Rodman Campground

Maybe it was that the light was falling at just the right time as I moseyed into Rodman Campground a good hour or so before dusk became official here just due south of Palatka, the Sunshine State’s ‘Unofficial Farmer’s Market’ and a pretty decent stretch from the endless miles of pristine white sand beaches on the Atlantic Coast or the overwhelming non-stop entertainment options of a city built on 'Mouse Magic.’ Whatever it was, there’s something that struck us as incredibly special about this particular campground outpost. I think what we left with was a surreal understanding that no matter what you come packing with, you’re gonna have just one helluva amazing camping experience here at Rodman Campground.

This place is perfect for both the RV tribe as well as mi tent-pitching community. And I don’t often get to say that. As for the campground itself, while there’s 64 sites to choose from in all, there’s basically 3 distinct areas that you should be aware of. The first area is what I would call the VIP RV Lots, given its proximity to the Rodman Reservoir, while I’m not an RV enthusiast, but this spot feels like you’ve hit ‘the jackpot’ as it’s a single lane with 6 or so sites on either side and provides you with direct and easy access to a very well-maintained restroom and shower facility. The second area is exclusively carved out for my tribe – those that are packing their experience with them and like to unroll their version of protection from the elements while staring straight up at the blessed star-crossed sky while completely surrounded by the thick of nature and tall needle-like trees. And while Rodman Campground calls this the ‘primitive campground,’ I’ll affectionately refer to it as ‘Pitch-A-Tent Heaven.’ Admittedly, I’ve never set up camp so close to RVs that still made me feel like one with nature. The third and final campground option here at Rodman is what I will characterize as ‘RV Pavement Parking Lot Hell,’ where if you have an RV (and can’t get into the VIP RV spot, then, well, you’ll be parking yourself here, but hopefully the freshly poured flat concrete will turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Regardless of the camping neighborhood that you end up arriving at, Rodman Campground will impress upon you what an amazing place it is, first and foremost, by offering up what is, no doubt, some of the best FL SP staff you will ever encounter – they are friendly, helpful and incredibly proud of this patch of land that they call home. Secondly, the Rodman Reservoir offers nothing short of AMAZING kayak and canoe adventures. The amenities are pretty top notch: back-in and pull-through RV sites with full-hook-ups (30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage), scattered picnic tables, fire rings and BBQ grills, paved bicycle paths (and miles of additional pavement via Rodman Dam Road, boating within the 9K acre Rodman Preserve, designated dump stations, five reservable pavilions and an excellent boat ramp, freshwater fishing (license required), 5.1 miles of trail hiking (actually part of the Florida National Scenic Trail that runs adjacent to Rodman Campground, picnicking at waterfront pavilions (need to be reserved). If you’re a wild nature enthusiast, you’re in luck, because here at Rodman Campground, you’ll easily be able to spot: bald eagle, foxes, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, hawks and owls, osprey and the American alligator.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If I was an RV’er (and let’s be clear, I’m not) and I was looking to book a spot here at Rodman Campground, I would absolutely be looking at the VIP RV Lots wherein I would chose any of the spots that are backed up against the wilderness (that would be on the west), which offer a greater degree of connectivity with nature (and thus additional privacy) where, in particular, I would book one of these amazing sites: #2, #5, #9, #10 and #12. While the other sites in this spot aren’t bad, they just don’t offer the amount of privacy that these other 5 sites do; (2) For mi tent-pitching bredren, while almost all of these camp sites offer you a pristine au naturale experience (apart from the few sites that are front-facing (#14-17; #38) you’ll want to prioritize any other site (#18-37) as best you can; (3) If you come bringing your boat, please be aware that there’s submerged logs and other underwater obstructions to be aware of, so motor with caution!; (4) When you get tired of staring down the bottom of your Cordova roto-molded cooler or the emptiness of your on-board fridge, and want to try out some of the local fare, then look no further than Hog Wild Country Café back in Interlachen (no, we’re not in Switzerland, but if you head back NW, you’ll find this spot on County Road 310) where all the traditional BBQ plates are being served (smoked brisket, smoked turkey, smoked pork, OK, smoked EVERYTHING) along with killer southern sides like mac-n-cheese, potato salad, slaw and, my favorite, Vidalia onion rings!; and (5) If you come hauling watercraft, you’ll have no shortage of great launches here at Rodman Campground, but if you are looking to dip your canoe or kayak in some different places, I would highly recommend Marjorie Harris Carr (just follow the Kenwood Boat Ram Road till it reaches a parking circle, from which you’ll easily see the boat launch) or over across the reservoir as well as just heading a bit further west to Rodman Recreation Area where you can drop in there or over at the Rodman Dam Kayak Launch, which has tons of tributaries to navigate.

Happy Camping!

This campground has a ton of campsites and is fairly busy with people camping. It’s in some sparse woods and isolated enough to give that camping feel. There’s some great fishing places nearby, and the woods offer up firewood if you didn’t bring your own. Overall, a great place to camp!

Rv sites are huge and plentiful (30 & 50amp) + Water. Bathrooms are so clean you could literally eat of the floors. The only downside for me is I use Starlink for my internet and there’s only one site in the park that would work for it(Site 1)

Highly recommended campsite #37.

We had a great time site we had was great

There were only 67 campgrounds, ours was at the very end spacious quiet. The bathrooms were clean the front office was very very friendly

Very nice campground. Quiet atmosphere and clean facilities with showers. They also have coin laundry at both of the bath houses. Sites 1-39 are not near the Florida Trail but it was not a bad walk to the other side of the campground to get to the trail. Would stay again.

Come here.to camp. Limited cell svc. No areal tv svc. Great fishing. If winter do not stay along canal as the sun will never reach you and you will freeze. Great sun rises and sun sets

Super relaxing. Quiet. Lots of fishing near by. Spots on water are nice. Bathrooms clean. Would recommend for a short trip.

We camped Friday to Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend and had a good time. The biting yellow flies can be bad at times, so prepare for that. The campground was clean, the other campers are friendly and the bathrooms are well-maintained. The campsites are really great, secluded, green, and great to just enjoy nature. For Memorial Day weekend the campground was not nearly as busy as expected for the holiday. It was very nice!

We’ve been here a couple of times now and really enjoy these campgrounds. There’s plenty of foliage so you may know you have camp neighbors but you can’t see what everyone is doing. The restrooms are very clean and the lake is beautiful around sunset 😍. Most certainly will camp here again.

This place has the most beautiful sunrises

Hiked some, went without husband, probably would have enjoyed more had he come

We stayed on NYE 2020, and aside from the crazy noisy drunk people (as expected) the stay was really nice. We brought our dogs, were only a few minutes walk to the bathrooms, and generally had an average experience. The campsites were really close to one another, with little vegetation separating us. If you’re looking for a more primitive experience I’d skip this one.

We stayed 4 nights in December 2020. Site 60. We had a great time. Campground is clean and well maintained. Very friendly. Went hiking on a beautiful wide path along the water. Rode bikes to the dam. We’ve been there four times now, and just love it there!

Our stay at the campground was unfortunately cut short due to uncooperative weather, but we enjoyed our time there. The sites are roomy but fairly private or very private depending on the site, and well-kept with a fire ring and picnic table. The bathrooms were extremely clean, lit, and well maintained.

Rodman campground was very clean and well maintained. The bathrooms were spotless. The tent sites were very large, adequately spaced with varying degrees of privacy. The boat ramp is well kept and there is ample trailer parking nearby.

Wonderful wooded area near a big lake. Sites were a bit close but lots of foliage in between made them fairly visually private, but sound definitely carries. Nice that the RV sites are separate from the tent sites. As with all other FL state parks, really well maintained campsite and facilities. Took my first shower here in DAYS and it was glorious.

Super close to the boat launch which is a great half day kayak. There's a really cute park near the water with grills, covered picnic tables, and a fire pit. Good spot for lunch!

Beautiful site! Full shade and very level. Water directly in front of our site. Road our bikes to the dam.

The bathrooms and showers were clean. There wasn’t a lot to do in this area, we did try fishing in the lake adjacent to the campground, but didn’t catch anything. The campsites are surrounded by trees and large.

We first stopped there as a one night layover. Lots of trees and well maintained restrooms. Didn't get a chance to but lots of fishing in area. Dont take the dirt road heading south out of park past dam. Good quiet destination spot.

Closely gathered tent camp sites, without water or electric at the site. Water is stationed within walking distance, tastes weird. Nonpotable?Clean sites. Bath house with hot water, boat ramp for large and small boats. Current is very fast for kayaking. Go tot he dam instead which offers World renowned fishing. Lots of alligators. Go to Rodman damn for the fishing and quiet waters to kayak in. A minagerie of wildlife is available to view. No phone service. Dog friendly camping. Isolated. Bring what you need.

This campground is very clean. It has some waterfront sites all are pretty decent size. A good fishing area as well as fishing at the dam. Easy trip to the springs to cool off too. Smack in the middle of a Ocala National Forest.

I have been coming here for as long as I can remember. There is lot of site and a clean shower and bathhouse. Pleanty of places to fish from and make sure you bring your boat or kayak since there is a boat launch. There is good wildlife viewing lots of gators and birds of all kinds. Also the Florida National trail goes right past here so you can also go hiking as well.

We had the maiden voyage of our new camper for the first time. All systems checked out, AC, hot water system, plumbing and electric. ALL systems ago. Even pulling it with our trailblazer was ok. Heres a short video of what we did other than the checklist of the Trailer. This was at Rodman Campground in Palatka READY FOR ANOTHER ADVENTURE

https://vimeo.com/257606627

By the Rodman's damn and Oklwahaha river great primitive camping and hunting. Check out nearby sites. Test your camping skills. No cell reception.