Little Manatee River State Park Campground

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

Quiet peaceful Spot no no

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.

Easy to follow trails

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!

So much to offer!

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

happy campers 

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.

A great unknown

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. 

Peaceful trail

Wet in August 

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. 



Good for Party, Bad for Quiet 

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. 

Nice trails and river 

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

Our first camping trip together….

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

Little Manatee River State Park 

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. 

I wanted to love it but I’m disappointed 

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