Best Equestrian Camping near Ocala National Forest

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.

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!

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.

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!

Sandy trails for horses, watch out for rattle snakes. Trail go on for miles and has a huge sand hill near by to ride horses on and cross over i75.

I went for my birthday and we had an amazing time, clean bathroom and shower facilities and plenty of space between campsites. If you are not a fan of horses, I don’t recommend this location, but if you do this is a wonderful spot (despite some of the smells, it wasn’t terrible though). The sounds of horse ringing in the morning was hilarious and fun. The sounds of coyotes at night spooked our dog, but we got through the night with some comforting and cuddles. I highly recommend this site for anyone who wants an adventure with some dogs and horses as well as bike and hiking trails.

We really enjoyed this park. We camped at a tent only site which was private as there weren’t many tent campers while we were there during the week. Stayed at site 31 which is probably the furthest walk from parking but the most private. We saw wild bison, wild turkeys, deer, snakes, and several different species of birds. Disappointed we didn’t see any wild horses but will most definitely be back. Beautiful part of Florida.

Sites and facilities are nice and clean. The host were very nice and helpful. Has equestrian area and post at each hotel site. Most sites are well shaded. A good number of sites looked hammock friendly, but be sure you have the 2 inch straps. Easy access to hiking and riding trials. Short drive into both Belview and Ocala.

Small near horse and bike trails, strict rules.

We stayed in site #38 it's a shaded site with water & electric. There is a picnic table & a fir pit the fire pit was a little to close to the camper to have a fire. It is a very quiet and woodsy campground. There isn't much real close by so grocery before you get there.  There are some hikes in the park that are good you can see wild horses near the lookout tower sometimes and along the paths.  There is a dump station onsite.

There are several places to go observe the wetlands, shorebirds and gators can be seen. If you drive to North Paynes Prairie you will see lots of Gators, Bison and wild horses and certain times of the year White Pelicans. The trail along the lake & creeks are loaded with gator once you head to the back lookout tower you will see Bison & Wild Horses. We counted 150 gators in a mile & a half. If you google horse stomping gator in Paynes Prairie you will see a great video. 

On the way to the North Prairie you pass Sweetwater preserve it's loaded with all kinds of birds from Woodstorks, Herons, Egrets, Hawks, Ibis and Sora's. You can spend hours there watching the birds. There are some gators but nothing like North Prairie.

Watched the sunset for the picnic area on the lake.

You have to make reservations to use the campground. Great place to swim with horses and great trails.

I came for a night since it was close to other parks I wanted to visit, but I do think I’ll come back and have my father in law bring his horse with next time. Campsites are close together and it is a little open, but the trails are decent and it’s clean. There were more lightning bugs than mosquitos!! Bathrooms weren’t the best, the hosts are very polite, and the other campers were also respectful. Don’t pass it up if you have a horse who is itching to get out!

Great place to view buffalo, wild horses, and all the birds of the swamp. Super quiet camping area. Clean restrooms and large sites.

This park has 8 trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. We were able to see wild horses, bisons, snakes and gators. Great for fishing and kayaking.

Nice campground. Clean and well maintained. Very shady site, but tons of mosquitoes. We went in late October. Nice preserve to walk or bike to. Observation tower. Saw wild horses in the prairie. Visitor’s Center very helpful with information.