Astatula is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Astatula is surrounded by family-friendly activities. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Astatula, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$20 - $35 / night
"The hiking near by is great and plenty of trails near by. Also a spot to go paddling but we didn’t this trip. We will deff be back!"
"It was great getting to learn about the north shore ranch and the abundance of trails in the area for exploring! Stop by and leave a review with some pictures of your favorite views!"
$30 / night
"The camp spaces are on a large field and each has its own fire ring.
It has a very cozy communal vibe. Saturday nights they host a large fire down by the boat launch for everyone to join."
"To begin with, there’s nearly 1,000 crystal clear springs throughout the state of Florida, so when you find one that’s pretty spectacular, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack."
"Crooked River Campground is located within the Croom Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest (Hernando County), and a short 5-mile drive from I-75."
"Tent camping only, with a picnic table, fire ring and water faucet. You have a bath house you can get to by walking and it has hot water in the fall and winter months."
"I like to go across the causeway and down the Bog Button Trail and over to the Hammock Trail and along the Cactus Trail and down around the ponds and back out the Bent Pine Trail. "
$9 - $18 / night
"Jumper camp is a primitive area with a picnic table and a fire ring."
"We packed light but not that light because we like to be comfortable; it took my BF and me about 3 trips each to get everything we needed to the site, including firewood, our 4 person tent, air mattress"
$290 / night
"Super cute secluded cabin directly on the lake. You have your own private boat slip, 100ft long dock for fishing & swimming, canoes/paddles/life jackets on site."
"It worked out well as some family members like the cabin experience and others were able to stay in tents near the cabin. There are lots of places to sleep (bunk beds, queen, etc)."
$24 / night
"I typically avoid tent camping here in the summer months– early summer the trails are heavy with mosquitoes and summer rains bring a large amount of flooding."
"Lots of RV campers, sites that are quite close to each other, and rock-hard ground from being packed down by heavy vehicles day after day."
"Set of primitive spots near lake. Main road entry is packed dirt; smaller access road to sites is two-track about 1/4 mile through woods — very narrow tree clearance. 4WD recommended."
"Very narrow trails but really easy access, you will leave with some new pinstripes"
LegendTo get to this camp you will have to hike in along old levy's some just over a foot wide. Much of the trail is sloped to one side or the other. Along the way you will see some beautiful sites! Many hike the loop trail as a day hike. but it is better enjoyed at a slower pace as there is so much to see if you open your eyes. The just over 7 mile trail takes you by orange trees cover in butterflies in spring, also wildflower lines trails and along the beautiful St Johns River.
The camp site is used often by scouts and folks wanting to start training for longer hikes North of Florida. The campsite it self is very nice. there is a covered shelter, fire pit, benches and a picnic table. Many trees for hammock camping and lots of room for tents. Sadly with no toilet facilities back along the edges of the campsite you will find evidence of human use and abuse. PLEASE leave no trace. Also if you go take the time to pull a few of the invasive Caesar Weed plants that are trying to take over the camp (they are the ones with seeds that act like Velcro).
You MUST have a reservation to camp here. If you have a pet it MUST be kept on a lease at all times and picked up after. there are feral hogs and snakes on the property....and you must practice bear safety using a bear proof container for food and hanging from tree at night. We saw no bear sign when we hiked - but that is not saying they are not around.
RangerFantastic 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.
LegendPROS
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
LegendSawgrass Island Preserve is a unique piece of property. I love hiking on the north side of the property it looks so much like Old Florida. I like to go across the causeway and down the Bog Button Trail and over to the Hammock Trail and along the Cactus Trail and down around the ponds and back out the Bent Pine Trail. This is around a five mile hike and can be stretched out by doing the North Loop Trail also . I have seen several whitetail deer, sandhill cranes, lots of other birds, quail, and some turkeys while hiking. I also saw a black bear up a tree in the marsh. It is a hidden gem for sure. The south side is nice but gets super sandy in places due to horseback riders. And if you have horses the preserve allows riders and even has a spot or two with water for the horses and some picnic areas with hitching post to tie off horse and have some time to eat. Some trails are narrow and give the feel of actually walking in, in the woods! I haven't camped there but they have two primitive campsites on the Hammock Trail near the marsh with a fire ring, picnic table, and lantern post. There is also a horse campsite along the Cactus Trail down near the ponds and there is an open pole barn with two roomy stalls for horses and picnic tables and a fire ring with benches. Also room to pitch tent under barn too. There is no water available at any of the campsites. Could be a fun adventure waiting in Old Florida. There is a camping application to fill out on line at www.lcwa.org and a small fee, but if everything checks out ok at the end of the stay after a Ranger has had a chance to check out the site your fee is refunded.
GuideOkay, so I didn’t do a ton of research, but I have driven around here before so I decided to get one of the primitive sites and do a little gear testing.
-$5+ per person/night -Bundles of firewood available for purchase (located at the site) -$5 arm loads -Fire ring, Picnic Table, Bench, and Garbage pail at the site
Walked the long way in (3.25miles), instead of the 1 mile route. The entire hike is through typical open grass “roads” cut and maintained in the Florida brush. The site itself had a nice vibe and is far away from any other sites at the park. A large open clearing could easily allow for a dozen tents, unfortunately, I brought my hammock,.. and this site is not set up for hammock camping.
With a little rigging and placement over a dried up gator hole, I found a spot that I could hang my hammock and shelter for the night.
I thoroughly enjoyed the spot, other than the lack of clearing for a hammock, and the mosquitos were absolutely unbearable... I am aware that it was rainy season in Florida, near a WMA named Green Swamp, but I went home with hundreds and hundreds of bites, despite my preparedness.
I would camp here again, maybe when it’s a little cooler and more dry, and also would hike in with a tent, or potentially take the shorter route and pull a wagon full of gear, to enjoy a bit more “glamped” feel.
GuideWe loved the large sites. And pretty private. Wooded areas between sites. Nice clean restrooms and showers. Only 2 showers in the ladies bath house. It's old but clean. But it's sapose to be no pets. And a camper near us had a very large dog in a cage that barked all day. Very annoying. Bad area for ticks. Rangers check sites several times a day and are very nice. Also there is water but no electricity. We will go back. No generator after 10pm.
TravelerWe hiked extensively in this tract and used Mutual Mine campground as one of our stop-overs. Very nice, open, flat areas to pitch tents and close to hiking trails. Fire ring at each site, options to hang your hammock. Bathrooms but no showers. Free potable water. You can also pull in a trailer but this is not a full-commercial type campground. More a cross between that and primitive camping…….perfect for backpackers!!
LegendStayed here for a night in November of 2020. We stayed at the Ashley campsite. It is free but had to register at watermatters.org - (Southwest Florida Water Management). They provide you with a code to unlock the gate once registered. At the campsite there were about 15 sites. Most had non-potable water. All had a picnic tables and fire ring. My site had a covered picnic table. A vault toilet was also provided and was pretty clean. The campsite was about half full when I was here and it was pretty quiet even though you can see your neighbors. You are permitted to collect fire wood as long as it has fallen from the tree. For a free campsite, I can’t complain. I would stay here again.
GuideMaybe it’s the no pets rule, but this campground was the quietest we’ve been to and we camp nearly every weekend.
The sites are spacious with the fire rings being in the way back. This is a no alcohol park. They didn’t have any fire or ice, which is a negative. We love camping at spots that have that for purchase. The nearest Publix is about 5 minutes or so away and does have both.
They don’t allow you to have anything on the trees, which I found a little off putting. We had solar lights hung from them, just wrapped around, not attached, and were told by the camp host (? Didn’t introduce himself) they needed to come down. Staff rode around a few times and said nothing but, okay.
The bathrooms were clean and well maintained. Lots of open space to run around, kick a ball, two playground sets, and a beautiful walk to Lake Mary Jane.
Quiet hours were observed, which was so nice.
I brought my T-Mobile home router and had plenty of signal to work, stream, etc.
We will be back!
Tent camping near Astatula, Florida, offers a variety of scenic locations and unique experiences for outdoor enthusiasts. From serene lakeside spots to forested retreats, there's something for everyone looking to immerse themselves in nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Astatula, FL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Astatula, FL is North Shore Relic Ranch with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Astatula, FL?
TheDyrt.com has all 57 tent camping locations near Astatula, FL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
