Best Campgrounds near Penney Farms, FL

This was our favorite campground to spend the winter months until new owner and managers took over in 2023. Jon has anger issues and no respectful communication skills. If he doesn’t like you, he trumps up an excuse to evict you. We have seen this many times. It’s like walking on egg shells all winter. Jon and Vickie are not consistent on their new rules, which change all the time. And, they don’t follow through with new improvements. They advertise a heated pool. However, it was inoperable one whole winter season with them saying,“it will be fixed in a few days”. The following winter season it worked but was not warm when it was getting nice to swim. The workers have no respect for campers and their personal property when they are mowing or blowing leaves. Snowbirds can no longer secure a reservation on their preferred site for the following season upon departure. Now we are put on a waiting list until November with the hopes we’ll get a phone call saying our preferred site is available. November is too late in the season to try to secure a site at another campground in the event a space isn’t available. How is this a respectable way to treat loyal, recurring snowbirds?!?! This new policy has caused them to lose multiple recurring guests. Sadly, a former beautifully maintained and friendly campground in a nice town is going downhill fast. Too bad there isn’t an option for negative star ratings.

excellent customer service, quiet, pretty view. would stay again for sure

No complaints here

easy pull through sites, hook ups work great, the lake is crystal clear and the staff is really kind! it’s quiet and clean, would definitely come again

Great place to stay. Layed back atmosphere. Small campground right on a lake. The lake is natural and undisturbed.

This campground is beautiful, clean, and staff is very friendly. Beth in the office is a gem. The lots are roomy and spacious with plenty of room and privacy.

Crime scene tape Has been removed since last visit so that's a plus. Lots of wide open area where if you have a trailer you can park. Not much privacy. Has the feel of a regular campground but its free. Small pond in the middle of the campground seems to have a few swirls. Can't drive thru the campground expect in a lifted truck due to water hole but main road access is available to the other side.

No frills federal campground. Offeres Doscounts for America the beautiful. Rates start at $12 nt for primarive sites. They have a bath house. All sites have concrete pads. There is a tiny human area with a swimming area and some swings.

Camp has trash cans. There are several areas where you can be separate which is nice. There is no cell service. Tower is open where you can climb it if you want. Dollar general is only about 15 mins away. Its a no frills free campground from the federal govt. There are no sites or reservations its just all dispearsed camping with in the boundary.

No frills free campground from the federal govt. it does have trash cans. There are a few places to park a trailer and one spot you can easily fit 40+ ft of trailer. One picnic table. It’s camp where you want with in the bounds of the campground. One of the more popular campgrounds.

We stopped here desperate for a spot on a Saturday night. Not a single car in the lot and no one around. A brief half mile hike to the spot and it was just perfect. Definitely bring bug spray, there are lots of spiders and ticks in this area. We were doing one night but this seems like a great area for recreation of all sorts.

While there are many natural springs throughout north central Florida, Salt Springs is considered by many to be one of the best preserved and well-maintained springs throughout the state as well as being the ‘main attraction’ here in the Ocala National Forest, where you’ll find yourself at should you choose to swing by Salt Springs. 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. What’s great about Salt Springs SP is that there’s a lot more to experience and explore here than just the springs themselves, which you can swim, fish and canoe in, but nearby, there’s Lake Kerr, which offers up some additional on-the-water adventures.

As for the CG itself, to be clear, there are (2) campgrounds here at Salt Springs SP – one exclusively for the mobile-minded, while a second for the tent-pitchin’ breed. I will isolate my comments here for the former, which features 106 back-in and pull-through slots available for those camping with RVs, 5th Wheelers and / or trailers complete with FHUs offering up 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage, making this the largest CG of any in the Ocala National Forest and the only one with FHUs. And while most RV-centered CGs tend to line up parking pad slots so close together you’ll wonder whether or not you are a sardine, the spaces here are actually nice and spacious although there’s not a ton of trees or brush within the center or between sites to provide campers with any sense of privacy, although the arrow tip-shaped CG is flanked around its perimeter with decent tree-line cover and thick bush. And while each of the sites appeared to be quite level and perfectly accommodating to most RV sizes, you’ll want to take note there are gently rolling hills around this CG, which features nicely paved driving pathways and cement, grass and gravel pads.

Amenities: There are (2) very well-maintained and incredibly clean restroom facilities located centrally, with shower facilities in the tent CG, recycling dumpsters located on the northern perimeter, boat launch near Salt Springs Marina, small fishing canal just due north of the tent camping area, dump station, overflow parking, horseshoes and shuffleboard on the western edge, drinking fountains, picnic tables, fire rings, standing BBQ grills, pavilion with basketball court on the southern perimeter, camp store on the far eastern edge near the springs parking area, canoe rentals (offered up on a first-come, first-served basis… so you’ll want to get yours bright and early!) additional overflow and boat parking on the eastern flank betwixt this CG and the primitive tent area and, of course, likely the entire you’ve come here in the first place, the Salt Springs itself.

Insider’s Tips: (1) If you are looking to cast a line in nearby Lake Kerr complete with its cypress tree-lined shores, you can do so by accessing any one of the main piers and fishing docks that are scattered around this freshwater bastion of aqua marine or you can cast a line to catch bountiful small- and largemouth bass, catfish, crappie, blue gill, warmouth and shellcracker at one of the peninsulas that poke into this lake either at Lake Kerr Key to the north, Point Pleasant on the western edge or, right near Salt Springs by taking NE 247th Ct to the dead end on Juniper Street; (2) While there’s not a ton of eateries that are all that tempting in these parts, if you do decide to ‘get off the reservation’ nearby, there’s a Subway, Salt Springs Pizza, Square Meal, Hunt Brothers Pizza and Southern Buffet, that are honestly all just ‘mid,’ so for those that don’t mind a slightly longer drive, check-out Elis River Park Café, Townsend Cove, Renegades on the River, Sunset Landing and The Grill Out; (3) It is HIGHLY advisable that you make your CG reservations here at Salt Springs SP WAY in advance by calling 1-877-444-6777 or booking online at Recreation.gov; (4) There is a single 2-mile hiking trail that is at best, moderate, although the path offers up a nice boardwalk midway through with excellent views of trees endemic to the Ocala National Forest like the many varieties of Oaks (Chapman, Sand Live, Ancient, Live, Myrtle), Big Scrub, Saw Palmetto, water-logged Palmettos and, of course, the Southern Magnolias, most of which you’ll find dripping with Spanish moss; and (5) Like most natural springs, as the day progresses, the spring will get busier and busier, so I always recommend if you are camping at a spring – because this grants you automatic admission unlike those who are just visiting for the day and are therefore subject to being turned away once the spring reaches capacity – that you 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 and, in fact, all year round.

Happy Camping!

The campground has large spots and are easy to back into. There was no reservation required. The spring is a short walk from the campground or a quick bike ride.

Great location, close to 95 and downtown st Augustine. Plenty of shade and level sites. The staff is extra friendly.

We have stayed in both 71 and 107. 107 is a buddy site and great if traveling with friends.

Pros:

Camp store with all essentials including propane refills.

Lake with kayak rentals, etc.

Close to many essential needs, bars, restaurants and other beaches

Full hookups at most sites

There is a nice area in the laundry facility where you can pick up free items and drop off unwanted ones. Cons: She TIGHT boy. I drove a commercial truck for years and I had to switch to back us in because it was so tight. We were asked to move our truck multiple times so other people could pull out or back in. The sites are also very narrow or oddly shaped. This really ruined it for us to be honest. You would walk out the front door and had to squeeze between a tree and the trailer to get to the rest of the campsite.

Mosquitos at night here will eat you alive. Lots of canopy cover keeps everything really, really humid. They provide sawdust for free because the ground gets soft.

I’m not sure if it was just our area, but MAN some of the site stunk like urine and there was old dog poop all over.

Almost no internet coverage due to the canopy cover.

A lot of the campers here were really inconsiderate. Leaving their dogs barking all day, blocking the road while they sit and gab etc. maybe an off week or something.

Pros: You’re right on the water which is nice and the ocean side was BEAUTIFUL. Lots of birds, little shells and wildlife. We saw horseshoe crabs, crabs and clams. Beach is full of razor clams

Beautiful areas of the campsite and lots of hiking trails within a short drive.

Cons:

The helicopters are really, really loud. Like pausing conversations when they fly over and it goes on 12/15 hours a day.

It is windy, especially in the evening when we wanted to have a fire. Made the fire burn well, however no one could sit near it because the smoke changed directions constantly.

The road to the campground is half washed out, I am not sure how it would be possible to have two folks meet on the road without one backing all the way up risking sliding off the washed out area.

The cleanliness of the facilities is really lacking. We try to save our tanks and shower in the shower house but no…

The water…smells like sewage. It’s full of sulfur and I sanitized our water system after leaving just because of how bad it was. Probably unnecessary but who knows.