Little Manatee River State Park Campground

Site 2 HC restroom directly next store 50 amp water only Paved Spacious site Partial shade Clean restrooms and showers with HC ones 2 washers and 2 dryers brand new $2.50 EACH Plenty of walking, hiking, and biking Clean cg

I was really excited to stay here. I heard so many great things about this park, but we were incredibly disappointed in our site. The site looks like a bulldozer drove thru here and knocked down all the trees and brush last month and left all the debris around the perimeter to rot. Most other sites do not look like this and I’m including photos of ours and another empty one for contrast. We are here for 4 days during spring break but the site is so ugly we won’t be hanging around camp much. Most of them are beautiful so it’s the luck of the draw, I guess. The check-in was easy and the staff at the gate was super sweet. Camp office has ice and firewood but they close at 5 so plan ahead. Bathhouse is new and really nice. Because I think the rest of the park is so nice I’m still giving 4 stars but make sure to look at site photos and avoid mine, which is 17. The other photos in my review are of site 22 and it’s beautiful.

Edit: I came back to remove a star because I went back in n the website to see if any other sites were available since a ton of spaces around us were empty. I could only see availability for “tomorrow” and I could see that a spot that is available tomorrow and the rest of our time here is also empty today. I called the front gate to ask if we could move because of the condition of our site. The lady was VERY offended and said the debris is from a hurricane 6 months ago. I get it. That’s not the issue. The issue is that had I known the site was this bad, I wouldn’t have booked. That shouldn’t have made her mad. But it sure did. She told me I’d have to go online to make a change to my reservation, which I had already tried to do. After talking it over we decided to leave early so I called back a few minutes before 5. She answered an told me she was helping someone in front of her and she’d come back. She came back after 5 and when I told her I wanted to leave early and the website wouldn’t let me cancel my reservation early she said was closing because it was now after 5 and I’d have to call her tomorrow or I could call the main reservation line. I did. They said only the local camp office can help. We will not be back to this park. We drove from out of state to camp 2 days in basically a trash pile and be told we should be happy about it.

Very welcoming staff, clean peaceful campground. Great privacy between sites

Nice little park. Campgrounds were lade out well. Showers clean and well kept.

This campground is 2 miles from the main road therefore very quiet and peaceful. We saw turtles, rabbit and deer.

We had a great experience. Lots of wildlife around… great neighbors all around..

We spent a night in Little Manatee River State Park, and were pretty happy with how easy it was to access the trails, canoe launch, playground and bathroom. We’ve spent time at various state parks and sometimes the trailhead is so far from camp it takes longer to get there than it does to hike it (exaggerating here but you know what I mean!). We could easily access all that we needed to keep busy, and better yet, took advantage of it!

Tons of birds, butterflies and great views of the stars. Few tent campers but still, everyone was respectful and quiet. We will definitely be back once the cooler months come around again!

Really enjoyed our stay here, good size lot, #10, with electric, water, picnic table and fire ring. Clean dump station. Natural trees providing privacy between lots. A lot of walking trails for people and horses. A surprise was the amphitheater. Washers and dryers are located outside the bathrooms. Friendly hosts and other campers. Would came again.

There were not a lot of things to do here beyond hiking and boating. The campground was small with about 30 sites, dispersed. Three pavilions for when people can have gatherings again. Tampa is not too far away, but the park is kind of removed.

Little Manatee is a cool little spot out in Wimauma with close access to gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores. If you’re looking for a family get away with easy access to those sort of things, or just looking to party with friends, then I highly recommend. If you’re looking for some peace and quiet out in nature - as I was - this may not be your jam.

Camp sites have everything you need, including power, washer/dryer/, running water, and a centrally located bathroom. The unfortunate part was just how close all camp sites are together. In the wee hours of the morning, I was woken up by a few drunk folks going on about “Qanon” conspiracies, and a giant family with very loud children. With how close everyone was, I wasn’t able to get much sleep. Ear plugs are a must.

Not many critters to see here, minus the rare tortoise here or there.

Over all, this is a nice beginners site or just a spot if you’re looking to party. The site is mostly used by folks Glamping in campers and wine drunk middle aged moms. Make sure to wear boots as the dew fall causes quite a bit of mud.

Lot of critters, park rangers nice and helpful sites not on top of each other, no laundry on site no rentals d/t decreased staff. Friendly place. Ants will eat you alive at sites

Very quiet and easy hike in to campsite

Very peaceful!

This has been our first park Campground and couldn’t ask for a better one to start with. We arrived an hour sooner then the check in time and it was already available so no need to wait. The fire ring was clean as well as the RV spot. Rangers were very helpful getting us around and renting the canoes. Very private and spacious spot for Big Rigs as well as the medium size.. The equestrian rentals were very nice also. The bathrooms and showers are under construction and are located at spots from 1 thru 4 so if wanting more privacy 6 and up are for me much better. Our spot was 10 and we loved the privacy of the nature between every campsite along those areas for bigger rigs. The River is really nice for canoeing as well as for fishing and nature views. Hopefully we find again a spot to come again this year. Clean, well organized and well kept facilities and staff

Extremely peaceful. Trails are easy to follow. Easy access right off 301. Full loop is 6.2 miles and there is a half way loop which is 3 miles.

went with family, had a decent weekend stay. bathrooms were good. and had a fun time.

This campground was so special. In a low light area so stars were abundant. Pet friendly and there is a trailhead about a half a mile outside of the campground. We didnt see a single person in this 7 mile loop hike and were very pleased with that. The pups had a grand time per usual. I love this magical place.

Great place to take horses camping

this park offers lots of beautiful nature trails, kayaking, biking & bird watching

We love it here because we can hike, bike or just relax.

Great little campground, clean with good natural foliage dividers between campsites. Nice walking trails, & a gentle river for an easy paddle.

What an amazing State Park - they have multiple camping options. Equestrian, Car/RV camping and there is a back country site on a 7 mile loop trail that runs part of the way along the river.

The Car/RV camping spots are roomy, somewhat private. bathrooms are clean, almost always have camp hosts available.

Access to the back country loop trail and camping is just down the road. Reservations are required and you check in at main gate. camp is about 4 miles in on trail if hiking counter clockwise. There is a space for fire and picnic table at site. This is a nice place for beginner backpackers to try out. Sadly just through the tree line is a golf course and housing community. Note: resident raccoon is very large - you must hang your secure food and trash! You can see lights through the trees at night and hear the lawn equipment in the mornings. This can be comforting to first timers though. The hike along the river is just beautiful.

Equestrian camping group camping area offers 4 sites has stalls and other amenities for horse camping. fire pits and picnic tables. There are 12 miles of trails in the state park

There is also a primitive group camping site for scouts and other similar organizations.

There are many ranger and local outfitter activities and seasonally there are offered full moon horseback and kayak trips that allow you to see the area in a "different light"

Fishing is available also on the river, The "lake" is man made and has little to offer for those wanting a catch.

Make sure you book your reservation early as this park fills up fast!

This campsite is right outside of Little Manatee River State Park. I even missed the entrance and went to Little Manatee because I missed the turn. However, even though this camp is tiny, there is a lot to do. There is an area for tents, hammocks, campers and cabins are also available. One area of tents sites is a group site, which has a platform, tables with a pavilion, and a large campfire area, so if you have a group you want go with, this is great place to do so!

One of the highlights of this site is the canoeing. You can come in for day canoeing and the employees will pick you and the canoe up at a stop and bring you back to the site. You can also bring your own canoe while you stay and they will do the same thing for you at the pick up site down the river. One activity that I did not have a chance to do is the Moonlight Canoeing. This looked like so much fun because you go out canoeing at midnight and have snacks, drinks, s'mores, and listen to music around a campfire.

One last thing is the owners. They are super friendly and take care of the campers and the campsite. They also have peacocks that run around, so its fun to see them. I would definitely recommend this site to anyone looking for a place to camp in the Tampa area.

Extremely helpful rangers who warned that some of the trails were still not cleared from Hurricane Irma. Even with the down trees, it was a wonderful hike filled with Black Swallowtail butterflies.