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 least flat (in fact, there’s actually a few hills that you’ll have to incline) as well as the least quiet campground that is ideal for RV and trailer campers: Sandpine Camp Area. While you can tent on any of these sites, you’ll discover that this particular camping area is the most equal-opportunity camping haven and good for tent campers, trailers and RVs alike. While the perimeter of Sandpine is very well established with thick brush and decent Pine tree lines no matter where you go, certain sites, particularly those located on the inside of the loop, provide less privacy, but in all cases, Sandpine offers better cover than its nearby counterpart, Tropical.
Here at Sandpine, you are closest to highway 40 (where all of the swooshing of passing by traffic comes from) and located the furthest south in the Juniper Springs recreation area. You will also enjoy being closest to the entrance of Juniper Springs as well as the second closest located to the actual Juniper Springs Pool where you will easily be able to hike to in order to snorkel and swim. There are 25 campsites, with the most attractive sites being #51, #53, #55, #57, #58, #59 as they are the furthest east and above the fray of hiker and roadway traffic that cuts right in front of Sandpine. Sitting up a bit on higher ground, I do recommend sites #38, #39 and #41 as they have a sense of feeling a bit more remote.
Of the three campground areas here at Juniper Springs, Sandpine struck me as being best for families and / or groups that are more active, louder and don’t mind being surrounded by lots of activities all along with a greater sense of community. 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 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). You will find both ice and wood for sale back at the Gate House along with a select few other 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 minuscule 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 Ichetucknee and Rainbow 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 Ichetucknee and Rainbow Springs) as they offer MUCH more in the way of actual natural and man-made amenities;(2) 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 and incredibly well-kept; (3) If you do decide to come to Juniper Springs and want to camp in Sandpine, I highly recommend sites #51, #53, #55, #57 and #59; (4) When you get tired of digging through your cooler to figure out what the next meal will be, I highly recommend Miller’s Ale house just a 20 minute drive west from Juniper Springs – I recommend the zingers (don’t ask, just order!), English pub fish& chips and ensure that you order up a round of one of the 35+ brews on tap; and (5) Please note that while you can bring your own kayak or canoe (in the event that they ever open up the river launch) you cannot bring inflatables here to Juniper Springs.
Happy Camping!
