Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park Campground & Cabins

Beautiful place, nothing to complain about

Located in the in the rolling sandhills of north central Florida, Mike Roess SP is one of the oldest in the sunshine state’s amazing collection of well-maintained state parks, built back in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC), inspired by one of my personal heroes, Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt’s ‘The New Deal.’ Here, you’ll discover sanctuaries of old-growth longleaf pines amidst a golden sea of grasses providing a shady oasis from an otherwise sunny, humid and unrelenting Florida sunshine, which offers up as a treasure the cold spring water of the Gold Head Branch. The crystalline clear water from the steep lead ravine forms a natural spring here that allows for Gold Head Brand to bisect the park. Nearly 6 miles of Florida’s National Scenic Trail run through this treasured patch of land, where you’ll be able to easily catch a glimpse of white-tailed deer, turkey, gopher tortoise, fox squirrels, pocket gophers, bald eagles and a few black(and even rarer in these parts, brown) bears. 

Fancy swimming, boating, kayaking, canoeing and/ or fishing in a beautiful lagoon (a.k.a. Little Lake Johnson) while camping in some of the best maintained state park facilities? Then look no further than here at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park. But a quick head’s up: this state park has multiple campgrounds to choose from. In all, there are 6 (yes, that’s right, count them, 6!) campgrounds that you will have to select between, but all are a little bit different, so for this particular review, I will be focused on just the Sandhill Camping Area. This spot is one of two that are closest to the Park Ranger office that you would have entered at the front of the State Park, having arrived either northbound or southbound on State Road #21. 

You will pass the Equestrian Trail Head (that connects you to the Florida National Scenic Trail), following a well-paved lane that passes by Sheeler Lake (no fishing or swimming here BTW) on the right and a Ravine Stairway (you’ll easily see by road signs), where you will take the very first left that you come to. Follow this lane until you reach a fork in the road, where you can either turn right (to Turkey Oak camping area – which I detail in another review) or left to Sandhill Camping Area. Once at this spot, there are exactly 18 sites (#1 - #18) ordered in low to high with alternating sites on either side. It’s a simple, singular loop that posits a fairly well-maintained restroom and shower facility in the middle of the loop, with a trash dumpster offered at the end. There’s decent shrubbery between campsites and a fairly fantastic tree line that encircles Sandhill. 

For a state park, there’s a ton of amenities in addition to primitive, group, regular tent, RV and trailer camping, including, but not limited to the following amenities: geo-seeking, paddling, star-gazing, wedding pavilions, hiking trails, BBQ’s, fire rings, swimming, canoe and kayak launch with beachhead, wildlife viewing, birding, picnic tables, fishing, horseback riding, reunions and group gatherings, walking and running trails, restored historic sites (e.g. Old Mill), meeting & retreats, laundry facilities, restrooms, bathhouses, playgrounds with swings and slides, shower stations, parking, equestrian trails, cabins and a mini-mart at the Ranger’s Station where you can buy ice, kindle and a number of other sundry items. All this and the entire place is pet-friendly. 

Insider’s Tips? Here’s a few: (1) I believe that the best spots are on the external side of the single loop at the corners, providing for maximum privacy, so look at campsites #4 and#6 (seemingly the most amount of space) or #13 and #15; (2) If you would like to get a decent hike in, follow the sign to the Mill Site and when there, follow the Loblolly Loop for a shorter, less arduous hike and Ridge Trail for a longer, more difficult trek (note: both of these loops follow the Gold Head Branch, with the Ridge Trail heading north to the Ravine, where there’s an overlook and picnic area); (3) If you have horses, bring ‘em! This entire park is completely circumnavigated by an outer ring of perfect horse hiking terrain; (4) Tired of hitting SP’s only to realize that there aren’t many picnic tables or places to throw your spread for a nice meal or afternoon of leisure? You won’t have that problem here at Mike Roess – there’s about 50 or so individual picnic tables spread throughout the entire park; and (5) When you get tired of firing up franks & beans or foraging for your next meal in your Cordova roto-molded cooler, head on over to Brooklyn Boy’s (a.k.a. THE PIG) for some solid Italian staples (think pasta and pizza) – where I recommend the fried ravioli, sausage & peppers hero, but the item that steals the show is the seafood Possillipo with a nice Pinot Grigio (BYOB) to wash it all down with. 

Happy Camping!

Rustic CCC campground. Far from the road no noise or light pollution yet only 5-10 minutes to the supermarket. Clean Bathrooms, small loops.

The site was HUGE! Lots of woods, little smoky due to controlled burns, but not bad at the site. Sewer drop was far in the back of the park. Could be a great place, but not many campers. Water and amenities could be amazing but local lakes are low due to local industry, so beach and water activities were a ghost town. Some nice trails and VERY quiet and relaxing.

There are so many places to walk to and bike ride to. The sites have nice spacing in the section we stayed at. Tons of birds around which was really cool to listen to.

We really enjoyed this campground.  The Lake Loop had really ample sites, and the grounds are well kept.  It has beautiful star viewing, and the trail to the ruins was well marked and not too difficult.  The facilities were clean and the other campers were all friendly and helpful.  We saw deer and plenty of birds.  Definitely plan to return.

A nice state park woodsy feel for sure. Our site was quite sandy and a bit unlevel after some rain, but it worked. We were able to walk from our site on some nearby trails and explore around the park. A fun few days.

This campground is great. It is close to a lot of cities in Northern Florida, has restrooms, the staff are very nice, and much more. Its great for family camping thanks to the restroom/bathing facilities.

This state park is real quiet and peaceful. It is spread out with two separate campground loops and cabins available also. The staff and other campers were friendly and helpful. We came in after dark and were having a hard time backing into our site and a nearby neighbor came over and assisted us. Great spot to see wildlife I’m sure but we only saw some birds and squirrels. The trails were nice and well marked. We didn’t use the restroom facilities so can’t speak on those. The sites were pretty nice size but some seemed real close to each other. Most sites had some shade. We stayed in the sandhill loop site 12. It looked like the upper site numbers on this loop had more shade. Overall we enjoyed our night and morning hike with the dogs.

This campground was very quite and had very clean grounds the staff were very friendly and helpful and the amenities were wonderful hot showers fire pit ring charcoal grill and electricity also the convenience of the 24hr has station 3 min away came in handy the scenery was beautiful the only downside was having to hear camp Blanding military base shooting guns most of the morning it was very jarring I think mostly because it was so quite here we stayed 1/29/21 - 1/31/21

Swim fish, hiking trails,wildlife, many old historical buildings!

Started at site 73 (Lakeview Loop) for one night and switched to site 26. They recently cleared out the tree behind site 73 and our spot was bare. And no view but some power lines. But it is the best loop for bigger RVs. We have a tiny camper and much preferred the "Turkey Oak" Loop. Mike Roess campground is beautiful place, we just got the worst spot to start. Site 26 was beautiful. Lots of trees. Private on one side. Our favorite spots are, in this order, 25, 18, 29, 31, 33, 35, 4, 24, 22, 21, 33, 19, 20, 13, 15, 16. #68 through to 71 (68 and 71 are our favorites in that loop) in the Lakeview loop have a nice view of the Lake. MOST have water and electric hookup. Bathrooms are super clean with Showers! Beautiful moss covered trees throughout the grounds and some historic buildings on site. I believe the rent canoes for the lake too! They sell firewood at $7.00 a bundle but you need exact change. We are going back next month and staying with some friends. Great Weekend!

Park is very serene and (as far as Florida goes) beautiful. I've seen wild turkeys, deer, tons of birds, and turtles in my short stay. Restrooms are nice and clean, are ADA accessible, and well ventilated with big shower stalls and a baby changing station. There's also a coin operated washer and dryer.

I stayed in a pull-through site (#54) with my 34' RV and tow vehicle. Got a little caught up on a tree because the signs for where the sites are is a little confusing, but it was a nice sized, level lot of packed sand and rock. Some sites are paved. There's a HUGE picknick area with a sand volleyball court, playground for kids, pond for fishing, and trails for hiking/biking.

Edit to add: I wrote this before I left. Came back to say that the park ranger manager was very rude, as was one of the ladies that works in the office. Was made to evacuate a day early because of a tropical storm warning that had been lifted by the time I left! If you need help, ask for Ranger Carlos - he is awesome!

We went camping with the family and dog. The bathhouse was clean and well kept. Good size campsites with fire ring, picnic table, water and electricity. Our camp site was partially shaded.

Very nice park and clean

The Campground and nearby lake are nice. There are some cool hiking trails just outside the campground with a bit of elevation and some springs.  Nice Spot just a short drive from Jax.

Families first camping trip

I love this park and continue to go back. The Florida Trail is my favorite part of my visits. The cabin we stayed in was small but nice. The ravines are gorgeous. You can access it with a vehicle, but you must walk down many stairs. You can only access the area through the trail. I have seen all kinds of little creatures.

We have stayed here many times. In cabins or in tent. We like to hike which there is plenty of m. Canoe which they rent. Firewood is available.

We camp and hike here ALL the time. Canoeing, hiking, picnicking and just plain relaxing are on the top of the list. Cleanest bathrooms and quietest camping. Ample space between.

I love this state park and frequent it often. The Florida State Trail passes through the park and is well marked. The ravines section is my favorite area in the park. In the greener months, it feels like a rain forest.

The camp areas are well spaced and located within a fast walking distance from the restrooms. These are some of the cleanest restrooms I’ve seen in my camping experience.

Canoe rentals are available and there is a nice beach for the children to play.

I have never had a bad experience at this park and will continue to camp here.

There are two loops for campers, both very nice - one is near the lakes but not directly accessing the water (you’ll get more RVs in that area) and the tent camping loop backs up against the woods. Great access to water sports, the ravine hiking trails, dirt roads leading out the back entrance for motorcycles to easily access the nearby forest roads, and the amenities are spare but clean. The staff are always friendly and understanding, and other campers tend to be seasonal, return groups and families - pets are more than welcomed.

Nice clean campground. It was a while ago and I don’t recall in specifics.

This park was filled with ample hiking opportunities, the Florida trail even runs through a bit of it. Within the first 5 minutes of being in the campground we saw a family of deer passing through, however we were the only ones there both nights. They have plenty of sites for both tents and RV’s. The campsites themselves had plenty of space. There is also a lake that you can swim in as well. Great campground for the summer!

Camp staff knows much about the Native American heritage in this location.

This campground was very quiet. We picked the wrong site but there are many very nice ones. We will go back and now know which sites to pick. It is not close to anything so if you are looking for things to do this is not the place.

Had a great visit. Got 2 sites and had more family start camping with us. Kids loved the scenery for hiking and pictures. Only issue was low lake water but not campgrounds fault. Great stay so peaceful.

Stayed here with my grandkids. I had rented one of the older cabins and was upgraded to a much nicer one for free. It was a beautiful 3 bedroom cabin with a full kitchen and bath. The forest had awesome trails. We had a great time at a great price.

Very woodsy, plenty of walking trails,even a spring to take a dip in,if you dare!!

Campsites w/ water and electric. Shaded campsites. Hiking trails, swimming area. Canoes for rental available in Park.