Camping near Ocala National Forest

Recent Reviews near Ocala National Forest

1540 Reviews of 327 Ocala National Forest Campgrounds

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  Greg

  Traveler

  Nov. 4, 2025

  Princess Place Preserve - Moody Campground

  Beautiful Campground

  This campground is quiet and the sites are spread out. I'm here during the week, I'm not sure how the weekend would be. The Grounds are well kept and a lot of history here. The site i have is right on the water. It's big enough for two families. I would come back!

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  Mark R.

  Scout

  Nov. 4, 2025

  Salt Springs Recreation Area

  3 night primitive (tent car camping)

  Awesome Very well kept, many trails nearby, staff, hosts and campers all very nice. Springs are great for a swim to see some of the local fish, crabs and maybe a manatee.

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  Thunderroad 5.

  Guide

  Oct. 25, 2025

  Salt Springs Recreation Area

  Great place to camp

  First federal park campground i stayed in that had full hookups. Nice bathhouse. Beautiful campground with nicely sized sites. Stayed during government shutdown. Since campground is managed by private company, shutdown didn't close campground. Staff and hosts were friendly and enjoyed the stay. Only drawback was lack of any cell service, but starlink worked fine.

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  Tim M.

  Guide

  Oct. 23, 2025

  Davenport Landing

  Cool spot, beware of bears

  I really enjoyed this spot, but I did spot a bear on my way in and scat along the road. I wouldn't recommend this spot to beginners or inexperienced outdoor enthusiasts. There is a campground nearby that charges 10bucks a night that I would recommend for families or beginners. Delancy Campground is accessible from this (FS Road 74) location

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  Greg

  Traveler

  Oct. 23, 2025

  Rodman Campground

  Florida Wildlife, Super Clean Restrooms and Camp Sites

  This was my first stay here, but I'll be back. Really nice and clean bathrooms, showers, and camp sites. It was quiet, relaxing, nice hiking trails, and plenty of wildlife.
  They offer tent camping and RV.

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  Stuart K.

  Legend

  Oct. 17, 2025

  Bennett Field Group Camp — Tiger Bay State Forest

  Where Roughing It Meets Room for the Whole Crew

  If you’ve ever thought, "I love camping, but wouldn’t it be fun to bring along 40 of my closest friends?” then Bennett Field Group Camp in Tiger Bay State Forest is your jackpot. This is no dainty, couple’s hideaway. Nope, it’s a big, open field tucked under the pines where your scout troop, church group or family reunion can spread out and see who snores loudest at night. The atmosphere here is pure 'back-to-basics,’ but with just enough orderliness to keep it from feeling like you’re re-creating 'Lord of the Flies' (and if you don't know this reference, you need to go to Amazon right now and have this book sent to you - it will open your world).

  Facilities are rustic yet practical – think of it as camping with training wheels. There are picnic tables, grills and a giant fire ring where ghost stories practically tell themselves. No water or electric hookups at the sites, so RVs and glampers might feel like they’ve been tricked into a survival challenge. But if you’re rocking tents, hammocks or an old-school camper, you’ll be just fine. Restroom facilities are on the primitive (nearly caveman) side – but trust me, it's better than a shovel and a prayer, but not spa-level, so bring your hand sanitizer and a sense of humor. Pets are welcome, but fair warning: they’ll come home smelling like pine needles and campfire.

  The real treat here is Tiger Bay’s 30,000 acres of pine needle wilderness just beyond camp. Hiking trails thread through longleaf pine, palmetto flats and hidden ponds where herons stalk like feathery ninjas. Bikers can hit the sandy forest roads and if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of deer, turkeys or the occasional black bear giving you the ‘you don’t belong here’ side-eye. And being so close to Daytona, you can swap the forest’s symphony of crickets and symphony of frogs for NASCAR’s roar within a 20-minute drive.

  Insider Tips? Sure, here’s a handful: (1) If you’re camping with a large group, snag the shady perimeter spots – less dew in the morning and fewer pinecones bonking you on the head; (2) For grub, head to Daytona’s Caribbean Jack’s on the marina where you'll gnosh on great seafood, fruity drinks and live music that makes you forget you’re only half-clean from the woods; (3) Kayakers should paddle the nearby Tomoka River as it’s calm, scenic and full of birdlife that will happily ignore your paddling form; and (4) Forgot half your gear? Don’t sweat it as the Bass Pro Shop over in Daytona, which is just a stone's throw from this particular CG has everything from tents to marshmallow roasters, and you’ll probably leave with three things you didn’t need but had to have; and (4) In case you need to load up on low-cost fuel, there's the Costco that's located just behind the Bass Pro Shop, so you can not only load up on supplies, but load up on cheap fuel too.

  Happy Camping!

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  Tara G.

  Scout

  Oct. 16, 2025

  Trimble Park Campground

  Incredible Hidden Gem

  Just returned from a 2 night stay at Trimble Park and I'm already planning my return next week!  The campground is very small and intimate, you will certainly get to know your neighbors and others staying in the park if you're going to be spending any time outside.  The park employees are zooming about on their golf carts multiple times within the hour during the day and always ready to help if needed.  The man in the office was amazing (I wish I had gotten his name) and so helpful, even swapping our spot for another with a better lake view!  Speaking of, the view is awesome!  Spots 8 and 9 are directly in front of the docks so if you mind other campers walking through your site to get to them, choose a different spot.  Even the spots that don't have a lake view are great!  Every site has a grill, separate fire ring, lantern hangers and picnic table plus electric and water hook ups.  Bathrooms are kept clean, every morning they are tended to.  My only complaint there is that the showers are very narrow.  I'm small and was feeling a bit cramped. Also the water pressure could definitely be stronger...took forever for me to rinse shampoo.  My personal issues are not enough for me to not come back though!  It's a great place to recharge and be at peace; I still can't get over how beautiful it is!

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  Laurence A.

  Traveler

  Oct. 16, 2025

  Trout Lake Primitive Sites

  Primitive!

  So I was desperate trying to find my very first primitive camp site and started to panic and then came across the review "you might get pinstripes", well let me tell you the trail to the lake is so narrow I wasn't sure I was driving my Chevy Malibu through the forest because it was so overgrown. I started panicking and trying to find a turn around after going through a very soft sandy spot. Figured I'd never be able to get out or reverse. Then the lake appeared and someone left some firewood so I figured better pitch my tent fast before dark. I was scared to death all night alone , I had a black bear sighting that afternoon and I had no bear spray no cellphone service but all there was was whispering pines! It was soothing, and decided if I had to I could spend the night in car. It rained all night and morning. I knew I couldn't drive out or take the risk. I spent the second night. It's a beautiful lake and forest. The setting is breathtaking. I'd go back in a proper vehicle!

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  Stuart K.

  Legend

  Oct. 10, 2025

  Youth Primitive Campground - Tomoka State Park

  Perfect Riverside Youth Group Camping Haven

  If you have hiking, canoeing, fishing, boating, picnicking, kayaking and bird watching on your mind and are looking for a great place that ticks all of these boxes and more, than you definitely want to give Tomoka State Park your due consideration. While I’ve camped here before in the main campground – which is nothing short of amazing – I just recently learned that there’s a Youth Campground that can be reserved (only by calling the main office here at Tomoka SP) for larger groups, so when I was invited to join my buddy’s boy scout group outing here, I jumped at the chance.

  What I love most about Tomoka State Park, especially as I was there to help guide a large group of teens, was all of the exploration that exists, from no shortage of flora like wild coffee bushes, tropical sage, green-fly orchids and of course, all of the live oak hammocks just dripping with Spanish moss. From a fauna standpoint, there’s white-tailed deer, otters, opossums, raccoons and even bobcats that come out closer to sunset as well as throughout the night, so you definitely want to ensure you are packing up everything before turning in. Of course, the stand-out attraction here is the immediate access to the Halifax River, where you can eyeball some coastal inhabitants like oysters, fiddler crabs and countless birds like blue herons, ospreys and eagles who prey on the ample fish that abounds here like redfish, snook, tarpon, black drum and seatrout. And if you keep your eyes open and get lucky, you may also see otters and dolphins.

  As for the campground, we had the entire place to ourselves for the weekend we went camping, so the sheer size of this place is massive – where there easily could be 3-4 different large-sized groups camping without tripping over one another. The ground was a mixture of both dirt and finely-ground sand with uneven patches of land scattered throughout the grounds. A lot of the picnic tables and benches were definitely worn and likely in need of some refurbishment (or replacement altogether) before too much longer. There were scattered concrete slabs around various areas of the campground – some with picnic tables bolted into the ground, while others were bare – the latter of which we used to organize our tent kitchen and eating area around. The CG had decent stand-up grills with adjustable levels for grilling at different heights, but we found that given we were a group, these grills were not large enough nor were there enough for us to BBQ everything we had planned on with our troop, but as we had brought additional grills ourselves, we didn’t have any issues.  Net-net, if you are here for a picnic, the grill situation is fine, but if you are here with a much larger group, then you better bring your own kitchen gear.

  Tree cover was light to non-existent in the center of the campground (so unless you want to get scorched by the unrelenting Florida sun, bring your own shade with you), but the surrounding perimeter was lush with thick jungle-like foliage of ferns and brush palms. A handful of scattered hanging Ts were provided for us to hang garbage and lanterns from and there were a number of solo standing water spigots to draw non-potable water from. The restroom and shower facility was fairly good with external showering hoses providing decent hot water and while the restroom itself was basic, it did have an actual toilet and working hot / cold water sink and paper towel dispenser - which for a primitive campsite is pretty amazing. Nearby there were a handful of covered shelters with additional picnic tables along with a sand volleyball court, which was definitely a bonus for the boys. Further afield, there’s a handful of great docks to either fish from or carefully launch a kayak or canoe from.

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) You will want to heed all of the signs that properly warn you about both alligators and snakes – they are real, abundant with this place having had a lot of issues with people not taking these warnings seriously; (2) If you are boating in these parts with an engine, you will want to take note that there’s ample manatees to steer clear of as well as be very aware that there are a number of places, particularly on the inlet of the Tomoka River that are quite shallow, depending upon the timing of the tides; (3) In the event that you need ANYTHING while visiting Tomoka SP, you should definitely make it a point to stop by the very well-appointed Tomoka Outpost and say hello to Captain Scott and his lovely wife Ashley, where here at this store, you’ll find that this place has everything from kayak, canoe and paddleboard rentals, guided boat tours, firewood, bait and ice for sale, snacks, beverages as well as beer & wine, including their very own local Tomoka EPA brew, which you can enjoy at the river dock patio overlooking the Tomoka River.

  Happy Camping!

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