We were on site # 61 at the end of one of the fingers in the Magnolia loop which is the largest loop. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring/grill combo, 30amp and water as well as 2 clothesline poles. Most sites are shady and sandy. 3 Sites have 50A; they are:4, 5, & 38. Sites 93 and 94 overlook a cave diving lake, and some sites in Magnolia loop overlook another lake. Park roads are paved, but camp roads are not; they are sand. Roads are tight and winding with trees close. We have a 35ft motorhome and were able to make it but without toad hitched. Larger units can make it but need to go slow. Our site had lots of ants but they weren't the biting kind. Mosquitoes were not too bad. We did not need spray. Our site was also level but at least 10 inches lower than neighbors as it sloped toward Suwannee River. Had our own path to bath house which was clean upon our arrival. Did not use but they were old and smaller, and had no laundry area. Rangers were friendly and patrolled often. There was firewood for sale, canoe/kayaks for rent, and a small store that had swim stuff and ice cream/food to purchase. Nice playground in picnic area. Springs are 72 degrees year round and in winter manatees come into park, so no swimming then. Lots of divers come here for certifications. 2 miles of underwater caves to explore. Nice long boardwalk to view river and to fish off of. Camp area is short walk to springs. Camp is quiet and peaceful. No cell service for ATT and only 1 TV station (PBS channel). Dump station was easy to use. Lots of trails for bikes or hiking. Deer come into campsite areas because they have been fed by the campers. Lots of birds to watch, and spiders, too. Walmart close by about 6 mi away in Chiefland. We visited Fanning Springs SP nearby which has another nice set of springs to enjoy. Dakota Winery is on the way there on HWY 19. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The park is nice, with deer roaming freely through out park. The roads to campsites are a little narrow but can be traveled being careful. Springs were closed due to river flooding. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We stayed here for one night. The roads in the campground are sand and narrow. It is pretty hard to avoid brushing vegetation. They have different sized campsites. You really need to go through Reserve America to get a site you can fit into. The campsites are sand and are nice as are most of the sites in the Florida state parks. Quiet and dark. We stayed here in a 31 foot Class C and didn't use the camp bathrooms or showers. We would come again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
A very nice state park. As others mentioned, the interior roads are a bit tight, but most of the sites were quite large and deep. The walk out from the springs to the river is via an elevated boardwalk and a easy stroll from the campground. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Although this is a beautiful park, it is difficult getting a 37' or larger motorhome into a spot here. It can be done, but the roads are very narrow, all sand, with low hanging branches and mostly back-in sites. But it is a nice park otherwise. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We camped here for a week and loved it. The springs are lovely and great for a peaceful swim. The boardwalk to the river is a lovely walk, and the vulture roosts stunning. Manatees were there, but hard to see. It is a great location for day trips - bike trails, Lower Suwanee Wildlife Refuge, Cedar Key - all fascinating. But just sitting/walking around the campground is lovely. Many, many birds and very friendly people. We hated to leave. Only very small problem was no washer/dryer so you have to go to a local laundromat. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We were surprised at the dirt roads in the park. We stayed 2 weeks way too long as there is not much to do in the area. We did see and enjoy some manatees. There are lots of nice walking paths and in the late afternoon we found some armadillos. It was quite cold a few days and there is no heat in the showers, except a small heat lamp. Also they give you a combination for the gate at night, but it is the old fashioned get out of your toad and then close the gate and replace when you are done not very modern for a Florida State Park. We have found most Florida State parks great to stay in. There is a very friendly host at the Hickory site. We camped here in a Motorhome.
There are picnic tables and fire rings at each 40' wide shady site. Gravel road and sites. One feature is a wonderful spring that is 72 degrees and can be swum in year-round. The Suwannee River flows through the park and Manatees and Sturgeons can be seen daily. There are lots of interesting birds also. Canoe trips are available. There is a playground and many nature trails. There is a security gate locked at night. There is no laundry. Chiefton, with laundry and Walmart is six miles away. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This State Park is amazing. It is so beautiful there with lots of shade and big trees. The spring water was cold (73 degrees) the water was so clear you could see the bottom. Lots of wildlife. We had four deer walk though our camp site each night. The camp ground road is sand/diry as well as the camp sites. The sand was so fine it felt like you were walking on carpet. The only reason I did not give this Park a 10 is because the bathrooms were bad. There were so many bugs in the bathroom I was scared to go in. Other then that this Park is amazingly beautiful, and I will go back again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a beautiful park. We saw deer on 4 occasions on a 1 night stay. The springs are wonderful and great swimming. They say it’s 72 degrees year around, but I had to beak the ice in August. Wonderful boardwalk and nature trails. Bathrooms were dirty, but maybe I got there at the wrong time. Sites were a little tight. 30 AMP only. Staff was very friendly. No Wi-Fi or even cell service. Mosquitoes were large and numerous. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Not big rig friendly. Sites are too narrow and short. Friendly ranger. WONDERFUL spring to swim in. Very nice trails and boardwalks. No cell signal until about a mile outside the park. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Standard Florida State Park. Clean and the operators are helpful and friendly. This is a good swimming spot but the springs can be closed if the river is high after a lot of rain (this happens in the spring usually) or when the manatees are present in the winter. This can be a good birding spot too for water birds. SCUBA divers use one of the areas for diving. The sites could be a bit small for a big rig tho. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Real nice state park west of Gainesville. Easy access to the park but road in the campground was narrow. Might be difficult for a big rig to access although there were big 5th wheels and trailers. Highlight of the park is Manatee Springs. Usually open for swimming but because the manatees were visiting - saw six one day - they closed it to swimmers. Crystal clear water gives access to viewing the manatee, turtles and all kinds of fish. Amardillo in the area and the deer will walk right into the campsite. They weren't bothered by the dogs. Only saw one red bellied water snake. Nice walk out to the river on boardwalk. Popular spot for scuba diving in the sink hole located in the park. Took a short trip down to Cedar Key, about 30 miles away. Nice town on the Gulf to visit. Would stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This campground was so far the best state park we have camped at in Florida. The deer came right into the camp site, so did an armadillo. The kids had a lot of fun in the spring. Sites are big and shaded. We would definitely return. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 10 / 10 ]
April 2007
$16
We liked this park very much, The sites are well spaced and large. The area is forested and quiet. There is a lot of wildlife--be respectful. We saw several poisonous snakes, including a timber rattler killing a hawk. There were manatees at the end of the spring run in the Suwannee River almost every morning, although it was late in the year for them. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a very pretty park with plenty of wildlife. The deer came within 10 feet of the campsite and we saw racoons and armadillos. We stayed in site #95 in the Hickory loop with plenty of shade. Our site was very near the trail the to park and springs and not far from the bath house. Only downfall to the restrooms and showers were the bugs inside and the lack of space to put clothes while showering. Our site was level with a fire ring and two poles to hang a clothes line. There was not a lantern pole though. As stated in an earlier review the sand/dirt gets everywhere. We did have some cell phone service. The kids liked swimming in the springs (only 72 degrees). They also enjoyed the bike/hiking trails (app 8 miles). It was fun to watch the scuba divers who cave dive there. The park area has plenty of picnic sites, concession area (open April 1) and decent playground. There's a boardwalk to stroll along the springs to the Suwannee River. Early in the morning you may be lucky and see a manatee and will surely see all the vultures at the end of the boardwalk. Walmart and other stores are within 7 miles if you forget anything. Staff was informational and helpful. Site #93 is only pull thru and overlooks the Catfish Hotel Diving Hole. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We had the pull through spot next to the spring and playground and it made our second stay much better. Abundant wildlife and many things to see and do. If it only had sewer or at least paved access roads and sites. A great value and we really like the park. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
If you like state parks and have a rig 30' or less this park gets my recommendation. It is peaceful and quite. The restrooms were very clean. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Enjoyed the park. Wide variety of wild life (deer, raccoon, possum, manatee). Kids enjoyed playground. Swimming hole looked nice (but we didn't swim). Careful driving through park (trees can be close to trailer). Recommend arriving before dark. Site was short, so we had to unhitch. Dark, fine sand gets into camper. Would rate higher if it was paved. Good value for the money. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We have been camping at Manatee Springs since 1989. This is a great Florida State Park. We have seen Manatee while walking on the boardwalk. The deer walk right up to your campsite. This is a sandy place with some tight turns but I can do it with a 30' TT and full size truck. Great place for kids. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We enjoyed our stay here. We were in the Magnolia Loop. The springs were very clear and the boardwalk was well kept and offered nice views of the springs and Suwannee River. There is a small playground for the kids and plenty of trails for your hiking pleasure. Canoe/kayak rentals and swimming were available, though the weather was a bit cold for watersports on our visit. The main access road was paved, only the camping loops and sites were sand. Our site was relatively level and hard packed. It was a little trickier than normal getting into our slot as it angled opposite of what you'd hope and our 33' Class A doesn't turn short. And it was an end slot with a buffer of woods, so not a lot of swing space was available. Once we managed to get in the slot, it was plenty large enough to put out the awnings and still have room to move. Bathrooms were in need of paint but clean. No papertowels or blowers to dry hands were available. Staff and fellow campers were friendly. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 3 / 10 ]
2003
$16
This is a beautiful park, but the campground is lousy. The roads through the park are all sand and wind between a narrow opening of trees. It would be difficult getting into the campground with anything over 30' in my opinion. The sites are unimproved soft sand and quite narrow. Our site was very close to the surrounding sites, but some were a little more spacious. There were wild animals everywhere and, when the river is not flooded, the spring and creek are beautiful, I was told. Florida needs to work on their older campgrounds. We stayed in March of 2003. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
2003
$18
Rustic, shaded. Great if you like wildlife. Nice trails. They do not have a swimming pool however there is a safe area where you can swim in the spring. We'll be back in 2004. We were in a tent- going back in a pop-up. We camped here in a Tent.
Review Rating
[ 6 / 10 ]
2002
$18
Beautiful location. No pool, but nice, cool, clear spring. On Suwannee River with lots of wildlife. Larger rigs will fit with skilled drivers. Sites are sandy. Picnic table and fire pit. Bring repellant. We camped here in a camper.