Best Equestrian Camping near Ocklawaha, FL

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). 

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If you are watching, training or riding world-class horses and find yourself here at World Equestrian RV Resort, you'll experience brand-spanking-new facilities, complete with its very own petrol station. It’s a mall-like parking lane maze of slots designed exclusively for the RV camping lot– so sorry fellow tent campers, you’ll have to keep looking for higher ground. For the RV’ers out there, you’ll be pleased with the new sticker smell of this place, complete with all of the standard water, electric and sewar hook-ups. There’s decent space between you and your neighbors, although there is zero privacy in this greenery-free parking lot. If you’re hauling horses, then you’ll have plenty of space, but the place is incredibly high maintenance when it comes to cleaning up after yourself(or your mares!). That said, it’s a stone’s throw to the World Equestrian Center, so what this place lacks in ambiance and nature, its proximity, newness and ease of navigation make it an attractable location to stay in. 

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Lake Louisa is located on the edge of the Orlando metropolitan region. Close to Disney but accessible to other area attractions and communities, if that's what you are lookimg to do.

We needed a break from life so we went to chill and hang out in the park. What a beautiful park it is. Miles of trails, a small beach, 3 lakes for fishing and kayaking, and 2 fishing piers. They also have equestrian facilities for horseback riding. Including a stable where you can sign up to join a ride.

The park's campground is compact with 2 very clean bathhouse, a small camp store, and 60 sites. The sites are nicely setup with lots of privacy. There are a few sites with both 50 amp electric and sewer service. One issue, especially in the summer, is the lack of shade so make sure you bring your own shade structures and a fan. In addition to traditional sites, the park has glamping tents, eco tents, primitive tent sites, equestrian sites, cabins, and a youth group area.

The park is really beautiful. The riolling hills, pine forests, and pretty lakes. The wild flowers are also very pretty.

We've been to many of Florida's state parks and this is among our new favorites. Just love it! Enjoy!

Stayed at Ashley campground, which is free with a reservation through Southwest Florida water management. They provide a Lock code for you to enter upon entering so there’s always a locked gate during your stay. The sites are very well-kept and I’ll have a firing and covered picnic table. The sites are a little close as there are not a lot of trees for privacy but overall a really nice camp spot. Has two vault toilets which were relatively clean. Mixture of equestrian campers and non-equestrian campers. Barely any cell service so wasn’t ideal for my work situation and had to go into town. 1-2 bars of 4G via AT&T.

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.

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This place was PERFECT. There was a big open field where basically all equestrian campers parked at since it was near the horse stalls. There’s also more shaded camp spots towards the back which is where I ended up. Beautiful trees for shade but room to get some solar too. All areas have a super nice fire pit and picnic table. The bathrooms have flush toilets and running water. There is non-potable water spigots throughout the campground and there are miles and miles worth of trails for biking, hiking, or horseback riding. There is a host on site who was extremely kind. dumpster up at the entrance to toss any trash you may have. 2-3 bars of 5G AT&T. Felt super safe all times of the day. Right in between two towns so can easily get groceries or gas with a 15 minute drive.

Sawgrass Island Preserve is a unique piece of property.  I love hiking on the north side of the property it looks so much like Old Florida.  I like to go across the causeway and down the Bog Button Trail and over to the Hammock Trail and along the Cactus Trail and down around the ponds and back out the Bent Pine Trail.  This is around a five mile hike and can be stretched out by doing the North Loop Trail also .  I have seen several whitetail deer, sandhill cranes, lots of other birds, quail, and some turkeys while hiking.  I also saw a black bear up a tree in the marsh.  It is a hidden gem for sure.  The south side is nice but gets super sandy in places due to horseback riders.  And if you have horses the preserve allows riders and even has a spot or two with water for the horses and some picnic areas with hitching post to tie off horse and have some time to eat.  Some trails are narrow and give the feel of actually walking in, in the woods!  I haven't camped there but they have two primitive campsites on the Hammock Trail near the marsh with a fire ring, picnic table, and lantern post.  There is also a horse campsite along the Cactus Trail down near the ponds and there is an open pole barn with two roomy stalls for horses and picnic tables and a fire ring with benches.  Also room to pitch tent under barn too.  There is no water available at any of the campsites.  Could be a fun adventure waiting in Old Florida.  There is a camping application to fill out on line at www.lcwa.org and a  small fee, but if everything checks out ok at the end of the stay after a Ranger has had a chance to check out the site your fee is refunded.

Very nice new concrete RV/Trailer pads with electric and water hookup. The trailer in and out was easy even with a good sized rig (~30feet). Each spot had a picnic table and grill. I was a little disappointed that the hookup sights did not also have fire rings but the primitive tent sights do have fire rings. There is a dump station at this sight but it was not clear to me if the station was ready for use at the tone of my stay. The bathrooms and the shower rooms were very clean and well kept, it looks like they recently redid much of it. The location itself was very quiet and peaceful with good trails. There were a several other campers at the hookup sights. I did find it a little unsettling that at least two of the other campers at the hookup sight looked like they were a permanent/semipermanent resident and they were not using the space for equestrian activities as the sight intends. It’s a little disappointing because ethos who do want to camp with horses have limited sights so to see two of these taken by non equestrians in was seems to be a longer term stay was somewhat disappointing.