Best Campgrounds near Lake Helen, FL

In all of my camping experiences, Trimble Park CG holds a very special place as one of my MOST favorites – and having camped in nearly 400 different campgrounds, that’s saying something! As my post from 3 years ago provided quite a bit of detail on this spectacular campground, I’m following up on that review by sharing additional fotos as well as providing a topline update capturing highs & lows:

Highlights: (1) Great kayaking in nearby Lake Beauclair and Lake Carlton; (2) Supreme amount of peace & quiet as there are less than 15 total campsites; (3) Nearby restaurants and stores in picturesque Mount Dora provide a nice distraction, if the very place you find yourself in isn't enough; (4) The majority of sites (#3-#13) are waterfront with all sites being spacious, flat and nicely shaded, courtesy of all the ancient and live Oaks dripping with Spanish moss; (5) Seemingly brand new playground for the kiddos; and (6) Restrooms and shower facilities are fairly well taken care of.

Lowlights: (1) There are very few amenities here beyond the restrooms, picnic tables and fire rings; (2) Cyclists and those looking for trails to hike will be disappointed as there’s not much if anything here to either hike or bike on; (3) Booking a reservation on a fairly archaic website with a non-sensical process that involves booking 45 days in advance, so you have to time the precise days you want to camp here and be the first person to reserve a spot at 12:01am on the day that those spots become available … and with just 15 available sites to book, competition for this camping gem is fierce!

Happy Camping!

This is less an actual campground than it is a single gravel lane that runs parallel to A1A to the west and the white caps crashing down along a pretty spectacular piece of sand to the east where you’ll be treated to unbridled views of the Atlantic Ocean. So, technically I guess you could call this a CG, because there’s a designated place to park your RV or 5th Wheel (no, this is not a place for mi tent-pitchin’ bredren unless you like setting up camp on gravel with RVs on either side of you, and even then, I don't think they'll let you camp here in a tent), there’s a restroom / shower facility with a single coin-operated washer & dryer set and a perimeter complete with a key-coded security gate (which is pretty much open during the whole day), but other than the standard issued picnic table and fire ring at each site, there’s not much more to this place.

Oh, but hey, you have DIRECT access to the Atlantic Ocean on a pretty decent beach (albeit that had just been nearly completely wiped out recently courtesy of Hurricanes Ian and Milton).

The one thing I will say about this particular location – if you actually want to camp (er, park your RV) as close to the beach and ocean as possible, this is one of the very few places up and down the eastern Florida coastline that you can do this, while still having a fairly intimate, enjoyable experience. Add to this all of the other abundant natural amenities available in the other half of the park (just across the street, mind you), combined with being just a short drive to civilization back at Flagler Beach, and this spot is pretty difficult to pass up. Downsides? Sites are pretty close to one another and while there is decent brush-like perimeter that blocks you from seeing all the traffic passing by A1A, you will have next to no privacy between you and your neighbors here at this roadside CG.

Finding Gamble Rogers Memorial SRA couldn’t be easier, and if you’re heading to this CG, you’ll just want to turn towards the beach from A1A, where the entrance to the CG is immediately on your right. You need only drive down the single gravel lane until you find your spot among the 34 or so slots that exist after first checking in at the Ranger Station that sits opposite this location on the other side of A1A. Apart from the massive attraction that is the beachhead itself, for the most part, all of the other amenities that you’ll want to take advantage of here at Gamble Rogers will be found on the Intracoastal side of the SRA where you’ll find hiking paths, 6 different sized covered pavilions that are perfect for a small family of 4 or can fit a BBQing family reunion of 100 or so – but I would highly recommend for the larger sized planned group events to reserve well in advance. This entire SRA is pet-friendly and there is a sanitary disposal for RVs and 5th Wheels along with standard water & electric hook-ups.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you come toting a kayak or canoe, there is an excellent launch near the first set of covered pavilions on the Intracoastal, and if you don’t have your own, the good folks here at Gamble Rogers will gladly rent you one of theirs; (2) Whether you are staying beachside or riverfront, if you’ve got swimming on your mind, you’ll want to avoid going for a dip in the alligator-infested frackish waters of the Intracoastal and instead fare better in the ocean’s sea salt, but do beware of the warning flags as rip currents in this area can be quite unpredictable and thus dangerous; (3) There’s an excellent boat launch on the Intracoastal side with fairly wide access and a very minimal decline into the water, but you’ll want to motor slow given all of the manatees in the area;(4) The restroom facilities beachside are just mediocre and will certainly get the job done, but I found the bath house back on the Intracoastal side to be nothing short of spectacular, especially with the turbine-like ceiling fans that keep the place fresh and dry – not a bad place to hang wet clothes to let them dry; (5) When you grow weary of rummaging through your RV mini-fridge and wanna check out some local fare, while fairly touristy, we tried out the Funky Pelican, which has the long pier that was nearly destroyed from the last Hurricane that ripped through here, and have to admit that the seafood combination plate for $20 was most excellent; and (6) IMHO the best sites on the beachside are those located furthest south(#25-#34) as they are further away from the entrance and seem better shrouded from the traffic noise.

Happy Camping!

Located at the southern tip of Rodman Reservoir, which is one of the major water tributaries that you can float around the NE perimeter of the Ocala National Forest, you’ll discover that this backwater camping outpost sits on 7+ acres of heavily forested woods and offers up 3 distinct types of camping opportunities: RV / 5th Wheeler, primitive tent-camping and cabin rentals. While apparently long a bastion of this particular area, dating back to the mid-80’s, Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost has been under new management for the past few years. Unlike many of the CG's in the area, this river-front, nature-embracing outpost is smaller than most with only 22 sites available.

Situated just west of the tiny hamlet of Eureka in Fort McCoy, you will first spot the area designated for RVs, 5th Wheelers and trailers a moment or two before arriving to Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost as this spot sits alongside the roadway with 2-3 gravel pathway access points before actually making your arrival to the main office and beyond it, the main parking area. In all, there’s some 11 slots available with FHUs offering 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage connections along with a picnic table and fire ring at each site. Being next to a main artery of Rodman Reservoir, one always needs to be aware of elevation, in case of flooding, so what we noticed immediately, even before arriving to the Ocklawaha main office is that both the RV-designated area as well as the main office sit on more elevated land, which is a bonus in case of flooding. Unlike the cabin and primitive tent camping areas, the RV-designated area does not possess much of any shade. At $40 / night (and $45 / night including bath house) and $240 / week ($270 / week including bath house), we found the pricing here to be just about right.

For those of you thinking about renting one of the 6 log cabins that exist here, what I liked most about this particular set-up is that all of these units are located in close proximity to one another – we’ll call this the cottage enclave – which combined, share the community amenities specific to this community. Bear in mind, these cabins are not pet-friendly, so leave your 4-legged friends at home, or look to one of the other 2 modes of camping here. You have your choice between a one- or two-room cabin, both of which offer heat, A/C, furnished with bedding, towels, dishes, pots, pans, microwave, mini-fridge, small cook top and coffee pot. Each cabin also comes with a porch offering semi-privacy to take your morning coffee as well as brand-new Weber charcoal grill that sits in front of each cabin along with an in-ground fire pit. At $134 / night for the single that sleeps 5 (with 7 being the max) and$154 / night for the double-cabin that also sleeps 5 (with 6 being the max), considering the location of where you are at, combined with the amenities provided and the relative quality of the cabins, I found the pricing to be fairly economical. The prices decrease substantially to $109 and $129/ night respectively if one books multiple nights, which makes this a no-brainer for even a short stay.

With mi tent-pitchin’ bredren in mind, you’ll appreciate that of the 3 available types of camping here, the area reserved for setting up your own non-mobile, semi-permanent nylon camping haven will place you closest to the river, where within 50-60 yards you’ll easily be able to access the Rodman Reservoir from a decent-sized tributary. While obviously that’s a huge plus, you also want to be careful about knowing when it’s going to rain and for how long as this also would be the area that gets the most flooding if there was any. Another bonus is that the tent-sites ARE pet-friendly, so you can smile as those cabin campers stroll past your sites (while your mutt barks at them). As for the grounds themselves, there’s 2 different areas that the pathway to the river’s edge dissects in half with 4-5 sites being available on the one side and only 1-2 sites being available on the other, which will provide you with just slightly more privacy. There’s not a whole lot to these sites, where you’ll simply have a picnic table and fire ring, but you’ll be surrounded by a great tree line and solid brush, albeit you won’t have sheltered views between sites. You’ll also want to take note that, again, the pathway to the river runs through the primitive tent camping area, so while not heavily trafficked, you will certainly experience pedestrians and fellow campers coming and going. Cost per night for tent camping is an acceptable $25/ night (up to 4 people, and $5/ pp after that), which again, scouting the area and staying in a few other places, seems about right.

Additional community amenities not already mentioned include: community bathhouses with impeccably clean restrooms and well-maintained showers, ping pong, recreation room with board games, corn hole, canoe & kayak rentals w/ shuttle service, horseshoe pit, kid’s playground and a small pond that is stocked for simple, yet enjoyable ‘catch & release’ as well as firewood available for sale @ $5/ bundle.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) This CG is right on the Ocklawaha River populated with dense wetlands, marsh and semi-tropical forests sprouting sable palms, swamp maples, the odd pencil-thin towering pines and submerged cypress, so the owners are very smart to have organized a few different river experiences that you should definitely take advantage of with 2 different outfitters being Gores Landing and Rays Wayside, both of which offer up canoe ($52 / $85), solo ($42 / $75) and tandem ($62 / $95) kayak rentals as well as transport ($25 / $60) with respective pricing and seasonal availability. There’s even overnight river trips that Ockalawaha will help you set up, where pricing depends upon the specific drop point and number of nights you might be interested in. Please note that all of the above runs everyday except Tuesdays; (2) While you of course can get on a kayak, canoe or boat to catch some fish, if you don’t want to, you can simply cross the road from Ockalawaha CG and access the Wildlife & Fishing Area that has its own set of public docks and piers that you can cast a reel from – and in fact, these spots are very well-maintained and offer up some magnificent views of the head of the 100-mile Ocklawaha River as she flows southernly from Rodman Reservoir; (3) If you want to indulge in one of Florida’s greatest treasures, you’ll need to visit a natural spring and the good news is that there’s several of the state’s best springs surrounding you here, including: Salt Springs, Homosassa Springs, Deleon Springs, Silver Glen Springs, Alexander Springs, Juniper Springs, Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs; (4) If you’ve got fishing on your mind while in these parts, expect to be hauling in crappie, sunfish, small- and largemouth bass, catfish and bream; and (5) The owners Lance & Theresa are absolutely wonderful people that will do whatever it takes to ensure your stay is flawless!

Happy Camping!

If you come bearing an RV or fifth-wheeler, are 55+ and don’t mind living next to the swooshing 2-lane traffic of highway 17, then Bass Capital RV Park might very well be the perfect retirement sunset location for you. Located just a few stone throws from the 'Bass Catching Capital of the World' – Crescent Lake – this RV park(ing lot) is sandwiched between Crescent City to the north and Seville to the south. What this place lacks in terms of amenities and activities, makes up for being incredibly economical ($45/night) as well as conveniently placing you within spitting distance of both Crescent Lake as well as Florida’s second largest body of water, Lake George.

As for Bass Capital RV Park itself, this age-restricted retirement roadside stand is organized as a simple oval with a dissecting lane cutting through the fairly small football field-sized area, offering up about 60 or so individual RV slots, most of which are back-in, and just a handful that are pull-through with all offering up standard hookups (30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage) and a picnic table as well as solid 8’ x 14’ concrete or pebble-strewn parking pads. Bass Capital offers up RV slot rental by the night ($45), week ($250) or month ($410), plus the cost of electricity.

Amenities: Clubhouse, Pet-Friendly, Private Lake with Fishing Pier / Dock, Community Events, Outdoor Storage, Onsite Laundr-O-Mat, Park Benches, Mail, Community Board, Doggie Park, Picnic Tables, Designated Trash Disposal and Endless Sunsets.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you are looking to get your angling on, I highly recommend booking a pro fishing guide over at 333 Fish Camp (you can check out my review on this spot on TheDyrt), which is just down the road from Bass Capital and if you do decide to book a guide, I highly recommend Cole, who is the onsite angling ombudsman who will not only educate you on how to fish, but more importantly, WHERE to fish at Lake Crescent; (2) If you have kayaks and canoes entowe, I highly recommend dipping them into Lake George over by Pine Island RV & Marina (you can check out my review on this spot on TheDyrt), where they have a proper boat launch, or you can simply push off from any of the lake edges that make up Lake George Conservation Area; and (3) When you get tired of trying to figure out what’s next for dinner or simply want to try out the local fare, I highly recommend driving (or boating) a bit further south to Astor where you’ll discover Drifters River Bar & Grill, which serves up some fairly decent glorified American bar food, of which I highly recommend the fried shrimp basket, seasoned fries and/ or the corned beef & cabbage.

Happy Camping!