Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost & Resort is located near Fort McCoy, FL, featuring flat terrain with abundant waterways. Temperatures range from the mid-40s in winter to the high 90s in summer. Campers can explore the nearby Ocala National Forest and Silver Springs State Park for outdoor activities and natural beauty.

Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost & Resort

Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Fort Mccoy, FL is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Florida camping has to offer. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Fort Mccoy, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.

Fort Mccoy

The Best Camping Near Fort Mccoy, Florida

Great little campground, not big and commercial like so many. Owners are wonderful and make you feel welcome. Can launch canoes and kayaks there or use the shuttle and get dropped off upriver and float back on day and multiday trips.

Awesome small town feel

This is a friendly campground with canoe/kayak rentals and a shuttle service. The tent area is near the river and very wooded--lots of places to hang a hammock or pitch a tent, and has drive-in access. The campground also has cozy cottages great for families or groups, each with a small porch and a fire ring. The RV area is large and open, each site is spacious but not wooded so there is nothing screening you from your neighbors. There is a fair amount of road noise as the location is near a bridge over the river. Besides the kayaking and riverside location, the best thing about the campground is couple who own the place. They are a delight, friendly, helpful and working hard to make your stay enjoyable.

Sweet campground on the Ocklawaha River

We had a great time there at Theresa‘s little place. She let us stay in a tent pitch with our small scoobidoo van. It’s very natural and down to earth there - friendly people, nice nature - good for relaxing 

Lovely place 

This quiet camp is affordable and has complete hookups and canoe rentals. The hosts are very attentive and helpful. All the National Forest camps were full and the Outpost usually has an opening. This is old rural Florida, no glitz. 
We did a full day trip on the River. Lots of birds, alligators and very quiet and remote. 
GPS was misleading. The camp is located on the north side of the high bridge over the Oklawaha River on route 316. 

Wonderful camp in the Ocala National Forest

Located at the southern tip of Rodman Reservoir, which is one of the major water tributaries that you can float around the NE perimeter of the Ocala National Forest, you’ll discover that this backwater camping outpost sits on 7+ acres of heavily forested woods and offers up 3 distinct types of camping opportunities: RV / 5th Wheeler, primitive tent-camping and cabin rentals. While apparently long a bastion of this particular area, dating back to the mid-80’s, Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost has been under new management for the past few years. Unlike many of the CG's in the area, this river-front, nature-embracing outpost is smaller than most with only 22 sites available.

  

Situated just west of the tiny hamlet of Eureka in Fort McCoy, you will first spot the area designated for RVs, 5th Wheelers and trailers a moment or two before arriving to Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost as this spot sits alongside the roadway with 2-3 gravel pathway access points before actually making your arrival to the main office and beyond it, the main parking area. In all, there’s some 11 slots available with FHUs offering 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage connections along with a picnic table and fire ring at each site. Being next to a main artery of Rodman Reservoir, one always needs to be aware of elevation, in case of flooding, so what we noticed immediately, even before arriving to the Ocklawaha main office is that both the RV-designated area as well as the main office sit on more elevated land, which is a bonus in case of flooding. Unlike the cabin and primitive tent camping areas, the RV-designated area does not possess much of any shade. At $40 / night (and $45 / night including bath house) and $240 / week ($270 / week including bath house), we found the pricing here to be just about right.

  

For those of you thinking about renting one of the 6 log cabins that exist here, what I liked most about this particular set-up is that all of these units are located in close proximity to one another – we’ll call this the cottage enclave – which combined, share the community amenities specific to this community. Bear in mind, these cabins are not pet-friendly, so leave your 4-legged friends at home, or look to one of the other 2 modes of camping here. You have your choice between a one- or two-room cabin, both of which offer heat, A/C, furnished with bedding, towels, dishes, pots, pans, microwave, mini-fridge, small cook top and coffee pot. Each cabin also comes with a porch offering semi-privacy to take your morning coffee as well as brand-new Weber charcoal grill that sits in front of each cabin along with an in-ground fire pit. At $134 / night for the single that sleeps 5 (with 7 being the max) and$154 / night for the double-cabin that also sleeps 5 (with 6 being the max), considering the location of where you are at, combined with the amenities provided and the relative quality of the cabins, I found the pricing to be fairly economical. The prices decrease substantially to $109 and $129/ night respectively if one books multiple nights, which makes this a no-brainer for even a short stay.

  

With mi tent-pitchin’ bredren in mind, you’ll appreciate that of the 3 available types of camping here, the area reserved for setting up your own non-mobile, semi-permanent nylon camping haven will place you closest to the river, where within 50-60 yards you’ll easily be able to access the Rodman Reservoir from a decent-sized tributary. While obviously that’s a huge plus, you also want to be careful about knowing when it’s going to rain and for how long as this also would be the area that gets the most flooding if there was any. Another bonus is that the tent-sites ARE pet-friendly, so you can smile as those cabin campers stroll past your sites (while your mutt barks at them). As for the grounds themselves, there’s 2 different areas that the pathway to the river’s edge dissects in half with 4-5 sites being available on the one side and only 1-2 sites being available on the other, which will provide you with just slightly more privacy. There’s not a whole lot to these sites, where you’ll simply have a picnic table and fire ring, but you’ll be surrounded by a great tree line and solid brush, albeit you won’t have sheltered views between sites. You’ll also want to take note that, again, the pathway to the river runs through the primitive tent camping area, so while not heavily trafficked, you will certainly experience pedestrians and fellow campers coming and going. Cost per night for tent camping is an acceptable $25/ night (up to 4 people, and $5/ pp after that), which again, scouting the area and staying in a few other places, seems about right.

  

Additional community amenities not already mentioned include: community bathhouses with impeccably clean restrooms and well-maintained showers, ping pong, recreation room with board games, corn hole, canoe &amp; kayak rentals w/ shuttle service, horseshoe pit, kid’s playground and a small pond that is stocked for simple, yet enjoyable ‘catch &amp; release’ as well as firewood available for sale @ $5/ bundle.

  

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) This CG is right on the Ocklawaha River populated with dense wetlands, marsh and semi-tropical forests sprouting sable palms, swamp maples, the odd pencil-thin towering pines and submerged cypress, so the owners are very smart to have organized a few different river experiences that you should definitely take advantage of with 2 different outfitters being Gores Landing and Rays Wayside, both of which offer up canoe ($52 / $85), solo ($42 / $75) and tandem ($62 / $95) kayak rentals as well as transport ($25 / $60) with respective pricing and seasonal availability. There’s even overnight river trips that Ockalawaha will help you set up, where pricing depends upon the specific drop point and number of nights you might be interested in. Please note that all of the above runs everyday except Tuesdays; (2) While you of course can get on a kayak, canoe or boat to catch some fish, if you don’t want to, you can simply cross the road from Ockalawaha CG and access the Wildlife &amp; Fishing Area that has its own set of public docks and piers that you can cast a reel from – and in fact, these spots are very well-maintained and offer up some magnificent views of the head of the 100-mile Ocklawaha River as she flows southernly from Rodman Reservoir; (3) If you want to indulge in one of Florida’s greatest treasures, you’ll need to visit a natural spring and the good news is that there’s several of the state’s best springs surrounding you here, including: Salt Springs, Homosassa Springs, Deleon Springs, Silver Glen Springs, Alexander Springs, Juniper Springs, Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs; (4) If you’ve got fishing on your mind while in these parts, expect to be hauling in crappie, sunfish, small- and largemouth bass, catfish and bream; and (5) The owners Lance &amp; Theresa are absolutely wonderful people that will do whatever it takes to ensure your stay is flawless!

  

Happy Camping!

Intimate Backwater Canoe Outpost w/ Trifecta of Camping Options

I use to visit to rent a canoe over night on the oklawaha river back in the 80's. Use to take my doberman pincher in the canoe with me. Had to make sure you found a dry place to camp before nightfall. Just my dog and I back in the boonies. I stopped in last year and talked with the owner. My wife and I hope to take a day trip next time we visit her family in Port Orange. For what it's worth.

The campground and cabins were always clean and tidy.

Pulling into Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost near Fort McCoy feels like arriving somewhere that doesn’t rush you, where the tall trees and wide river channels invite the kind of slow, unhurried breathing that only a riverside campground can. Nestled along the banks of the Ocklawaha River with direct access to the Silver River and Salt Springs Run, this place sets you up in a mix of shady tent sites and roomy RV spots that make it EZ to wake up to the sound of birds and fall asleep to nothing more than whispering water and occasional night critters exploring nearby. There’s a real sense of connection to the landscape here, with picnic spots and fishing docks near the river’s edge, canoe and kayak launches right inside the campground and the big new bathhouse and restroom facilities that strike the right balance of clean and rustic. One evening the boys and I packed some snacks, launched our canoe at the campground’s dock, and drifted out toward a bend in the river where we watched small ripples on the water as turtles bobbed up to greet us. This simple, shared moment became our favorite memory of the whole trip. From what we saw, the best sites are the ones tucked closest to the riverbank (which only tent campers can stay at) where you can hear the slow-moving river at night and step right out into the kayak without any fuss, which makes waking up here feel a bit like being handed a secret you didn’t know you were searching for. We would recommend Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost for families who enjoy water-based play, peaceful scenery and active days on a river for paddling, fishing, swimming or exploring, combined with campground facilities that feel thoughtfully placed and welcoming rather than too polished or commercial.

Photos of Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost & Resort

Real photos from real campers