Equestrian Camping near De Leon Springs, FL

Equestrian Camping Reviews near De Leon Springs, FL

146 Reviews of 20 De Leon Springs Campgrounds

• 

  B H.

  Traveler

  Jan. 17, 2021

  Princess Place Preserve

  Beautiful and Mosly Well-Maintained

  Equestrian campsites are nice and spacious, most sites are fairly big-rig friendly. The equestrian campsites have a garbage or two, fire ring, picnick table, 14 x 14 horse pens (uncovered but must are shaded), and some have a high-line (though ill strung). Most of the pens are kept in good repair, unfortunately my gate was off its hinges and had rusted sharp edges. I ended up wrapping it so my horse didn’t lacerate himself; this was a bit disappointing to see such disrepair in an otherwise pristine campground. Another pen had a dead and potentially dangerous limb hanging right over the area which was also unsafe. The bathrooms at the equestwian site were recently repainted and looked acceptably clean. Not the best I’ve seen but the update now makes them much more user friendly and less grimy. The grounds and trails are always very well kept. Would like to see the wild hog population controlled a bit more as we ran into a large group and saw the extensive damage the pigs left behind.

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• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  Jan. 1, 2023

  Welaka State Forest

  Solemn Equestrian Campground Experience

  As you approach Welaka State Forest, it feels as though you’ve arrived ‘at the end of the line,’ and not in a bad sense either. Here, you’ll feel as though you’ve escaped the crowds, left the commercial world only to discover a truly pristine natural jewel. You’ll be overwhelmed by the incredibly loud silence and solitude of this far-reaching outpost and the moment that you’ve crossed the threshold (or the gravel road) entering Welaka State Forest, you’ll be incredibly grateful for the wide open expanse of the place and the communion with nature that it provides. 

  Just due south of Welaka – where there’s a minute scattering of local eateries and distractions, this spot is fairly off the ‘beaten path,’ a good half hour south of Palatka in central Florida, along the banks of the historic St. Johns River. This federal turned state park was founded in 1935 (under the Federal Resettlement Administration) and today is both a major conservation area as well as fish hatchery for the State of Florida. In all, there’s 4 miles of river frontage area on the east bank of Little Lake George, making for some decent kayaking and canoeing, although most of this is fairly difficult to navigate as it’s swamp-like, where overgrown Cypress and Pine trees provide a very thick canopy of forested shade throughout. 

  If you’ve got horses en towe, then you have hit the ‘lottery of equestrian campgrounds’ as Welaka State Forest is perhaps the most perfect place to camp if you’ve brought your four-legged steeds and looking for a place that offers up nearly 20 miles of equestrian trails for plenty of galloping, including the 6-mile Sandhill Horse Trail (part of the Florida Trailtrotter Program: www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Our-Forests/State-Forests/State-Forest-Recreation/Recreational-Activities/Horseback-Riding/Trailtrotter-Program)..) The campground here at Welaka State Park is made for you horse-loving outdoor enthusiasts and provides 2 – I repeat that 2 – 24 stall horse-ready stables, show horse stage, training area, along with 6 primitive campsites along with 5 full hook-up RV drive-through sites. 

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you are looking to get some hiking in, there’s 2 decent trails (both integrated into the Florida forest Service’s ‘Trailwalker Hiking Program’ with the first, Spring Trail, offering a short 2-mile loop that ends in Mud Springs and the second, John’s Landing Trail, offering either a 3.5 or 4 mile loop; (2) Not interested in hiking? Not a problem, you can follow the scenic Indian Pond Road from the comfort of your own vehicle. Near here there are 2 primitive campsites that you can rent that places you right on the St. John’s River; and (3) While this SP doesn’t have much to offer apart from encounters with nature, if you find yourself missing civilization, in less than a 5 minute drive, you can join a sweltering crowd at either Shrimp R Us or, for amazing river-front gnashing, check out Welaka Lodge & Resort (for more details on this particular campground, check out my review on The Dyrt on this site). 

  Happy Camping!

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• 

  Maria Mercedes M.

  Legend

  Jan. 7, 2026

  The Griffin Ranch

  Old-Florida Charm Meets Ranch-Life Calm

  Arriving to Griffin Ranch just outside Fort McCoy feels like stepping into a page of classic Florida history, where 30+ acres of shaded woods, ponds, pastures and trails invite you to slow down long before you ever unpack your bags. The ranch’s cabins, Airstream camper and cottage rentals, each with antique-inspired interiors, set the tone for a timeless, unhurried stay. The accommodations are rustic in the very best way: solidly built, thoughtfully equipped spaces that feel cozy rather than pretentious, and the hosts are genuinely welcoming, making you feel like part of the ranch family rather than just a guest. During our visit, we watched the kids wander out toward the pasture at sunset, chasing fireflies and laughing at the horses’ gentle nickers, while the sun dipped behind the trees in that golden light only old pastures seem to have. While this isn’t a ‘back-to-barebones’ campground in the primitive sense, it is more of a cabin-centric ranch stay than a full-service campground, so if you’re coming with a big RV or tent setup in mind, you’ll want to book one of the on-site cabins instead of relying on typical campsites. The best lodging options are the cabins tucked deeper into the woods or near the ponds, which offer the most serenity and EZ access to the ranch trails and wildlife watching. Nearby you can easily stock up on supplies in Fort McCoy or make short drives to local eats like Rocco’s Italian or a long list of options in nearby Gainesville.  Also, the closeness to Ocala National Forest and Silver Springs makes this a great base for exploration. We’d recommend Griffin Ranch for families who appreciate quiet evenings under ancient oaks, authentic old-Florida ranch character, space for kids and pets to run wild and host hospitality that turns a simple stay into lasting memories. This place is one part history, one part nature retreat and entirely welcoming.

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• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  Mar. 8, 2025

  Clarcona Horse Park

  Getty Up! @ This Not-So-Standard RV Parking Lot

  If you’ve got one of those incredibly large mobile homes on wheels, then this particular RV location just off of Highway 414 near Hiawassee may just be the perfect spot for you. OK, there were a few tents here, but you could tell this place was really built for the mobile campers in mind. With 28 ample slanted, elongated parking lanes for your parking pleasure, all of the sites come equipped with the typical 30 / 50 amp electrical hook-ups, waste disposal and water connections. The bathrooms and shower facilities are clean and fairly well-maintained.

  There’s the standard picnic table, garbage receptacles and even a community BBQ. The hosts are incredibly nice and offer pricing by the night, week and month. Overall, the community is inviting and friendly and there’s at times some planned activities, with most of those featuring horse shows and competitions of some sort, throughout the week (check with the front desk). While there’s not a ton of amenities to pick and choose from, this location does come with grills, park and shelter as well as all the free glimpses of horses being trained. Of course, should you be here with your noble steed, there’s some 22 miles worth of paths to gallup. Near this RV parking lot, you do have access to Lake Apopka.

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) The real draw to this particular campground is the massive equestrian infrastructure that exists as the fulcrum, so if you are camping, this can be a very nice distraction, in case you come here with the principle idea of racing / showing your horses, then this CG is ideal – and less so if you don’t have a horse and don’t want to camp alongside what could be considered a bit of a circus (especially on show days); (2) Should you grow tired of whipping up franks & beans again for supper and you wanna check out some local fare, you’re going to have to drive a bit north to South Apopka where there’s joints like The Nauti Lobstah, Verona Café, Lechonera Latina and Wings-N-Things; (3) In the event that you need to load up on supplies, there’s both a Sam’s Club and Walmart Supercenter due NE of here; and (4) For some really great hiking & biking, of course, there’s the West Orange Trail, but if you are looking for something a bit different and less trodden, then check out Oakland Nature Preserve, which sits south of Lake Apopka.

   Happy Camping!

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• 

  Rich S.

  Guide

  Sep. 25, 2018

  Santos Trailhead & Campground

  Perfect Little Spot for a Getaway

  Although in a populated area of Ocala, this campground is positioned in the trees and makes you feel like you are miles from civilization. The sites are spacious and most are shaded. We stayed in site #3, which was tucked into the wood line and somewhat private. Easy access to all the mountain bike trails, the paved Greenway trail, and the Florida Trail. All the trails and paths are located within the park. Restrooms were fairly clean, and the showers had hot water. We would come back here in a heartbeat.

• 

  Katie M.

  Ranger

  Aug. 4, 2021

  Princess Place Preserve

  Enchanting Summertime Solitude

  When I planned my trip to the Smokies, I left the last few days open, so I could decide at a later time what kinda ✨vibe✨ I was feeling.

  Would I want to travel through more of Tennessee and down through central Georgia, skipping North and South Carolinas entirely? Maybe spend some time in Asheville? Backtrack the same way I came? Wholly free spirited and wondrously stupid, given the holiday weekend.

  But I learned on the way out that it takes about six and a half hours to drive from Miami to the state border on the most direct route, I-95, which is also the dullest route, so I wanted to break up that stretch on my way home. By the time I began planning my return leg of the trip, every campground within an hour of 95 was booked.

  Then I can across Princess Place Preserve and it appeared to mainly be an equestrian campground from what I read, but I called them anyway. I don’t know any horse people, but they can’t be that bad, right? And luckily there were several sites still available, so I snagged one.

  Well, this is not all what I expected and I haven’t seen a single horse or horse person since I’ve been here, but this place might be my ✨favorite campground of all time.✨ There are only 13 camp sites in the entire park and they are all spread out. The park doesn’t seem like it gets busy in general, but it closes to the public at 6 pm, so that means you basically have the next three hours of daylight to roam the entire place by yourself! And there’s ✨so much to roam!!✨There are so many trails and winding, sandy roadways to bike or hike that I squeezed every last ounce of sunlight out of the day. The peace and serenity that Princess Place provided was the perfect ending to this road trip.

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• 

  B H.

  Traveler

  Aug. 5, 2021

  Welaka State Forest

  Overall Satisfying Stay

  Very nice new concrete RV/Trailer pads with electric and water hookup. The trailer in and out was easy even with a good sized rig (~30feet). Each spot had a picnic table and grill. I was a little disappointed that the hookup sights did not also have fire rings but the primitive tent sights do have fire rings. There is a dump station at this sight but it was not clear to me if the station was ready for use at the tone of my stay. The bathrooms and the shower rooms were very clean and well kept, it looks like they recently redid much of it. The location itself was very quiet and peaceful with good trails. There were a several other campers at the hookup sights. I did find it a little unsettling that at least two of the other campers at the hookup sight looked like they were a permanent/semipermanent resident and they were not using the space for equestrian activities as the sight intends. It’s a little disappointing because ethos who do want to camp with horses have limited sights so to see two of these taken by non equestrians in was seems to be a longer term stay was somewhat disappointing.

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• 

  Tracy L H.

  Legend

  Dec. 31, 2019

  Sawgrass Island Preserve

  Old Florida!

  Sawgrass 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.

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• 

  David G.

  Guide

  Jun. 20, 2019

  Santos Trailhead & Campground

  Biking paradise

  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.

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