Looking for the best campgrounds near Salt Springs, 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 Salt Springs campgrounds just for you. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Florida camping adventure.
$10 - $15 / night
"The location itself was very quiet and peaceful with good trails. There were a several other campers at the hookup sights."
"Please note there isn’t much close by, so stop at the grocery and get fuel before you turn off 17."
$22 / night
"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."
"With camping along the edge in the woods and also in the field with some trees. Lots of open tent camping also. The bathrooms are huge and modern and super nice."
$18 / night
"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."
"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."
"We camp a lot during the summer but since this is Florida it's HOT regularly and sizzling during the summer months."
"Caverns are beautiful under the water but it is constantly crowded around. Pets need to be put on a leash. Horses are permitted. Many opportunities for hiking, biking, swimming, and kayaking."
$350 / night
"But luckily it is a short drive into the camp. They were only a couple of electric hook ups and a few water Spigots around the camp."
"Doe Lake is beautiful and a perfect place to kayak."
$9 - $22 / night
"But be forewarned, if you are driving just a bit faster than one ought to on Highway 20 just west of Palatka between the drive-by towns of Hollister and Interlachen, you might just miss this hidden gem"
$9 / night
"Located just about 20 minutes due northwest of Palatka – dubbed ‘Florida’s State Farmers Market’ where you will easily discover that this north central town is teeming with fresh agriculture every which"
"Just off the Palatka-Lake Butler Bike trail. Campgrounds are About 4 miles in on bikeable hard roads. Six Sites have picnic tables, lots of room, fire ring with grate, bbq grills, a latrine nearby."
TravelerEquestrian 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.
LegendAs 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!
LegendIf 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.
Happy Camping!
GuideAlthough 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. We stayed in site #3, which was tucked into the wood line and somewhat private. Easy access to all the mountain bike trails, the paved Greenway trail, and the Florida Trail. All the trails and paths are located within the park. Restrooms were fairly clean, and the showers had hot water. We would come back here in a heartbeat.
LegendThis 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.
RangerWhen 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.
TravelerVery 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.
LegendSawgrass 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.
LegendWe 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.
Horse camping in Florida offers a unique opportunity to explore the state's beautiful landscapes while enjoying the company of your equine companions. With a variety of campgrounds catering specifically to horse enthusiasts, you can find the perfect spot to set up camp and ride the trails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Salt Springs, FL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Salt Springs, FL is Welaka State Forest with a 4.3-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Salt Springs, FL?
TheDyrt.com has all 31 equestrian camping locations near Salt Springs, FL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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