Camping near Ocklawaha, FL

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    Several campgrounds surround Ocklawaha, Florida, making it a solid base for nature trips. Camping near Ocklawaha ranges from developed campgrounds with family amenities to sites set among tropical vegetation and spring-fed waterways. Silver Springs State Park Campground sits about 12 miles away, where campers can stay near the park's well-known glass-bottom boat tours. About 16 miles from town, Juniper Springs Recreation Area has camping among tropical vegetation with clear, swimmable springs. Lake Griffin State Park Campground works well for families, with its playground and walking paths through nature. Fall and spring bring the most comfortable camping weather to the area, while summer campers should prepare for heat and humidity. You can reach all these campgrounds on good roads, though checking for any closures beforehand is smart. The Ocala National Forest lies nearby with extra trails and wildlife watching spots. Remember to check current fire rules and get any needed permits before your trip. Making reservations is a good idea, particularly when campgrounds fill up during busy times. Following the rules and cleaning up after yourself helps keep these natural areas in good shape for future campers.

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    Best Campgrounds near Ocklawaha (396)

      1. Silver Springs State Park Campground

      4.8(42)12mi from Ocklawaha62 sitesRVs, Tents, Cabins

      "We rode our bikes around the campground and were amazed as almost all the sites were huge! Live oak trees with Spanish moss...this campground is truly the "Real Florida"."

      "Silver Springs Silver Springs SP Beautiful Florida campground with 60 sites, many pullthrus. The sites are huge with lots of space and privacy. Lush surroundings."

      from $24 - $110 / night

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      2. Juniper Springs Rec Area - Tropical Camp Area

      4.5(47)16mi from Ocklawaha78 sitesRVs, Tents

      "The spring pool is gorgeous and quite, very pretty trails to watch spring boils and turtles. Very sunny during the day and very cool at nigth."

      "The Florida Trail runs right through this spot and has a natural spring connection as well. We camped out near the facilities and am happy to report everything was maintained and clean."

      from $38 - $70 / night

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      3. Lake Griffin State Park Campground

      4.1(24)13mi from Ocklawaha33 sitesRVs, Tents, Cabins

      "This Florida gem is really something! Campsites were cozy and private. Walking trails a plenty. Friendly, helpful staff and courteous neighbors!"

      "Lake Griffin State Park in Fruitland Park, FL is a small Florida State Park and small campground as well. There are only 40 campsites."

      from $18 / night

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      4. Santos Trailhead & Campground

      4.5(17)11mi from Ocklawaha24 sitesRVs, Tents

      "Although in a populated area of Ocala, this campground is positioned in the trees and makes you feel like you are miles from civilization. The sites are spacious and most are shaded."

      "This campground is located near Ocala, FL. on the cross florida greenway. It is a small loop of only 22 sites with water and electric. Has clean restrooms with showers."

      from $22 / night

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      5. Whimcycle Trail Resort At Santos

      4.8(12)10mi from Ocklawaha4 sitesRVs, Cabins

      "We Enjoyed the natural beauty and peaceful surroundings while listening to the Owls Hooting ~while we sat at our campfire ."

      "Situated in Ocala, this park offers a wonderful get away for bicycling, horseback riding, or hiking Great trails The park itself is open with few trees but an amazing host."

      from $46 - $188 / night

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      6. Salt Springs Recreation Area

      4.4(61)25mi from Ocklawaha160 sitesRVs, Tents, Cabins

      "There are no laundry facilities but if you exit park and drive left there is a laundromat, local food, dollar store, bait tackle."

      "Located in the center of the state, you’ll have near equal access to both the Atlantic Ocean to the east as well as the Gulf shores to the west."

      from $38 - $70 / night

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      7. Alexander Springs Recreation Area

      4.4(35)21mi from Ocklawaha67 sitesRVs, Tents

      "This was one of the busier places I have camped in Florida. The facilities were clean and provided showers."

      "This is a typical Florida spring."

      from $38 - $70 / night

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      8. Southern Oaks RV Resort

      4.8(5)5mi from OcklawahaRVs, Tents

      9. Thousand Trails Three Flags

      4.4(12)15mi from OcklawahaRVs

      "Nearby shops and such are within 10 miles(gas, groceries, restaurants, flea markets, etc.). Overall, a nice park, but I wouldn't go during the rainy season in Florida."

      "Nice little Thousand Trails in Florida. Had full hookups at every site."

      10. Lake Waldena Resort

      4.5(6)11mi from OcklawahaRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "This is a quiet little park that sits around a lake with some woods. Let’s see, the Wifi is poor, but we still were able to stream our favorite show at night."

      "We found the office & lake area & it's great! The boats & kayaks are free for campers. You just have to sign one out at the office. "

      from $35 - $65 / night

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    Recent Reviews near Ocklawaha, FL

    1640 Reviews of 396 Ocklawaha Campgrounds


    • Cory R.
      Jun. 11, 2026

      Lakeside haven rv park

      Garbage

      WARNING: DO NOT STAY HERE. Absolute Slum Conditions & Toxic Management. If I could give Lakeside Haven RV Resort negative stars, I would. Do not be fooled by the beautiful pictures they post online—those are from years ago when the park first opened. Today, this place is a neglected, hazardous dump run by a toxic, completely unprofessional management team. We moved in on December 27th, renting a lot and an 18-foot camper for $750/month. We were assured it was "move-in ready." That was a blatant lie. On our first day, I opened the fridge/freezer combo, and hundreds of German cockroaches fell out of it like Niagara Falls. It required three separate bug bombs just to make the place semi-livable. On top of that, Mario, the manager, left a whole turkey in the freezer that thawed out and leaked putrid turkey juices all over the appliance. There was also absolutely no hot water because the water heater had a massive crack in it. It leaked so severely that it saturated the floor, causing the kitchen floor to visibly sag. When they finally came to "fix" the water heater, they smashed a massive hole in the side of the camper and just left it wide open. Because of their negligence, my cat escaped, and my girlfriend and I spent three agonizing days waiting for him to return. Thankfully, he did. The windows were also broken and just covered with cardboard and tape, and the sink was completely backed up because the previous tenant had dumped a hoard of pennies down the drain. When I confronted the manager, Mario, about these biohazards and structural failures, he didn't offer to fix them immediately. Instead, he coldly offered a refund. He knew exactly what he was doing—he put us in a position where we either had to live in a roach-infested, broken camper or be homeless. We had to stay and watch them take their sweet time doing bare-minimum repairs. When anyone has a legitimate issue with the park, Mario gets incredibly rude, nasty, and aggressive. If you express how unhappy you are with the conditions, management's official response is literally: "Don't like it? Move." Management is rarely even on-site—maybe once or twice a month—but they sure know how to cause drama. They constantly spread lies around the park claiming we weren't paying our bills, which is defamation. We have every single receipt proving we have paid on time, every single month. Furthermore, the utility situation is a massive rip-off. There is only one meter for the entire park. Management leaves the lights on and the AC blasting at 68 degrees constantly in common areas, and because of the single meter, the tenants are forced to split the bill for their energy waste. You are also paying out of pocket for "amenities" like a laundry room that should be covered. The park looks like absolute shit. The boat dock is in such disrepair it will literally ruin your boat if you try to use it. Worse than the infrastructure is the total lack of safety. They will let anyone move in here, including active drug users and people with violent, dangerous criminal records. To give you an idea of how dangerous this place is, I accidentally butt-dialed the police once. When the cop arrived, he literally told me that they get so many emergency calls for this park—ranging from domestic abuse to drug issues—that they are forced to come out and physically verify everyone is okay, even for a confirmed accidental dial. The police are fully aware of how awful this place is. There is also zero confidentiality. Management acts friendly to get your money, but once you are locked in, they treat you like garbage and spread your personal business. They literally told brand-new tenants intimate, private medical details about a resident living here with cancer. It is deeply disrespectful, unethical, and disgusting behavior. They trap you, lie about you, neglect the property, and treat you like absolute shit. For the love of God, stay the hell away from Lakeside Haven RV Resort and Mario.

    • c
      Jun. 7, 2026

      Seven Sisters Campground

      Stumpy

      Nice campground but with only one bathroom and one shower for men. So you may have to wait in line

    • Celeste A.
      Jun. 7, 2026

      Indian Lake State Forest Campground

      Weekend Get-Away

      First time at this State Forest campground/park and it was quiet, accessible, and had all the amenities needed for a nice weekend get away. The bathrooms are a little less modern than expected, but they do have a shower which does get hot within seconds. The iron smell is very notable in the water, however.

    • Kai Z.The Dyrt PRO User
      May. 29, 2026

      Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

      Beautiful Nature Escape with cool Wildlife

      This is a really nice campground surrounded by beautiful nature. The bathhouse is a little older, but still fine. The area itself is really impressive though, with lots of wildlife all around. If you take a short walk, you’ll find a spot with a water view and tons of seating areas — a really beautiful place to relax. For the price, you honestly can’t complain. There are quite a lot of insects at night, so bringing good bug spray is definitely a good idea. But for our one-night stay, it was absolutely worth it.

    • Kai Z.The Dyrt PRO User
      May. 28, 2026

      Silver Springs State Park Campground

      Spacious Campsites

      We also only stayed here for one night, but we really enjoyed this campground. The campsites are very large and spacious, and the surrounding trees give you a decent amount of privacy. The bathhouse was very clean, and the showers were especially nice because they were big and roomy, which made them really comfortable to use. The only small downside is that there were only two showers available, at least on the men’s side. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We would definitely recommend staying here.

    • WThe Dyrt PRO User
      May. 22, 2026

      Thousand Trails Three Flags

      First time out

      My wife and I are brand new to rving as of May, 1st of 2026. So with that being said, this is our first campgrounds we have ever stayed at rving. Check in was extremely quick and easy took less than five minutes. Being a first time rver, the spot I was given made it nice and easy to back into. I have a 39 foot class, A motorhome, and I fit with no problem and a car. Our spot was in the back of the park, and there was plenty of grass and field to walk my dog. The field behind us also has benches that you can sit down and relax and enjoy the sunset or there's a farm not too far behind, which has cows that come to the fence. I have a 50 amp, hook up and sewer and water were all provided in my spot and they were easy to connect. This place has plenty of amenities, like miniature golf, shuffleboard, horse shoes, a pool, a basketball hoop, a pool table in the clubhouse and games and books you can read. Our stay was for twenty one days and it was a zero cost because of our membership to Thousand Trails camping club. Overall, I would definitely recommend staying here for a short stay or a longer one.

    • k
      May. 10, 2026

      Holiday Travel Park

      Glad we only stayed one night

      It started that even though we had a reservation and called ahead, we had to wait 20 minutes for someone to get there to give us our site number. The place is full of long term residents, and many of them were very unkempt. We smelled marijuana the entire time. Lastly, when i went to use the restroom right before we left, it was locked and a sign in the door said to get a key from the office, which was a several minute walk away, but the office wasn’t open. Fortunately we were only there one night

    • S
      May. 5, 2026

      Nature Resort Campground

      Ok for one night

      We stayed here on our way to Clearwater. It’s a busy campsite with a great many permanent residence folks. Very busy roads with multitude of golf carts and four wheelers, and we didn’t see a single bicycle anywhere, and very few walkers.


    Guide to Ocklawaha

    Ocklawaha sits in north central Florida, where the landscape features a mix of pine flatwoods, cypress stands, and natural springs maintaining 72-degree temperatures year-round. The region's sandy soil quickly absorbs rainfall, making campgrounds less prone to extended flooding even during summer's frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Many campgrounds in this area remain open throughout the year, with weekday camping offering significantly more solitude than crowded weekend periods.

    What to do

    Kayaking scenic waterways: At Juniper Springs Rec Area, the 7-mile downstream float attracts paddlers to its crystal-clear waters. "Some of the prettiest water in central FL makes for a great one way downstream 7 mile float. Boats less than 10' greatly improves your ability to navigate tight turns," notes Rebecca E., who warns to "AVOID SPRING & SUMMER WEEKENDS AT ALL COSTS or you will feel like you are at an amusement park waiting to get on a ride."

    Mountain biking trails: The Santos Trailhead & Campground provides direct access to internationally recognized mountain biking terrain. "If you love to use awesome bike trails, this is the place!" says Ray P. The campground connects to "over 30 miles of trails to explore" according to Christy C., who explains the trails have been "recently updated to be even better" with various difficulty levels.

    Swimming in natural springs: The swimming area at Alexander Springs Recreation Area offers a spacious natural pool around the spring vent. "The spring head is located right in the swimming area, it's bigger than any swim area at a spring that I have ever been too," writes Gabby C. The water stays consistently cool regardless of the season, with Tessa M. adding, "It is COLD though...be warned!"

    What campers like

    Spacious, private sites: Campers consistently praise Silver Springs State Park Campground for its large campsites with substantial separation. "The sites are big and have plenty of space between them," Carlos R. observes. Jody O. describes the setup as "Large sites with ample separation from your neighbors" and notes "this is a quiet park w a lot of nature."

    Proximity to multiple activities: Whimcycle Trail Resort At Santos earns high marks for its strategic location near various outdoor activities. Joni H. reports the "WhimCycle Trail campground location is PERFECT for accessing the Santos biking and hiking trails!" Teresa B. adds they "enjoyed being right next to the biking and hiking trails AND only a few minutes from grocery stores."

    Shade from Florida heat: Mature tree canopies provide crucial relief during hot months. "The oak canopy makes great shade in the heat," Nicole D. says of Alexander Springs Recreation Area. At Lake Waldena Resort, campers appreciate the wooded sections, with Cynthia K. noting "Site 1-13 had a view of a marshy area with the lake beyond" and "We had sandhill cranes roaming around the campground who visited once in a while."

    What you should know

    Varying bathroom conditions: Facility quality varies significantly between campgrounds. At Lake Griffin State Park Campground, "Nice clean restrooms" are reported by Larry M., while others note some parks need maintenance. Charles B. found staff responsiveness varied, mentioning a "young lady ranger seemed a bit lacking in knowledge re: disabled veterans/persons."

    Seasonal crowd patterns: Popular springs become extremely crowded during peak periods. Juniper Springs experiences heavy usage where Rebecca E. warns to "AVOID SPRING & SUMMER WEEKENDS AT ALL COSTS." At Salt Springs Recreation Area, Stuart K. advises "chose to go either early or later in the day – as the water's temperature doesn't change remaining constant at 72 degrees throughout the day."

    Insect preparation: Mosquitoes and ticks require proper planning. Larry M. reminds campers visiting Lake Griffin State Park, "It is Florida's so be prepared for mosquitoes." Tina L. warns hikers on the Florida Trail near Alexander Springs to "Be careful of ticks and alligators if you have your dog!!"

    Tips for camping with families

    Wildlife viewing opportunities: Santos Trailhead provides encounters with Florida's natural inhabitants. Rich S. notes the park "makes you feel like you are miles from civilization" despite being near populated areas. Zanny M. describes Juniper Springs as having "great trails through the trees you can hike for hours, but easily find your way out, they were well mapped out."

    Water safety awareness: Spring runs often contain wildlife requiring parental supervision. Zanny M. explains Juniper Springs is "Great for new or experienced campers, definitely and great way to introduce someone new to camping!" but advises caution with "obstacles depending on tide and fallen trees."

    Recreational equipment: Some campgrounds provide free equipment access. Dayanis P. highlights Lake Waldena Resort's family-friendly amenities: "free to use kayaks and water sports, my son learned how to ride a bicycle for the first time today with one of their bicycles! The lake was really a joy to swim on, the kids were in it all day."

    Tips from RVers

    Site selection considerations: RV sites vary significantly in accessibility and privacy. At Whimcycle Trail Resort, Lisa O. advises against the Tropical loop, explaining "virtually every one is a pull thru and those are inherently less private. When I biked through the Sand loop I was completely bummed bc they are huge sites with vegetation all around the sites making them awesome for RVs and privacy."

    Hookup availability: Full hookup options remain limited at natural springs. At Silver Springs State Park, Bob S. reports "Full facilities" with "extensive trails" and "river access," making it worth the premium. Daniel S. notes Alexander Springs "would be 5 stars if they had some sites with electric hookups."

    Seasonal booking recommendations: Campsite availability tightens dramatically during winter months. Charles F. recommends planning well ahead for Three Flags RV Campground, noting "Sites were huge!! Semi shaded with picnic tables and great full hookups" but can fill quickly during snowbird season.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What camping is available near Ocklawaha, FL?

    According to TheDyrt.com, Ocklawaha, FL offers a wide range of camping options, with 396 campgrounds and RV parks near Ocklawaha, FL and 9 free dispersed camping spots.

    Which is the most popular campground near Ocklawaha, FL?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Ocklawaha, FL is Silver Springs State Park Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 42 reviews.

    Where can I find free dispersed camping near Ocklawaha, FL?

    According to TheDyrt.com, there are 9 free dispersed camping spots near Ocklawaha, FL.

    What parks are near Ocklawaha, FL?

    According to TheDyrt.com, there are 4 parks near Ocklawaha, FL that allow camping, notably National Forests in Florida and Ocala National Forest.