O'Leno State Park Campground

We enjoyed our stay even though it rained. We went to see the springs and it’s was gorgeous!

A fun state park to visit. The river was over the banks so we couldn’t tune in the river but there was so much to do and see that we didn’t even care. So much history to learn.

Historic CCC Park so dated facilities but nice rustic layout. We stayed in Magnolia loop which has a playground in the center which is nice. Bathhouse was clean but they did have sewage problems and had a roped open pit when we went.

I camped here with a friend and the dogs. 

The park is about 20 min from I75. We've camped in the Magnolia loop. It is a small loop with private sites. They were definitely the size we needed to set up 2 tents, very leveled, and very clean. The bathroom had nice hot showers but might need some maintenance. 

 There is a check in booth at the entrance. They gave us a call to let us know they will be closed when we arrive and we had to pick up our camp pass outside. You can hit several hiking trails from the campground. The first day we did almost 9 miles and saw a lot of wildlife. 

 We don't think there is a visitor center or souvenir store. 

 We also visited Ichetucknee Springs state park which is very close by. The springs are beautiful and were very inviting for swimming. The town of High Springs has nice restaurants to eat out. 

 I would definitely camp here again.

Big camping spots. Playground of kids and relatively clean facilities. Near a river outpost for renting canoes and kayaks.

Nice campground, cool suspension bridge crossing over the river.

Beautiful park makes you feel like you are in the middle of the forest. Nice hiking trails with one along the River that includes a suspension bridge. We stayed at the Magnolia loop site #31. It was nice and we had no neighbors to our left as it was the trail to the youth camping sites. Very peaceful and quiet campground. The roads are very narrow and I was impressed watching some of the big rigs navigate through. Lots of picnic and day area space. We saw a large family of deer while walking our dogs but weren’t quick enough for a photo. Saw lots of birds including finches, red hawk, and an owl. Great spot full of wildlife. Would definitely come back.

We really enjoyed this campground and state park. Good hiking and also connects to good road bike rides. Dog friendly. We stayed in February 2021 at sites 34 and 45 on the Dogwood loop and the sites were nice, forested, and reasonably spaced out. Bathhouse was clean and phone service worked fine. There is a hiking trail that connects dogwood loop to other trails, but the magnolia loop is closer to the trail network. The river trail is really interesting - watching the river disappear at the sinkhole was mesmerizing. We enjoyed the campground so much that we extended our stay and also reserved for next year.

O’Leno State Park Review| Site 50 Oleno State Park is the camping I always remembered. You know, like quintessential state or national park imagery where you would expect to see“Smoky The Bear” around the next bend. It was one of Florida’s original state parks being built by the Civilian Conservation Corps after WWI as part of the make work project by FDR. This is probably why it has that National Park Vibe… you feel immediately at ease and that you are outside in nature. The campground surely has that feel as well as the facilities down by the river. 

There are still a few remaining buildings from the original town of Keno. This park reminds me of Hillsboro State Park with its suspension bridge over the Sante Fe River before it disappears into the ground only to appear another 3 miles downstream. The hiking in this park is OUTSTANDING. In addition, the campsites are really nice. 

We camped in Dogwood Campground which is near the entrance of the park. Most of the reviews seem to indicate that people prefer Magnolia Campground which is about 1.5 miles down the road near the river and most of the activities but after riding through that campground we were happy we were in Dogwood with it’s narrow dirt road and very rustic primitive appearance even though the sites have power and water. 

We would certainly return to this park when we can stay longer and visit some of the nearby Springs like Gilchrist Blue or Ginnie. We were in site#50. The bathhouse was clean as they are in all Florida State Parks and kind of cool that it is in the middle of the campground with small trails leading to it from a number, if not most of the campsites. 

NOTE: Some of the photos were from a trip earlier in the year as we didn’t take many pics this trip. It may appear“greener” than it actually is in North Florida in February. By the end of March it will look like this again.

Everything was well marked, clean, and really have nothing negative to say. It was fully booked and crowded but didn’t feel crowded. Easy access to bathrooms.

We stopped for just one night on our way to Georgia, it was very clean. They sold firewood by the entrance (cash only, keep that in mind). All sites have a little trail to the showers/restrooms. We did not get to do the trail to the bridge but that just leaves more stuff to do when we come back. We stayed at site 49. Dump station was clean and convenient since there are no sewer hookup.

Small charming campground along the Santa Fe River where it sinks into the underground system and rises at the next state park called River Rise. Sand/dirt roads to the RV/tent camping loop, with pretty tight turns and sharp entrances to rather short sites. Lots of screening trees between sites make for narrow parking of your RV with lots of branches to watch out for, but it is very deeply wooded and lovely.

It was during a cold snap in early December when we were there for 3 days, and it was packed with both tent and RV campers. There is a bathhouse with restrooms in the center of the loop. Note: some men tent camping used the bushes around their site for a urinal - we know this because when we pass by the one way loop to go sightseeing or hiking, they were using it in plain sight, more than once.

Very fine trail and very nice if primitive campground. Would stay again.

The camping is a little close but we still had a great time. I also liked how the bathrooms were pretty close. Electricity and water at the sites. Trails out there are awesome.

Just before the Covid shutdown earlier this year we had the opportunity to visit O’Leno State Park. Had a wonderful time! Campsite we had was large and spacious with decent privacy. Bath house was very clean and spacious. We enjoyed the hiking trails that encompassed the park. Although it was super hot when we were there we made the best of it. Great location that we will definitely return to!

Love this park mostly for the trail around the river. Very peaceful.

This really is one of the quietest if not THE quietest state park I have been to. Their facilities are clean. The grounds are clean and well kept. The trails are maintained and the swimming area is perfect. Be aware there are gators seen in the river in the swimming area. Kayaking can be done and the suspension bridge is amazing.

More detailed review for their Magnolia campground but this place is very peaceful. Bathroom facilities are nice and clean, hiking is beautiful here with a lot of wildlife (including ticks so make sure to spray!) Our campsite is really nice also, easy hookups, clean hot showers. Would recommend if visiting the local springs!

This is our spot on our way out of Fl.. lots of trees, a great hike to the SantaFe river and around the island. We are in the Magnolia loop site 6

This was our first camping trip to O’leno State Park. We’ve camped at several Florida state parks and this one ranks up toward the top. We camped in site 49 in the Dogwood loop. We were a bit concerned about getting our 32’ Imagine into the site just based on previous reviews and the camp loop road being very narrow. However, we had no issues getting in. Might have taken a bit more adjusting to get it right where we wanted it, but it wasn’t difficult by any means. The Dogwood loop is very wooded and feels very secluded. Site 49 was very spacious and shaded. The only negative aspect of camping in the dogwood loop is that you are about 1.5 miles from the river / park area, which is where almost all of the trails originate and where all of the things to see and do are. The park is very clean and well kept. We saw deer every evening on our drive down to the river along the main road, but no deer in the campground or any wildlife for that matter aside from birds. It did seem a bit odd that there were no raccoons. We left our trash out the first two nights by mistake, but it was ever messed with. Would definitely recommend this park if you like quiet and secluded camping where you can relax and unwind.

Stayed site #48 on dogwood loop. Sites were on the small side. Magnolia loop sites looked better and larger. Bathrooms were centrally located and clean. There are many trails to walk in this park. We did some fishing on the river. You can launch kayaks and paddle santa fe river which is excellent! Sites include table, fire ring/grill. Park is within 10-15 minutes to grocery and restaurants. Park has some great info on the CCC. With a small museum.

This is our spot when heading out of Fl. Off of I75. We love this park with great trails on the Suwanee river. Clean RRs

We've stayed @ O'Leno 3 times over the past year and love it! The campsites are spacious, well shaded, and with in easy walking distance to the Bathhouse/Restrooms. The facilities are kept clean and neat. There are plenty of trails and a swimming hole on the Santa Fe River. 

We also like that O'leno is 15 -20 minutes from some of Florida's beautiful Natural Springs.

This was a really nice and quiet campground. Super tight if you got a big rig, lots of sand but was very happy with the stay overall. Not far from downtown high springs and tubing.

We have been at this state park twice so far. It is tight getting into some sites, but it is beautiful! Plenty of room between sites, and beautiful trees! Clean restrooms and showers, but no laundry. Going back for a third time in October!

We loved our weekend at O’leno. Campgrounds are shaded by beautiful trees with full hookup,picnic table and fire pits. The Santa Fe River trail was a gorgeous hike with a beautiful suspension bridge to walk over. We were there for the weekend and would love to go back and rent kayaks and explore more of this wonderland of rivers and springs. Campground is well maintained and easy access to restrooms from every campsite.

We love this campground. The sites have nice shade ( important in Florida) the bathrooms are clean and well designed. We love hiking down to the Santa Fe river.

The campsite was nice and private. The bathrooms were clean. The park had nice hiking trails, but I enjoyed the kayaking most of all. There is a swimming section. The river goes underground but you can’t kayak in this area. The river has a small rapids area, for Florida. Got to see a snake sunbathing next to two turtles with kayaking. Fun park!

We camped here for a weekend in the spring. It has a serene hiking trail and is a wonderful spot to kayak. It is quiet and peaceful. Lots of birds.

Had a great time tent camping and hiking the various trails. Close to the itchnetuckee. It’s very woodsy so make sure you check yourself for ticks.

The roads and campsites are a bit narrow since this was built long ago before big rigs, but we didn’t have any trouble navigating with our 30’ travel trailer. The campsites are relatively level and have beautiful trees and scenery. There’s a good bit of distance between you and your neighbor which is always nice. The campsites have electricity and water and there is a dump station on-site. We only stayed a few days in January 2019 to visit some friends in the Gainesville area, but would love to come back to explore the area more. Easy access to the park and to Gainesville. We had good internet service for AT&T and Verizon. From the park, you can see the Santa Fe River flow below the ground to the Santa Fe sink. Overall, it was a very nice state park and we will definitely stay again.