Looking for the best options for tent camping near Crystal River? The Dyrt is an easy way to find tent camping spots near Crystal River. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Crystal River's most popular destinations.
A free reservation is required and must be displayed.
Separate primitive camping areas available for individual and equestrian camping. Backcountry camping available. Campsites for cars and primitive cabins available. Groups can reserve tent site or cabins up to 90 days in advance. Reservation and fee are required and can be made up to 30 days in advance.
$18 / night
Idlewild was founded in 1992 by William T Davis as a fish camp for those who knew how many bass are swimming and living in the spring-fed waters of Lake Panasoffkee. It’s built on 3 acres with 10 cabins, 10 RV pads. While small, it is not short on amenities. Positioned as a boutique lodge, large groups may find it ideal to host private events. Families will find the amenities to be entertaining while also serving as a unique, but truly “Floridian,” nature experience. Located on the western perimeter of Lake Panasoffkee, Idlewild sits across a 9,911 acre state park preserving Lake Panasoffkee's vast floodplain forest, natural springs, pine flat-woods, freshwater marshes and oak scrub forest.
Recognizing the beauty Lake Panasoffkee has to offer, the current owners revitalized Idlewild in 2022 welcoming residents and tourists alike to enjoy the natural beauty and fishing opportunities Lake Pan has to offer. In addition to cabin renovations and pavered RV sites, Idlewild now features additional premium amenities including pontoon boat rentals, kayaks, bait & tackle, a concrete boat launch, boat slips, vending, recreational area, laundry machines, an on-site café, pool-side cabanas, and the most spectacular views of Lake Pan while sitting around the gas-fired fire pit. For those seeking a bit more adventure, Idlewild is host to Swamp Fever Airboat Adventures. Swamp Fever guests can sign up for the interactive alligator experience and ride an airboat deep into the shallow waters of the Lake Panasoffkee enchanted forest where snakes, turtles, cranes, and alligators are aplenty.
$74 - $255 / night
Overnight primitive camping is permitted only within the Primitive Camp Zones (PCZ’s) designated by yellow-banded trees. PCZ West is located on the west end of the trails and 1/2 mile north of the Tucker Hill Trailhead. PCZ East is located north of Croom Road (Forest Road 6) between Forest Road 9 and Nobleton Croom Road approximately 6 miles east from Tucker Hill. Nearby campgrounds with bathhouses are located at Hog Island Recreation Area and Silver Lake Recreation Area
Ten campsites are available for overnight tent camping at the park. There is also a group tent camping area. Reservations must be made in advance through the Pasco County Parks & Recreation Department.
Legend
Wow... a few miles from home and one I will visit often! This lovely county run park you will find at the end of a 15 min drive down a back country road. There is so much to see and do here. The campsites are well shaded. (unless grounds were full when you reserved and you took option to camp in adjoining astronomy field). I would have rated a 5+ except that there is only 1 small bathhouse in campground. There are other bathrooms on property though. Staff on phone are not overly friendly - but do not let that dissuade you from booking a spot here!
There are multiple tent camping sites dispersed on property and 1 primitive site that you have to hike into. The group site is very popular with local scouts! The RV/Tent sites are roomy and not too close together - but not very private either. There is a dump station onsite
Next to campground you will find a historic church, a large and small cabin available for rent, 2 playgrounds, shelters, large pavilion with grill/fire pit, fishing dock, canoe launch, paved bike trail hiking trails and an observation tower. On new moon nights the local astronomy club uses neighboring field to gaze at the stars. This place is quiet and dark at night!
Wildlife did not seem to be a problem at camp (but we are very careful with trash). There are lots of birds, deer and fishing was good on the river.
You might have to compete with us for a reservation here - we will be back!
Scout
I called and was told they don’t allow any tent camping. Just an FYI. Was advised only the state parks in the area allow tent camping.
Guide
The park was beautiful with tons of mossy oaks, we camped in a tent, but the bathrooms were close, there was an outlet and a water faucet near to wash our dishes. I didn't see any manatees but the spring was beautiful and cold. Pretty hiking trails and a boat launch, the raccoons loved my husband's boat.
TravelerThis park has RV sites, regular tent sites, cabins and primitive camping. I like the regular tent sites, not much of a walk in but secluded. The park includes restrooms and showers and seem to be taken care of. There are several trails around, one paved, and I believe the Florida Trail is very close. Quiet at night and peaceful.
Scout
To much for just tent camping
Scout
We decided last minute to do some camping and they were very nice in the office. There are showers, bathrooms, tent camping, rv camping, canoe launching, and even a pool. Also if you keep going down the main road you will find a little beach and park. The only thing I could suggest is that they do not place the tent campers right in the middle of the rv's. It was hard to get used to our tent camping and hearing the a/c's and tv playing Every Body Loves Raymond.
Guide
Nice place, relatively quiet. Little light pollution. Sites are very spacious. Close and clean facilities. Saw a good bit of wildlife: deer and wild boar. Hiking and biking trials. I regular tent sites (which are also hammock friendly). Also have cabins for rent. Prices are on the lower end, $17 a night for tent sites. Only reason for the 4 start is the reservation system has to be done through the county park and rec sites.
Traveler
The people are friendly and the fishing is great. Tent sites are primitive but there is a bath house.
Scout
The photo associated with this description is a picture of the cedar key tourist area- not Shell Mound Campground. However, situated approximately 4 miles away, Shell Mound is an incredible camp site for tent camping, RV camping, kayak camping. It’s a county run park and only 10$ night for tent camping or pickup truck camping. It has a clean bath for men and for women and hot showers for both. Boat ramp only usable at high tide- otherwise need your airboat to slide up in low tide. Short hiking trails just to the south through the salt marshes and amazing archaeological mounds and history in walking distance. This is the best of Florida. At night, grab dinner and drinks in cedar key and come back to your camp site next your fire. Sleep good listening to crickets, owls, and other critters. Wake up to the glorious sun rising over the salt marshes! Use this site as a home base to explore the Lower Suwannee wilderness areas owned by the federal and state governments!
Scout
Can flood but there is dry ground to camp on. Sulfur water in the outdoor showers, great tent sites right off river.
GuideState park off the beaten path. Rv sites can be tight, lots of tent sites. Springs area is small but cave divers are always there. Make sure you check for ticks.
Scout
RV sites but they allow tent camping so you have electric and water hookups, showers, toilets, dog friendly, many hiking trails, and a 30-minute drive to the Crystal springs, dames caves, and manatee snorkeling!
Everyone there was super friendly. If you like off-roading, then you'll love their trails.
Guide
Quiet, lots of wildlife (wild horses, bison, alligators, deer, birds, turtles); plenty of hiking and biking trails with beautiful sunsets on the lake. Restroom facilities are showing some age but clean. Walk-in tent sites are pretty close to the Restrooms.
ScoutNice little country park. Cash Only. Primitive tent sites, Electric & Electric & Water Sites.
$10, $20 & $25. Accommodates 30 Amp hook ups only. Limited to 7 day stay.
Boat ramp, fish cleaning station, playground, restroom & showers. city of Cedar Key approx 15 minute drive.
Guide
We stayed here over the winter and we were pleasantly surprised! The spaces were relatively private, and the bathrooms were neat and tidy and there was water and trash on site. We tent camped and after enjoying the springs we went and had dinner 5 minutes away! This is a great spot because you feel secluded but you can run to a lot of nice restaurants and grab groceries nearby! We will be back. 
ScoutMy daughter and I tent camped on Mother's Day weekend. The grounds were booked but from our spot, we still had privacy and quiet. Spaces were level and came with a picnic table, fire pit, plenty of trees and wildlife! We hiked through about 8 miles of trails, walked the boardwalks through the Springs and enjoyed the beautiful springs themselves! Bathrooms were clean and the ones we were closest to weren't busy.
Guide
Ended up at this campground since we couldn’t find anything else open at the time. Sure glad we went. The campground is one loop in a field. With camping along the edge in the woods and also in the field with some trees. Lots of open tent camping also. The bathrooms are huge and modern and super nice.
The attraction here is the biking. It’s an international destination for mountain biking! While there are no mountains in Florida, there are many man made ramps and jumps and turns. It’s remarkable to see. There is also a wonderful cross Florida trail that is paved, is super smooth and it meanders through old plantations, woods, and horse farms. It’s gorgeous. It was a great place to visit.
LegendExcept for the noise of the highway, you would never guess you were 10 minutes from a major metropolitan city. The campground is very private with lots of trees and palms separating sites, especially in the tent loops. The tent sites are walk in, with some closer than others. I took site #23 for the night, which was set back just enough to the private, but not so far as to really haul my gear. Each tent site has a numbered parking space as well. There seemed to be about 10-12 tent only sites and the remainder of the 50 sites had hook-ups for RVs. The bathhouse was clean and modern, and well taken care of.
A two mile hike will take you the visitors center, from which you can climb the observation tower to look over the prairie and have access to several trails. It was really wet when I was there which meant that several trails were partially closed. But I still managed to hike several miles over several trails. I never did see the Cracker Wild Spanish Horses or the bison, but did see lots of signs in the form of poop. I also didn’t see any gators, but did get to see lots of birds of various size and variety.
Ranger
The campground has cabins, RV hookups and tent sites. It's nothing to write home about. It was just convenient to be close to the springs since it's a decent drive from any other major city in Florida. The springs themselves are quite cold so in the end we didn't spend that much time swimming - we probably could have driven back home and not camped after all. The Devil's Den itself is very neat to see, definitely worth going to at least once to snorkel or scuba dive. But if you can drive back to wherever you're staying, I would! I only took pics of the spring and not of the campground unfortunately. Enjoy!
Ranger
If you’re tent camping in the tent-only walk-in sites, site 60 is definitely the most private (farthest from the lot but still a short walk in on a paved path). Bathrooms are two single stall/shower combos, but never too crowded. Campground is good for paddling, especially for renting from the concessions (they have single and tandem kayaks, SUP, and canoes). It’s a drive and a separate entrance to get to the head springs area of the park, though there is a small roped off swim area by the boat ramp. We went before tubing opens (April 1 each year), so the Rainbow was less crowded and stunningly clear and emerald.
Traveler
Great place to boondock! Spent 3 nights here by the pavilion. There are about 5 spots in the “primitive” camping area. Plenty of privacy and a kayak launch area. Spots have fire rings and a couple have picnic tables. Porta potty is clean. The back-country area was recently gated so RVs can no longer camp there. It’s now designated as tent-camping only. It’s a huge open space with entrances to walking trails and beautiful views of the river. The back-country area has an outhouse. It’s easy to get to and very quiet other than other campers and periodic airboats that zoom by.
LegendWe rented a tent campsite for 5 nights. We had such a fantastic time here. What fantastic facilities. Bathrooms nice and clean and modern. Campsites large with hookups. The spring is beautiful. We saw manatees and otters. Lots of wildlife. Rented a super cheap kayak and had a great time on the river. Also went hiking on all the trails. So much to do and the staff were super friendly and helpful! We can't wait to come and camp here again.
Guide
I rated this park a four, only because it's not really meant for a long stay for tent campers or for a lot of activities. There is a beautiful lake that you can canoe/kayak/boat on, and a great trail that runs along side of it, but it is super close to I75. I am a heavy sleeper, and actually appreciate "white noise" but for others tent camping, it may be inconvenient. I would recommend this as for a one night stop for travelers or for RV's only. There isn't a visitors center and check-in is by honor code. Dogs are allowed so this is always nice for me! There is also dirt biking trails, which is something you don't always see and nice to have. Other that water activities there wasn't much to do on site. Locally and near by is the Dade City Battlefield, which was really interesting and historic information about Florida. There is also an ancient oak tree in the middle of the park which was beautiful! I'd recommend visiting if you stay at this park.
RangerThis park is more than just a glass bottom boat tour. Within the park radius—> You have the “Silver Springs Attraction”, the state campground with all it’s hiking/biking trails, Silver River kayaking/paddling , a small museum and lots of history at this park. Then within an aprox 6mile radius (easy biking) you can enjoy Majorie Cross Greenway,Florida Trail, Swamp Lake trails and the state park equestrian trails. Wow! RV and tent sites -some with full hook up and really nice cabins. This was some the best kayaking up and down river....both ways were a joy to paddle. (Watch our kayaking the silver river video on our YouTube channel...resident manatees are often seen on river!!)
We were here in a 34 foot Class A with only 2 bikes and 2 kayaks Happy Camping www.travylcouple.com
TravelerWhen we arrived at tent campsite #32 we were shocked to see how close each site was to one another, with no trees or vegetation to create any sort of privacy. Our fire pit and picnic table were about 5 feet from one of the tents at the site next to our’s. When we noticed liquors bottles everywhere at our neighboring site, we packed up, knowing it would be a long, noisy night. We went to the rangers station to find another open site, but they required a fee. We left without a refund and probably won’t come back for camping, although the trails were beautiful.
Guide
Well, if your looking to do some “camping” this is not place. We came into Florida on a Friday looking for a campsite for us and our rooftop tent and was not having any luck on finding a campground that had any vacancy. We didn’t want to stay at a Rv park because we don’t have a Rv and we like nature and privacy. So we were running out of options and called CODYS and they said they didn’t have any spots but ended up telling us since we just had a suv he would us stay a night for $45, which was a very high price for one night in a tent. When we arrived the man was very nice and we thanked him for making room for us. In my option the only thing this place has, is old RV’s that have been parked there for years, full time residents. Bathrooms did not lock, 10min max time in the restrooms, and frogs in the bathroom also. Very crowded and interesting corky place. We made the best of it for being parked in a little grass area which included a picnic table and fire ring. People were nice just not for tent camping or short term stays!
Traveler
I love this place! Even though you can't bring your dogs here (Cypress Glenn you can - it's just down the road, but not as secluded and more for RV's). There are a few group campsites here and some side by side, but most of the sites are secluded with dense forest in between each site. 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. You are right near the Withlacoochee river and there are lots of trails to walk around and visit. You have some walk up sites (2) and the others you will need to reserve ahead of time. Love the wildlife around here. We don't have the time to travel as far as we would like
Tent camping near Crystal River, Florida, offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying a variety of amenities and activities. With several well-reviewed campgrounds in the area, you can find the perfect spot to pitch your tent and unwind.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Crystal River, FL is Flying Eagle Preserve with a 4.4-star rating from 7 reviews.
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