Best Equestrian Camping near Windermere, FL

Colt Creek State Park is one of the newest parks in the Florida State Park System. Their RV/Tent Campground just recently opened in early 2018. RV spots are spacious. There is not a lot of privacy between spots but cover will grow in in time. Most sites are in full sun most of the day. Tent camping areas are on grass not gravel. very nice dump and wash area at gate to campground. They also offer equestrian, group, and primitive camping at this location. The equestrian camp is well used and quite large with standard amenities for horses and campers. There are 2 primitive sites along a 10 mile loop trail. Group site does not have a pavilion but does have port o lets ( no water or electric). There are 4 lakes ( no swimming) on the property kayak/canoe rentals, nice fishing ares and a dock. Lots of wildlife. Great for biking as well.

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.

 Happy Camping!

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.

Lake Louisa is located in Clermont Florida and is only 20 miles from Disney in Orlando. It is a newer park and the facilities were really nice. We stayed here in June and bugs were only bad at nightfall. We got good reception with our verizon and only ok with our sprint.

This park is one of our many Trifecta parks, meaning we can hike, bike and kayak. We were easily able to roll our Kayaks to Dixie lake from our campsite. We stayed at a site in Dixie loop sites sites 1-30. Hammond lake was across the road from our campground. The other campground (Sandhill) is equally nice with the same gravel sites, 30/50 amp electricity and water but not quite as close to the lake. There is a dump station and some of the sites have full hookup with sewer. Reserve America does not note which ones have sewer too but when I did some more research I found one review that mentioned that site #’s 16,18,20, 30, 32,33, 34 (ADA), 35,36 (ADA), 37,38,39, &40 are the sites that have sewer too. Note: Only a couple of sites offer a water view due to the foliage and the trees.

In addition to the campground for Rv,tents and trailers....this park has cute little teepees for rent, tent sites, primitive sites,group sites, 20 cabins (no pets allowed) and even an equestrian campground with stalls and a corral. There are kayak,bike and canoe rentals at the Dixie Lake area camp store which is located next to the campgrounds. When you rent a kayak - you will only be able to kayak on Hammond Lake (unless you hand carry it across the street yourself to Dixie lake if the rules allow that) There are also fishing piers at both Dixie and Hammond Lake. You can also fish and boat on Lake Louisa too. There is also a cute hidden lake called Bear Lake that you can bike or drive to and even put in your kayak or electric boat on this more remote lake. However, since there is no public boat ramp access to Lake Louisa -unless you can hand carry or roll your boat to water....you will need to go to the Palatlakaha River Park and Boat Ramp to put your larger boat into the lake (there are no docks at the park for tying up your boat)

This park has totally awesome park roads for biking, trails for mountain biking and hiking, and equestrian trails. Be sure to carry a map, I got a little lost hiking because not all the trails were well marked. We also enjoyed riding our bikes into Clermont.

There is a longer review with links at our website www.travylcouple.com if you want more info than this review and video offers you.

This is a nice pleasant location with nothing around but nature. This totally primitive site can be found 12 miles out from the McNeil Trailhead near Colt Creek State Park on Hwy 471. Choose your hiking dates well, the warmer and more humid the more difficult the hike. Trails can get pretty wet in the rainy season also.

Site was clear and open, which was good because there is an abundance of ticks to be found in the brush. There are places for tents and hammocks using tree safe straps. benches, fire ring and even a picnic table. Insect repellent is a must have!

The insects and frogs put on an amazing chorus after a rain. You will need to hang food and trash at night to keep critters away. 

There are 65 miles of trails here, 37350 acres, and you really need to pay attention to the trail signs. there are separate equestrian sites in the area and separate trails as well.

A free reservation is required and must be displayed or available at campground.

Trails can also be access from 13347 Ranch Road in Dade City, Florida