there was a problem b/c we got a bad storm and since we couldn't anchor our tents into concrete, one gust of wind blew all 5 of our tents away. I don't blame that on the park but even though it was an ADA site, there was more than enough space surrounding the concrete to pitch our tents. Not sure why the slab was a requirement. Regardless, we had an awesome time swimming in the springs and exploring. Definitely recommend checking it out.

Love the spring 

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

Really fun and relaxing State park

We enjoyed this place so much.  There was so much wildlife and it was very peaceful.  The deer literally walked up into our site while we were cooking and hanging out.  We saw several different deer walking to the restrooms and throughout our stay.  We saw a tortoise, hawk, several other bird species and a turkey. Lots of caterpillars and butterflies also. Our site was number 59 and it was pretty private for the most part but did help that no one was staying to our left.  We didn’t get to experience the springs because they had an incident which caused them to close the springs and the FWC was there taking care of things.  The bathrooms were clean and easy to access with paved walkways.  The trails were nice but lots of caterpillars at this time hanging off the trees.  The bathrooms in the day use area were closed for reno but they had temporary ones set up next to the building.  They also have a concession stand with food/snacks and a few store items like bug spray, sunscreen, mask/snorkels etc.  

Beautiful place full of wildlife

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.

Manatees and springs and swamps

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

Camping with manatee’s

My family and friends have been going to Manatee Springs State park every year to camp. We've been doing it in tents which is great and the last 2 years in campers. We always enjoyed it because you have trails, boardwalk and kayak launch and swimming area along with fishing and plenty of nature. But for the last couple years things have gone down hill. First thing is they are letting the springs area be overrun by nature and they removed the kids area. This was a huge bonus for kids and it just looks like they have given up on maintenance and just ripped out the kids area due to maintenance. On top of that the rangers in the last couple years are getting rude in the way they interact with the guests. 
The sites were always well maintained and now instead of maintaining them while protecting nature, it seems they have given up and are letting the roads and sites be overtaken. The roads have dozens of huge potholes and sites are overrun by huge roots. 
They added sewer a couple years ago when they built a new bathhouse but most of the sewer hookups were installed incorrectly and because of leveling issues at the sites they are useless. 
Several of the sites when it rains are flooded and washed out and they don't seem to care. Nature is always good to persevere but the campsites should also be maintained and many other state parks know how to balance this. Not to mention because they are allowing nature to take over, there is a massive tick problem here and you should prepare to be infested by ticks, especially in summer.
Overall this place is great to go for the day but lately for camping is hit or miss. Just know that site 11 washes out during rain and is very unlevel and site 10 is very unlevel and massive roots throughout. Magnolia loop has a newer bathhouse and full hookup sites.
But in the end if you like nature and good kayaking with manatees, this place can still be decent.
Cell service is almost non existent for most. Verizon has small coverage and t-mobile with an antenna may work better, without it's not at all available unless you drive towards front of campsite. Att is hit or miss but it's still usable.

Good state park but deteriorating campground and rude park rangers

I grew up coming here as a child it’s been 15 ish years since I’ve been back and it’s still just as beautiful. I now have children 12, 6, and 7 years old. This is the first time they have been “real camping” having the water and power at each site makes it so much better. Also having the bathrooms within a short distance is a total plus with little ones who are un-easy about going in the bushes or a bucket. 🤪 We stayed in Hickory loop it was perfect. Close enough to the springs that my older child and her friends could walk back and forth alone without me worrying they would be lost but far enough away that you are not next to all the day picnicking or noise that might come from kids playing in the spring. 
My only complaint is the campsite we chose did not have a definitive area around it there was some lower short grass and we put our tent towards the back and a Ranger came and asked us to get it out of the grass area. Before our trip I did see someone mentioned this in a review somewhere so I specifically was trying to make sure it was not in a “no camping zone” To me it wasn’t where we shouldn’t be (the grass was small random low patches scattered randomly, we stayed out of the tall overgrown grass that was obviously not where anyone needed to be. Other sites I noticed had big logs or definitive packed dirt areas with more than enough space that it was obviously not questionable where to put a tent. so just make sure you’re not on any grass or else you have to unpack and move all your things twice :( 

I did run to Walmart and grabbed two $20 basic fans it helped SO SO SO MUCH. Idk why I didn’t think of it before but it was worth the cost. I was able to put them back in the box and they will go home and be stored away with the camping things till next time. 

It rained almost the whole time we were there but only storms at night that were not bad to me just basic Florida afternoon thunderstorms. As long as it wasn’t thundering and lightning the kids and I were out adventuring and swimming in the rain. 
The only thing that has changed that I remember is they no longer have the big rope swing and you are no longer allowed to go to the sandy beach area on the opposite side since the state has taken over they have adjusted things to make it safer obviously for insurance purposes in my opinion that’s probably why. A ranger said they changed a lot when the state took over. It’s still great tho! 
To be honest I’ve barely used any bug spray there was almost no mosquitoes which was mind-boggling to me being a Floridian I wasn’t being eaten alive so they must do some spray control. 
All in all it’s camping it’s hot bring bug spray coolers and ice and you will be all set!




Great for little campers and families 

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

Beautiful Springs and trails

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. 

Beautiful Springs and Wildlife

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

Perfect camping site

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. 

No kayak rental

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.

Nice

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). 

One of the best Florida Parks

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

Great state park

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.


Beautiful state park and campground 

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…

Gorgeous area- dog friendly

All and all gorgeous 

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 Spot

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. 