## Overview

 Salt Springs Recreation Area is one the recreational jewels of the Ocala National Forest, with a spectacular natural mineral spring that gives the area its name. Plenty of outdoor activities keep campers and day-use visitors busy, including swimming in the springs, fishing, snorkeling, hiking and boating. Salt Springs is located between the St. Johns and Ocklawaha Rivers, 35 miles east of Ocala, Florida. The national forest spans four counties and 383,000 acres. It is the southernmost and oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River, and protects the world\'s largest, contiguous sand pine scrub forest.
## Recreation

 The natural springs, nearby Lake George and many surrounding rivers and streams provide ample opportunity for water recreation. Anglers can try a good fishing spot on Salt Springs Run, downstream of the swimming area, boat ramp and marina. Boat rentals are nearby. For those who wish to explore on land, the facility has basketball courts and a horseshoe pit. Hikers have easy access to the Bear Swamp Trail and a segment of the 1,400-mile Florida National Scenic Trail.
## Facilities

 Salt Springs is the largest campground in the Ocala National Forest and the only one with full hookups for RVs. The facility offers spacious campsites for RVs and trailers, as well as a designated tent-only area, which is a short walk from the parking area. Sites are nicely shaded and well away from the busy day-use area. The recreation area and campground are located in the community of Salt Springs, which has a gas station, grocery store, several restaurants, bait and tackle shops, a post office, laundromat and visitor center.
## Natural Features

 The semi-tropical region gives the campground a mixture of pines and palms, with lush greenery and warm temperatures. Within the recreation area, a natural spring rises from cracks deep within the earth. The presence of potassium, magnesium and sodium salts give the waters a slight salinity - hence the name Salt Springs. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Salt Springs is very close to Lake George, a great fishing destination.

Salt Springs Recreation Area

Located in the Ocala National Forest in Central Florida

Campground- with 2 large camping areas with over 150 sites overall this is one of the better campgrounds we have ever visited. One campground  has complete hookups, meaning 50amp, water and sewer.  The cherry on top is that all the sites are paved!  Wifi is ok  with our booster and using our verizon jetpacks.  There are two bathhouses with 3 showers. 

The second campground area also has an equally large camping area that is primitive with only water and bear lockers and one bath house.  This area is closer to the kayak boat launch. This area does not have paved roads and can be very sandy causing some bigger vehicles to get stuck apparently.   

Your campground fee does include entry into the springs, but know that on high attendance weekends you cannot drive your car to the springs parking lot and the springs can be up to 3/4 mile walk depending on your campsite. There are no laundry facilities but if you exit park and drive left there is a laundromat, local food, dollar store, bait tackle.  If you exit park and go left there will be a marathon gas station on your left- the unmarked building behind that is a small grocery store.  Across the street from this unmarked grocery story is a charming veggie/fruit stand and a food truck that serves mexican inspired food with a local flair.   

Note- be aware the road that leads to the boat ramp occasionally is forced to close due  soft sand . (This happens when there is a drought) This  means you will have to go to the Salt Springs Marina around the corner about 2 miles if you need a vehicle to drop off your boat.

 Hiking-In the park there is a dedicated 1.5 mile trail called Bear Swamp Trail and there is a .5 mile trail to the springs.  This park also has its own connector to the trail to the Florida Trail.  

Nearby short biking/hiking distance from the park connector trail is also the Salt spring observation loop Hike. 
There are soo many hiking opportunities in the area because of the Ocala Forrest, Florida Trail and the connectors.  Two of my favorite resources for this area are the websites Florida Hikes and the Florida Rambler.

Biking- the roads in and around the park are very bike friendly.  If you are into mountain biking you will enjoy the hundreds of miles of ATV/multi use trails in the area.  

Water Activities/Kayaking- Swimming in the Salt Springs-This is a natural spring area that due to the composition of minerals in the water there is a slightly salty tinge to the water.  The water in the springs are generally crystal clear and having googles and/or mask would make this more fun.  Water temperature is 72-74 degrees year around.  (We are currently here in June and our last visit was in January of this same year.)  Also- in the colder months -
Chances increase of seeing manatees the salt  springs run.

Just outside the swimming area is the "Salt Springs Run"  which flows slowly for 4.5 miles into Lake George.  This means paddling up and down the salt run is enjoyable both ways. 

 Other Activities outside the park-
1.5 miles away there  are 4 pickle ball courts  available by exiting right from the park. 
 
Amrit Yoga institute is about 10 miles away and offers wellness weekends, yoga, pilates.  There is also yoga on Tuesday nights at the Salt Springs Recreation center (next to the pickleball courts) 

We hope you enjoy this park as much as we do.  Enjoy the video we made for YouTube- it is below.

Happy Camping!  Pamela and Keith

You will come back to this park!

My sister and I went there to spend a few days relaxing and floating on tubes in the spring.  Love the salty water too!!!  Gorgeous setting.  Lots of oak trees around.  Good photo opportunities and everyone was so friendly and helpful.  I would go here again in a heartbeat.  Real Florida!!

Sisters Tubing

Located in Ocala National Forest in central Florida, this park is great for fishing, canoeing and snorkeling. This was a wedding trip for us so we had to keep the exploration to a minimum, I did however get a chance to take a dip in the springs and had a blast, can't wait to go back with better camera and video equipment. 

Take a dip

Plenty of shade thru the park. Beautiful swimming area. Full hookups, camp store, very nice camp host, grills at campsites and plenty of sitting at the spring

Plenty of shade!

wide open camping area, no buffers between people. but full hook ups and decent bathrooms.

ok place for swimming 

The springs are a beautiful 72°, always,    Lots of bicycles on the campground, clean showers, decent size camping lots, Very quiet and relaxing.  Not much nearby (probably at least 30 mins to “civilization“ ie, eating out although there are a few local places. Nice shade. Well staffed. Manatees right outside the springs swimming area. Very cool to see these massive marine mammals so close. 

Very clean!  

We went camping here with two small kids, one of the sites closest to the springs, just a short walk. The campsite was much bigger than I expected. There were other people near by, but very quiet night. The bathrooms were pretty clean and within decent walking distance. Check in was a breeze. We would definitely return! 

Large sites, no complaints! 

Clean and well thought out rr's. We were in 51 with trees out our windows for a view. H20,elec.,and sewer.good boat ramp for lake. We will be back!

Clean and quiet

We have camped here twice.  Once with kids and once without.  The spaces are close together without much vegetation.  The bathrooms leave much to be desired.  There is a ROBUST raccoon population as well.  The springs are refreshing to swim in and the kids loved swimming there.

Kids love it

We have camped here two times and I’ve enjoyed it both times. The camp sites have no privacy though. The springs are amazing and are highly recommended. The fish swim all around and aren’t scared of swimmers. The springs have several deep caverns. We saw a blue crab crawling up from one of them. 

The bathrooms were a mess on our second visit, but still was due to one of the large groups. 

The fish are awesome 

The springs in Ocala are breathtaking.  If you enjoy hiking, bird watching, photography or simply being outdoors this is the place to do it.  The only downfall to this park is that the RV sites aren’t private at all, not many trees separating the sites. If you want to travel to the other springs you do have to pay for each location, would be great if the local parks would offer a pass to get into all parks for campers. Also, if you like to hike make sure you spray down, ticks may get on you. Overall our visit was very nice.

Beautiful Views

Beautiful campground in Ocala forest! I camped here for 2 nights and enjoyed everything about it! Campsite 160 is my absolute favorite because it's the only private tent ground. Everything else is an open layout with the neighbors. Salt springs is a short walk about 3-5 minutes. Great for swimming and snorkeling! Crabs, turtles and manatees swim nearby as well! Campsite includes entrance to springs, fire pit, bench, water hook up with your own supplies though. Shower house and sink house centrally located. All of the hosts and rangers were so nice they genuinely care for the property which is so wonderful to see!! Brings tubes/rafts or buy one at the springs shop. Only thing close by at 5minutes is subway, dollar general, and gas stations so be prepared. 

Campsite 160!

Nice area and staff. Site 142 is big and slightly more separated than the rest of the tent sites. Also closest to the kayak launch. The other sites holy crap no privacy or separation between most of them. Wouldn't want to camp here when they are busy.

Hate to see it when they are busy.

Fantastic campground and recreation area. Over 150 campsites, one area full hookups with all amenities and other area for tent camping. Sites have lots of space and majority have shade trees with moss flowing in the breeze. All sites have picnic table, lantern pole, grill, and fire ring. We have 2 golden retrievers and had plenty of space to spare.  Beautiful stars out at night.  Bathhouses are large, clean, hot showers.  Trailer sites were full and only a few tent campers this time of year.  Tent sites are complete with Bear boxes at each site.  Camp hosts and management were very friendly and helpful.  
Saw manatees kayaking in the spring and river on premises.  Spring area has a boardwalk around it.  People swam with them too. Saw bald eagle catching fish, lots of birds, some fish, etc.  Has a small boat launch and marina.  Can tent kayaks.  Great place for bikes.  A few hiking trails were well maintained.  
Convenient location to lots of springs to visit and things to do. Visited Silver Springs, Blue Springs, Juniper Spring to name a few. All within 1 hr drive.  
Not sure how summer time is, but this late February time was Awesome. 40-50 at night and 60s in the day! This is a must stay place. 

Great campground in Ocala National Forest 

What a beautiful site we had!   Shady and it was 96 degrees!   Big site near a stream.   Road our bikes to the springs, and they were spectacular!   Definitely go back several more times!

Gorgeous

Very clean and neat place. You camp on paviment. Restrooms were ok. A lot of space, so kids can play.
We enjoy watching crabs, turtles and big fishes at the spring. Springs has a good shallow areas where kids can play inside the water. Ramp for boats

Best spring I have been

Salt Springs Recreation Area is part of the Ocala National Forest. It’s the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River and protects the world’s largest sand pine scrub forest. The Salt Springs gets its name from the magnesium, sodium and potassium levels in the water, giving it a slight salinity. We made our reservations online at www.recreation.gov you can also call 877-444-6777 the local office is(352) 685-2048. We’re a married couple in our forties traveling with two dogs and a cat in our 37 foot motorhome. We stayed at Salt Springs campground for about a week in February. It was$34 for full hookups or$23 for tent camping. American Land&amp; Leisure does a great job managing this recreation and camping area, the staff are professional and friendly. It’s a very safe and well lit campground. Activities include spring swimming, basketball courts, horseshoe pit, fishing, snorkeling, hiking, boating and kayaking. Canoe rentals are available. Nearby in the town of Salt Springs you will find a grocery store, gas station, restaurants, post office and laundromat. Don’t expect big box stores to shop in, this is a very small town and a place to get away from the world. We stayed in a full hookup site and had lots of space to ourselves, at least 25 yards to our neighbor on either side and about 40 yards to the next loop behind us. It was a flat site and very easy to level our motorhome. Sites are fully equipped with fire ring, grill, lantern post and picnic table. The tent sites include a bear locker. We loved the recycling opportunities at each trash container. They recycle plastic, glass and aluminum. The bathhouses are a gem, extremely clean and well taken care of. For campers in tents they offer a kitchen sink area to clean your dishes. Overall we loved our stay here, we went swimming multiple times with our snorkel gear and drove down to Silver Springs on two separate days(one for the glass bottomed boats and a second day to go kayaking).

Oldest National Forest east of the Mississippi River!

The campground is large and the sites are spaced decently. There is no barriers between the sites, so no privacy. It is close to the road so you do hear road noise. The bathrooms weren't the best but not that bad. The bath house I used had one shower broken that ran the entire time I was there (2 nights). Also, large industrial fans click on when you walk in, so it was very cold.

The springs are beautiful and we will definitely be back to go swimming during warmer weather.

Big Campground, Beautiful Springs

It’s our second trip here to see the manatees.


Saw them every day at the springs, kayaked with them, swam in the springs, did a little fishing. Saw turtles and crab as well. Very busy on weekend but great throughout the week. Sites are large and not much privacy. They do have a huge back space between campsites, some trees with the hanging moss. Just beautiful. Bathrooms were very clean. Camp hosts nice and checkin staff helpful. They have sites to reserve in advance and some are first come only which is nice for travelers. They do have tent camping as well. A small boat launch too. They do charge a day use fee if not camping. The springs are nice and gave areas for picnics.  Bugs are just starting to come out due to the warmer weather. You can access Lake George if you follow the spring river for about 5 miles. Was such fun our golden retrievers loved it. Do dogs allowed at spring swimming but could swim at boat launch. Fire rings, metal picnic tables, grill and light pole. 

Really enjoyed this place

Close to a nice spring (not the most beautiful of the area). Tent site are fine. Very friendly staff.

Camping in Ocala National Forest

Such a special place would definitely recommend. Our site was huge! But packed shade that was only drawback. 

Amazing springs spacious sites

Overall this place was one of our favorites. Most sites offer plenty of space although some can be angled and need to be leveled up with levelers even though it's on concrete. I love having open space behind most sites. If you do your research you can find amazing sites. Not to mention all are full hookup and plenty to do. You have 2 hiking trails that i could see with one being mountain biking as well. The springs are beautiful and you have access to a boat ramp and ability to go kayaking. There is a basketball court and horseshoe. There is also places for get togethers and trash cans and recycling. You're also close to silver springs and juniper springs. Overall it's very clean and the hook-ups are well maintained. The only problem i saw was not allowing personal golf carts. I believe they should allow them if you have personal insurance liability if they are worried. Other than that everything was amazing and can't wait to go back. As far as cell signal, i was able to test 3 service providers. T-mobile is non existent. Att has pretty good coverage and speeds were decent enough for email and possibly some video. Verizon used to be bad but i believe a verizon tower was built nearby and our Verizon hotspot worked very well, even for Netflix. 

Great Sites, Great Springs, Good amenities

I went on a weeknight in May and was one of 3 other campers. The area was very clean with little mosquito activity, but the yellow flies were ferocious. I was able to go down to the springs right when they opened and was the only one there, so I got to see a family of otters! The campgrounds felt safe and despite all the bear signs, I only was harassed by a begging squirrel.

Clean and Serene

Spacious sites with paved parking, grass, and shade. Can’t ask for much more! Facilities were clean, the staff was friendly, and the spring was incredible. We enjoyed the walk but some may want to bring a bike and drive to the spring area. We had a great stay and will definitely be back. 

Awesome Weekend at Salt Springs 

It was our first time out with our new camper and we throughly enjoyed the camp grounds. Very clean and well maintained. The springs are beautiful and refreshing. 

First timers

Beautiful site, and gorgeous springs!   We were there four nights with our grandchildren.   Went everyday to the springs.   They had a blast!

Relaxing

We camped in an RV this time. We were walking distance to bbq and volleyball nets. So the common area to grill and play was nice and spacious. 

There were some beautiful trails for a hike. On the way to the springs I saw some really nice private camping available. Just look at the map and pictures to find the best spot. 

Camping near the springs 

We have an amazing time every time we go!! Tents sites 130s are closet to the spring. I had full cell service. Spring is beautiful and nice to swim, kayaking is good with easy free launch. Nice ranger store with camping basics and a little shopping center near entrance with food and dollar general. 

Love it!

We were able to get a first, come first serve site over Labor Day weekend and what a treat!  Large site that accommodated our 30’ travel trailer, a tent, and badminton net.  One of the few places I have found with full hookup AND allows tents on site.  A nice bike ride to the springs for swimming.  Grills and fire pits at each site.  Beautiful oak trees have us plenty of shade.  Surprisingly quiet despite being full…mostly families from what I could tell.  We really enjoyed it and will be back!

Awesome family campground!

Great CG in the Ocala National Forest.  Older paved site, with awesome hook ups.  The camper sat on a fairly level paved pad which was a pleasant surprise.  Easy drive to the Salt Springs, which is in the same park and a must see.  Staff and guests were all so friendly and helpful.  It was about an hour and fifteen minutes to Daytona and St Augustine.  We have Verizon and Dish Network, which both worked perfectly.  No cable, WiFi or other cell carriers.  Not much in the area, but it did have gas stations and a few places to eat close.  Overall a very good experience.  Should be a 4.5 star review

Very nice gem in the rough

Our site was a really good size!  We had plenty of space on all four sides. The bathhouse by us was always clean. There’s only one walking trail, but that gave us a chance to just relax. The springs were beautiful. The pizza place across the street was really good. Traffic is pretty noisy since you’re right off a busy road. 

Nice campground

PROS

A camp host came to our site immediately after we unhitched to advise that our one tow vehicle tire on the grass will get us a $250 fine from US Forest Service officer. Funny, we never ever saw a USFS officer patrolling the campground. 

Entrance gates closed at 8pm requiring code to enter 

Immaculately maintained park. A small army of maintenance staff always working. Even one night at 930pm in the bathroom. 

Saved $156 with America the Beautiful pass 

Site 32 shady 

Asphalt parking pad surrounded with sandy gravel 

Moveable metal picnic table 

Pedestal BBQ grill 

High sided metal fire ring with 2 unremovable cooking grates 

One hook lantern pole 

Campfire wood for sale at registration office 

No street lights in campground so good dark sky viewing if neighbors have their rig lights off which most nights they were lit up which also lit up surrounding campsites 

Able to get T-MOBILE signal on our T-MOBILE WIFI device 

Many squirrels ate from our hand 

  

CONS 

In 8 days never saw a USFD vehicle drive thru the campground

$8 fee to make on-line reservations 

Site 32 not level 

Absolutely no privacy from any other site 

In 20 degree exterior temperatures, both campground bathhouses had windows open, whole house fans operating in full capacity and ceiling fans operating on high. Obvious park maintenance does NOT want anyone taking a shower when interior bathhouse temperatures were in the 30s and the bathhouse was a freezing wind tunnel! It was even difficult using the toilet. 

Loud and rowdy campers all weekend long—day and night. Quiet hours not enforced

Highway 19 traffic noise   

USFD clearing project on east side of campground. Heavy equipment noise for 9 straight hours day after day!!! 

No notice water outage for 2 hours 

No park WiFi 

No T-MOBILE cell service 

No public phone for emergency calls