Searching for the best camping near Ocala, FL? Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Ocala campgrounds just for you. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Ocala. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
Rainbow Springs State Park’s campground is located along the Rainbow River. Rainbow River camping takes place at a separate facility a few miles from the main headspring and day use area. Rainbow Springs camping sites have water and electric (20, 30, and 50 amp), and are equipped with sewer hook-ups. Maximum RV length = 103 ft. ADA accessible restrooms are available. A dump station is located between the upper and lower campgrounds. Pets are welcome in the campground but are not permitted in swimming areas or buildings. Amenities include a recreation hall, showers and restrooms, laundry and playground. Access the river from the campground to fish, swim or paddle. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent from the campground office.
$30 / night
PPCG
$18 / night
LG01
$18 / night
Enjoy a beautiful RV resort on Florida's scenic West Coast. Indulge in the nearby Gulf beaches, shopping, restaurants, golf courses and fishing. Crystal Isles RV Resort lets you create the perfect blend of peace, pleasure and play for the Florida RV vacation you have been dreaming of. Hit a golf ball, stroll on the wide beaches, rent a boat, catch a fish in local streams and lakes, or visit nearby King's Bay to swim with a manatee - it's all waiting for you! We offer a wonderful experience for the whole family at Encore's Crystal Isles RV Resort in Florida. Perfect blend of peace and pleasure at a Nature Coast RV resort Whether you're planning a retreat for the whole family, a group of friends or a getaway for two, there's no shortage of unique activities to explore at Crystal Isles RV Resort. Plan activities upon arrival or visit this page before your departure to plan ahead. Looking for more? Our friendly staff can fill you in on all of the great ways to make your stay a memorable experience.
Grateful Hammock is on 8 acres of land in the beautiful Ocala National Forest. This is an intentional, progressive community of music lovers. Grateful Hammock offers primitive tent sites as well as RV/Trailer camping. There are 6 total sites, with up to 6 guests per site. The nearby Silver River offers opportunity to see lots of wildlife including wild monkeys, alligators and a myriad of birds. The Ocklawaha River is also a great place to go for fishing. Horseback riding is available at Captain Jacks.
$40 - $75 / night
Mutual Mine Campground has campsites in a horseshoe formation next to a picturesque, rain-filled lake that was formerly a mine pit. This campground does not have showers. Features - No pets allowed Hiking trails: - Citrus C Loop is 16.9 miles. - Citrus D Loop is 19.4 miles. No alcohol allowed Facilities - 13 non-electric campsites with water, picnic table and fire ring Restrooms (no showers) - Youth group camp area. - Reservations required. Call (352) 797-4140. - Reservation required for ALL campsites. Call (352) 797-4140.
TURK
$20 - $650 / night
Scout
Quiet and friendly place. Better for campers.
Scout
If I could give neg I would! The place is nothing but a bunch of trees, red ants, chickens and roosters! It’s surrounded by slaughter houses and one they found human bones. The husband was outside at night shooting the rats!!!! The owner was nasty to other guests while I was there! She acted crazy chasing and screaming a guest who was driving in the grass because there was no lighting. It’s like a junk yard. If you wanted a nice peaceful place to stay, this is not it! The roosters at 3 am and the pigs getting slaughtered and squealing! The place felt demonic! Very dark place. I didn’t feel safe at all and couldn’t wait til daylight to get out of there! Didn’t even stay the next night! Much better camping places in the area!
Traveler
Friendly staff and well maintained Park and facilities with great fishing and an amazing view of Lake George.
ScoutMy wife and I decided last year to full time RV. We were already living in Ocala and we wanted to remain in the area. We discovered Silver Springs RV and are so glad we did. Everyone here, especially the staff, was so welcoming and friendly. SSRV is definitely going to be home for a long time.
Ranger
This campground is really dark, quiet and pretty. The bathhouse was always clean. You can smell the well water in the bathhouse. Brings me back to my childhood memories. We rode our bikes to the observation tower, but we were not lucky enough to see any bison or wild horses. Still nice to see the open prairie. We had a big rainstorm and the back of our site did become a lake, but it was gone overnight. The bugs lit us up all hours, so make sure you different bug sprays.
GuideQuiet, lots of wildlife (wild horses, bison, alligators, deer, birds, turtles); plenty of hiking and biking trails with beautiful sunsets on the lake. Restroom facilities are showing some age but clean. Walk-in tent sites are pretty close to the Restrooms.
Scout
You have to get called back, not working with international numbers. Form on website won’t solve the captcha.
Sometimes automating everything is stupid.
RangerGreat state park well off the main road. Quiet and wooded with limestone pads.
Guide
Beautiful place, nothing to complain about
Scout
Was there 5/20. Not much privacy, other campers close. The deer, yellow flies ate me alive, even with heavy duty bug spray. Not on the lake, so no breeze. Have to take a boat on Dead River to see the lake. Neighbors were loud and fighting well past midnight. The famous oak tree is up front by highway. Was a nightmare. Left early.
TravelerThere aren’t many bad sites. Great trails and walking. BRING BUG SPRAY. I wish I had time to stay longer to see everything the park had to offer. I will be back!
LegendFHU, gravel site. The sites Very close together and guests pull in all around your site and park their boats, cars, trucks, golf carts. Luckily, we only stayed a weekend. Lots of full time residents. The dog park is big, Pool house, jacuzzi and pool are large and clean. There were activities planned for the kids which was fun! There are tennis courts, which we didn’t use. The playground has many different play areas and was tidy. There are lots of area attractions and a beach with a designated swimming area at the end of the road. If we had come off season, it would have been great. The swing and pond, behind our RV, was a nice touch for our puppy and granddaughter.
TravelerThis is now my top 2 in parks for camping. The tent only spots are nice and secluded. You do have to walk maybe 100-200 ft from your car to the campsite. I was in site #24. Nice and open with a lot of trees for protection. Great fire pit. No power or water at this site… site #25 has those. The whole grounds were well kept and the trails were easy. At the observation tower you can see a lot of the prairie and if you’re lucky you can see wild horses.
Guide
Nice place and nice people. Lucky for us it wasn’t that busy. Otherwise you would be packed in. Over all a nice place. Lots of road noise from the interstate.
Guide
Super clean and quiet. This campground has it all except a childrens play area. Laundry, pool, clubhouse, Pickleball courts. Short drive to Cedar Key harbor. Great restaurants and art coop shopping.
Ranger
If you’re tent camping in the tent-only walk-in sites, site 60 is definitely the most private (farthest from the lot but still a short walk in on a paved path). Bathrooms are two single stall/shower combos, but never too crowded. Campground is good for paddling, especially for renting from the concessions (they have single and tandem kayaks, SUP, and canoes). It’s a drive and a separate entrance to get to the head springs area of the park, though there is a small roped off swim area by the boat ramp. We went before tubing opens (April 1 each year), so the Rainbow was less crowded and stunningly clear and emerald.
RangerThis secret little spot is the perfect escape into the jungle of Florida. You will see wildlife and enjoy being in a remote spot in nature. Great hiking trail!
Scout
I stayed at Cristal camp with my family and it was amazing. It was not hot that entire weekend so we were able to have a fire pit going here. It’s just great I would highly recommend it.
ScoutThis place was amazing is exactly what everybody needs to get away from the hassle of the city. Please come enjoy a peaceful piece of land I recommend it.
LegendJake from the Dyrt here! Cristal Camping has great access to the river for enjoying the warm Florida coast water. Check it out and share a review on the Dyrt!
Traveler
Very relaxing
TravelerPlenty of room to get in and out of your site. Roomy sites. Pleasant management. I’ve stayed twice for a nice weekend away.
Will definitely stay again and again and again.
LegendPROS
Site 49 level and xtra wide. Picnic table, metal fire ring with cooking grate and pedestal BBQ grill
Non-climate controlled bathhouse 20 steps away from Site 49
Saw a wild turkey walking thru the campground a couple times.
Fairly good night sky viewing as many camper turned off ALL their exterior lights fairly early in the evening.
Firewood sold at Park Store along with other essential camping items
2 bars TMOBILE
CONS
Entrance gate closed upon our 2pm Monday arrival and emails from the park stated it closed at sunset No gate code had been provided in any of the emails we received from the park. We tried to call the park office, but no answer. So there we sat blocking the only entrance to the campground and no place to turn around. Luckily a registered camper came in behind us, walked up and used his code to open the gate.
Park Office Building Laundry. Filthy. 4 washers and 4 dryers. One washer full of water and unplugged.
Site 49. 100% gravel and weeds with no shade or privacy from any other site or roadway.
Picnic table wooden top and one side bench in unusable condition.
Bathhouse for 17 campsites were 3-piece rooms(toilet/shower/sink), on for females and one for males. Bathhouse in Park Office closed for repairs our entire 7 day stay.
Park Map. I had to specifically request a park map and was provided hand drawn map which was of only the campground.
No other information provided for the park such as hiking trails, etc.
No park WiFi
GuideWhen I called, they were closing, they accepted me as a late arrival with details on where my site was. Clean and quiet. They have rescue farm animals on the property, they have a dog park, pool and clean shower/restrooms. I’m already planning a repeat visit with a longer stay…
LegendPROS
Dark sky friendly-no street lights in campground
100% gravel site
Metal fire ring with cooking grate
Moveable wood and metal picnic table
2 hook lantern pole
Security gate that closed at dusk with code provided for entrance
Some privacy from neighbors
Coin washers/dryers at the campground bathhouse
3 bars T-MOBILE
CONS
No senior or military discount
No campground WIFI
Site 11 very unlevel
Gravel roads to and thru campground
Tight campground road
Horrible traffic noise from US 441
LegendLocated in the in the rolling sandhills of north central Florida, Mike Roess SP is one of the oldest in the sunshine state’s amazing collection of well-maintained state parks, built back in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC), inspired by one of my personal heroes, Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt’s ‘The New Deal.’ Here, you’ll discover sanctuaries of old-growth longleaf pines amidst a golden sea of grasses providing a shady oasis from an otherwise sunny, humid and unrelenting Florida sunshine, which offers up as a treasure the cold spring water of the Gold Head Branch. The crystalline clear water from the steep lead ravine forms a natural spring here that allows for Gold Head Brand to bisect the park. Nearly 6 miles of Florida’s National Scenic Trail run through this treasured patch of land, where you’ll be able to easily catch a glimpse of white-tailed deer, turkey, gopher tortoise, fox squirrels, pocket gophers, bald eagles and a few black(and even rarer in these parts, brown) bears.
Fancy swimming, boating, kayaking, canoeing and/ or fishing in a beautiful lagoon (a.k.a. Little Lake Johnson) while camping in some of the best maintained state park facilities? Then look no further than here at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park. But a quick head’s up: this state park has multiple campgrounds to choose from. In all, there are 6 (yes, that’s right, count them, 6!) campgrounds that you will have to select between, but all are a little bit different, so for this particular review, I will be focused on just the Sandhill Camping Area. This spot is one of two that are closest to the Park Ranger office that you would have entered at the front of the State Park, having arrived either northbound or southbound on State Road #21.
You will pass the Equestrian Trail Head (that connects you to the Florida National Scenic Trail), following a well-paved lane that passes by Sheeler Lake (no fishing or swimming here BTW) on the right and a Ravine Stairway (you’ll easily see by road signs), where you will take the very first left that you come to. Follow this lane until you reach a fork in the road, where you can either turn right (to Turkey Oak camping area – which I detail in another review) or left to Sandhill Camping Area. Once at this spot, there are exactly 18 sites (#1 - #18) ordered in low to high with alternating sites on either side. It’s a simple, singular loop that posits a fairly well-maintained restroom and shower facility in the middle of the loop, with a trash dumpster offered at the end. There’s decent shrubbery between campsites and a fairly fantastic tree line that encircles Sandhill.
For a state park, there’s a ton of amenities in addition to primitive, group, regular tent, RV and trailer camping, including, but not limited to the following amenities: geo-seeking, paddling, star-gazing, wedding pavilions, hiking trails, BBQ’s, fire rings, swimming, canoe and kayak launch with beachhead, wildlife viewing, birding, picnic tables, fishing, horseback riding, reunions and group gatherings, walking and running trails, restored historic sites (e.g. Old Mill), meeting & retreats, laundry facilities, restrooms, bathhouses, playgrounds with swings and slides, shower stations, parking, equestrian trails, cabins and a mini-mart at the Ranger’s Station where you can buy ice, kindle and a number of other sundry items. All this and the entire place is pet-friendly.
Insider’s Tips? Here’s a few: (1) I believe that the best spots are on the external side of the single loop at the corners, providing for maximum privacy, so look at campsites #4 and#6 (seemingly the most amount of space) or #13 and #15; (2) If you would like to get a decent hike in, follow the sign to the Mill Site and when there, follow the Loblolly Loop for a shorter, less arduous hike and Ridge Trail for a longer, more difficult trek (note: both of these loops follow the Gold Head Branch, with the Ridge Trail heading north to the Ravine, where there’s an overlook and picnic area); (3) If you have horses, bring ‘em! This entire park is completely circumnavigated by an outer ring of perfect horse hiking terrain; (4) Tired of hitting SP’s only to realize that there aren’t many picnic tables or places to throw your spread for a nice meal or afternoon of leisure? You won’t have that problem here at Mike Roess – there’s about 50 or so individual picnic tables spread throughout the entire park; and (5) When you get tired of firing up franks & beans or foraging for your next meal in your Cordova roto-molded cooler, head on over to Brooklyn Boy’s (a.k.a. THE PIG) for some solid Italian staples (think pasta and pizza) – where I recommend the fried ravioli, sausage & peppers hero, but the item that steals the show is the seafood Possillipo with a nice Pinot Grigio (BYOB) to wash it all down with.
Happy Camping!
Scout
Should be zero stars! I totally agree with Mr. Acquavella's negative review. This is our honest review of what we experienced; we would not waste our time if it were not so.
The review is for informational purposes only and not to try to ruin anything, purely your decision. You have been warned.
We totally agree with another reviews that warns of being nickel and dimmed to death. What appeared at first to be a competitive price turned pricey. I repeat competitive not a bargain.
The key to the restroom/showers was an extra $100.00. We were told that it costs $100.00 PER MONTH' to have the restroom/showers cleaned. Wait, what? Ok, so every camper pays $100.00 when it only costs $100.00 PER MONTH to have it cleaned.
Brochure lies Wi-Fi is NOT FREE. Our hookup wasn’t working; found out it costs $50.00 to turn it on at our RV site.
As an electrical concern we told them about the light fixture on top of the marker post was lying on the ground, they put it back on top but didn't reattach it to any wiring, later it fell off.
We were charged $60.00 for four hours to rent a boat& trolling motor; ok that seemed competitive. Then the motor broke a few hours into our trip; the owner had to come and tow us home. We were told the motors were old and were shown the new ones that just arrived, then we had to fight to get a refund for not being able to use the boat & motor.
While cutting the grass they ran over, cut and broke our black water drainpipe. They DENIED doing it but, HELLO I showed them the grass cutter tire mark and cut across the pipe. Yet another fight, finally; they offered a dollar store replacement hose they use when they do damage a pipe. Wait, what? They deny damaging pipes but have replacement pipes for when you do. I said I was going to a RV store and buy the proper one. They would not pay for it.
We had heavy rains, the water from the catch basin behind our RV starting to overflow, coming out of the lid. We didn't say anything for fear of being charged to have the basin cleaned.
No fire ring at the site, there is only a community fire pit.
Roads are full of potholes; some are fairly deep.
Turning and backing in is super tight, sites are on top of and right behind each other.
The owner had the nerve to respond with a candy-coated' BS reply. Instead of fixing their problems they tried to spin the comment saying I was lying. LYING? Ten problems I lied about; you can’t make these things up. Just ignore the reply, it is, pure gibberish and save your money and stay away. God bless everyone and please be safe.
Camping near Ocala, Florida, offers a mix of beautiful nature, fun activities, and a chance to unwind. Whether you're looking for a family-friendly spot or a peaceful retreat, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
With these insights, you're all set for a great camping experience near Ocala!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Ocala, FL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Ocala, FL is Rainbow Springs State Park with a 4.5-star rating from 44 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Ocala, FL?
TheDyrt.com has all 33 glamping camping locations near Ocala, FL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
