Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Hernando, FL

The Hog Island Recreation Area is located on the eastern bank of the Withlacoochee river close to the small town of Nobleton. Part of the recreation area includes the Hog Island Nature Trail, part of the Trailwalker Program and officially certified as part of the longer Florida National Scenic Trail. The Hog Island Campground (fl-dof.com) provides nicely shaded and dry campsites for tent and RV campers with picnic tables and fire rings at each site. These sites are amazingly screened from each other with natural understory vegetation and access to the Withlacoochee River. Restroom with showers (which could use a little love and care), water spigots and a dump station are located nearby. Campers arriving by canoe can stay at a riverside campsite that includes access to drinking water.

This is a good campground with pretty decent warm/hot showers and electric hookups, so you aren't going to really be spending a few days completely off the grid. Although, cellular service is spotty, but mostly usable. The camp hosts were really nice and supposedly no pets are allowed, but I definitely heard some dogs at night. Just a few steps away is the Hog Island boat ramp, nature trail and a section of the Florida National Scenic Trail leaving you with lots to do.

You get your standard nice campground features

·       Large shared picnic area

·       Good fishing

·       Canoe and boat launch

·       No pets allowed.

*I heard some dogs and there were basically no one around, so maybe the host let some people get away with it…

·       2-mile loop Nature Trail.

·       Hiking trails:

•  - River Trail/Sumter is 7.2 miles.

·       Equestrian trails: 

•  - Hernando Main Loop is 18.65 miles.
•  - Hernando is 36.35 miles.
•  - Sumter is 7.70 miles.

It’s not common to find a spot that you can plant your RV on and go out to hit the links for the day all in the same location, but here at Clerbrook Golf & RV Resort you can hit par on both fronts. Located right off Route 27 just due west of Lake Apopka in central Florida, Clerbrook offers nearly 300 acres of prime landscape that posits 1200+ RV slots for your parking and vacationing pleasure. Here you’ll be able to perfectly blend a golfing oasis that blends its RV offering complete with lush vegetation, interconnecting ponds and narrow canals all surrounded by ancient Oaks draped with Spanish Moss. 

As far as amenities goes, Clerbrook does not disappoint. Here’s just a small list of all the great amenities you’ll find: Welcome Center, Heated Swimming Pools, BBQ and Picnic tables, Planned Activities, Clubhouses, Billiard Room, Card Rooms, Post Office, Fishing Area, 18 Hole Golf Course with Pro Shop (note: first 9 holes are complimentary with a visit to the Pro Shop), Exercise & Fitness Center, Horseshoe Pits, Recreation Hall, Laundry, Shuffleboard Courts, Library, Nature Walks, Pets Welcome, Picnic Pavilion, Driving Range, Dog Park, Wood Shop, Basketball Court, Playground, Restrooms & Showers, Softball Field, Hot Tub, RV Storage, complimentary WiFi, Arts and Craft Classes as well as Live Entertainment on the weekends. Of course, for RV’ers you can expect both back-in and pull-through slots with all of the traditional water, sewage and electric (30 / 50 amp) hook-ups. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you’ve got wine on your mind (and why wouldn’t you when on holiday?!), just meander a few miles south of Clerbrook and you’ll discover a fairly respectable winery called Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards offering tours and tastings featuring Muscadine grapes (apparently a prominent grape varietal down in these parts known for their antioxidant qualities; (2) When you get tired of fixing every meal from your mini-fridge or cooler, then you’ll have to head south to Clermont where you’ll find PeruRican Ceviche, which for these parts is pretty outstanding and if you are still longing for pizza, check out Mamma Rita’s Pizzeria for some good pies and pasta; and (3) If nature is calling and you want to get out for a good hike, then head due south to Hiawatha Preserve that has a few dog parks, playgrounds, picnic areas, hiking paths, and of course, access to Lake Hiawatha, in case you want to drop your kayak or canoe in the water. 

Happy Camping!

FHU, unleveled concrete pad with a picnic table. So close to the FT resident in the tiny home next to us, that we could not sit outside comfortably. Also, our area was right by her sewage hook up. And then there was a storage shed, leaf piles, random stacks of supplies, and a residential trailer behind us. The Pool was small but clean, we didn’t use. Dog park was ok, but other people don’t pick up after their pets, even with signs, and available poop disposal can. Maybe if management put mutt-mitts out, pet owners might use them. We booked months ago, and we arrived a bit after 5 due to traffic, there was no welcome packet, and no one answered the phone, with the posted #. Thankfully, the maintenance guy was friendly and helped us find our spot. It wasn’t easy to get to, or to see where it was. It was way too small to accommodate our 5th wheel and Dooley. If someone had been in the spot in front of us, we wouldn’t have been able to get in. The map online doesn’t even have our site listed. We were visiting family, so thankfully we weren’t there much. The area has lots of good restaurants, attractions, fishing, and springs! I do not leave 3 star reviews, but my honest review is to help others from paying $400 a week, at this park. I was hard pressed to leave a 3 star…. But Because of the area attractions, FHU, and helpful maintenance employee, was the reason I did. I would not reserve here again. Especially at the high price.

Stayed here one night while returning from the FL Keys.  Awesome place to overnight. Spacious pull through sites.  They have a small fenced dog park which was great to let the dogs stretch their legs after traveling all day.  The campground has plenty of space to walk the dogs.

Staff was great because we called during the days while traveling north and had a site waiting when we arrived after hours. 

The only downside is that it is right behind a Pilot Travel center so there is noise from parked tractor trailers but I still slept fine.

This place is gargantuan and has so many roads and alleyways that I got lost navigating the place at least a couple of times. And just when I thought that I seen all of Southern Palms RV Resort, upon exiting the place, I realized that there was even more of Southern Palms right across the street where the expansive RV parking lot continued. 

Located on the outskirts of Eustis here in the Sunshine State, this place has just about everything you could be looking for – from parks, shuffle boards, evening themed dancing and lakes to bike paths, swimming pools and bocce ball. But wait, there’s more… there’s also: clubhouse/ lounge for large group gatherings, whirlpool / spa / jacuzzi for those late night relaxing moments, fitness center to get your workout in, showers / restrooms that are just decent, ballroom for those evening dance parties, WiFi that is pretty superb, basic and expanded TV cable packages, picnic tables galore, BBQ grilles as far as the eye can see, the whole place is pet friendly, a horseshoe pit (where Joey is the local hero), mail center, game room complete with billiards table, a dog park that is always jam packed with man’s best friend as well as a laundr-O-mat (bring your quarters!) an extensive library (without its own Dewey decimal system) … and the list goes on, but I will end here. 

Downside to this place is that, well, it’s a mega mall of RV’s, campers and semi-permanent, yet mobile housing solutions, and there’s a lot more people and accommodations than there is really space for, so it is quite overcrowded and you will definitely hear your neighbors at all times of the day, in addition to all of the scootering traffic going by your ‘campsite’ whether day or night. So if you are simply looking for a place to stay for the night enroute to somewhere else, this is not a bad place, but given the overpopulation and the fact that every single amenity offered, while great for some, makes me feel like I just left home to go somewhere else where they have everything that I just left at home. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few… First, if you are looking for a great meal and something out of the ordinary, head on over to The Dam Smoker and you will discover some pretty outrageous BBQ, which you can order and eat there (or order by the pound and go find a nice lakeside bench to enjoy) albeit in some very modest settings. Second, if you’d like to escape your asphalt slab for a nice slice of nature, then head over to Long Leaf Pine Trail, which has a decent hike, or check out the wildlife at Hidden Waters Preserve, both of which are near Lake Joanna.


Happy Camping!