Camp Kulaqua is a private campground owned and operated by the seventh-day adventist church. Their website advertises that the facilities are open for meetings, family reunions, retreats and other events. They have cabins, chalets, and ten RV sites with full hookups. The sites are mostly level, gravel, and wooded with plenty of shade. The sites are large with enough room to park 2 vehicles adjacent to your RV. There is an on-site water park, zoo, horseback riding, springs, and canoeing on the Sante Fe river. The on-site campstore carries little in the way of supplies; however, the town of High Springs is little more than a mile away with supermarket, restaurants and shopping. The "receptionist" stated that alcohol and tobacco were not allowed. Other than that, we were left alone and had a peaceful, quiet stay. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Good campground for a quiet fall visit. Had none of the summer problems noted in previous posts. It was easy to find and check in, but it took a while to level out the motorhome. This is mostly a tent-camping area, and no effort is put into providing motorhome-friendly sites. Was pricey for a campground with 30amp/no sewer, but you are paying for the amenities of the park and being close to all the springs. The springs were great to visit and watch the divers. Off season, it's a simple quiet park in the woods. We had fun here but will not go back since we do not dive and there are much better rivers in Florida to tube on. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The state needs to revoke their operations license, buy the place, and make it a state park. The owner's lack of willingness or ability to control the illegal activity, trash in the river, and frequency of deaths due to bad diving practices (and equipment. The equipment we rented was very shoddy) should be enough for them to lose their certifications to be able to rent equipment. The death toll from drug use and excessive drinking that is tolerated in their premises is another reason these people have no reason to be in business. While we were diving, we filled two plastic bags with trash from the springs - 90% of which were beer cans. This place is absolutely pathetic and should be shut down. Showers and restrooms were filthy, and we were harassed by aggressive, hostile underage drunks until well after 4am. The management leaves children in charge of the park at night. Multiple calls to the sheriff's department were to no avail. This was a ruined vacation. Stay anywhere but here. We camped here in a Tent.
It was great, we had lots of fun and would definitely recommend it to anyone else. If it was closer to where we live, we would definitely go regularly because it was a great experience. We camped here in a Tent.
Ginnie Springs used to be one of our favorite places to tent camp when our boys were growing up in the 80's and 90's. We made the mistake of camping here right before the week local colleges started back to school. Alcohol is allowed at this campground and the college kids were drunk 24/7. Our price was for my husband and I and one son that was 15 but charged adult rate. Plus you pay for electric each night. They charge per person, so one person might not be bad but a family could run you into a lot of money. The restrooms were a mess. One night I went to take a shower and it was occupied by and gal and guy taking a shower together. I do know they are heated and were kept clean back in our tent camping days. Our site was not bad, very shaded but we were at an intersection of roads and motorbikes and ATV's were driven all over. The noise level here was just too much with all the motorized vehicles driving around. I notice now it states all vehicles must be street legal so maybe it isn't that bad anymore. I hope so because the kids driving around were so drunk and I almost got hit a few times. The springs are beautiful here, and to me the most beautiful springs in Florida. However they were so packed and the water so stirred up you couldn't enjoy the beauty of them. There is a nice store here with lots of fun stuff and a bit of food and drink items. You can tube down the river and that was fun, but again packed with the partying kids and some of the gals were making out with each other and our young boys saw things they've never seen before. Will we go back again? I'm not sure we ever will again: it has turned into a college hangout. We might give it a try during the middle of the week when college is in session, but never again in the summer. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We were very disappointed that the campground wasn't monitored for loud noise and very foul language. The price and the check in process were laborious. We took our grandchildren camping with us to enjoy the springs, won't do that again! The springs are wonderful but will camp elsewhere and go just for the day. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
The deep springs are amazing! World class cave diving takes place here. Bring your biggest and baddest flotation items (inflatable mattresses, inflatable chairs, rafts, tubes) to enter from one of the springs where you can enjoy floating down the relaxing river. The water is a chilly 72 degrees year round. There was lots of drinking and partying as this seems to be a UF college hangout. Everyone seemed to get along. Our site washed out with a very heavy rain, so be sure to scope out the location if rain is in forecast. Bring snorkel gear if you don't plan on diving as the basins are crystal clear. This is an alcohol friendly place. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Caution! low spots in camping spaces have been filled in with loose beach sand. Just pulling in to a pull through space and we got stuck and had to be pulled out with a tractor. Camp manager stated that they are frequently pulling campers out of the sand, you think they'd fill in with gravel instead of sand! Camp price $20 per person per day plus $7 for electric. No Wi-Fi at camp store. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Divers maybe, family camping no way. Although the nightly charges for water and electric were only $7 per night, no sewer hookup, the price per person was $36 a day. We camped with 2 adults in a motorhome and it cost $95 for two days. Our children and their families joined us in tents and each had to pay an additional $80 per family which brought the grand total for camping to $255 for two nights on one campsite. Other campers played loud music and partied until 5 AM which no regard for others. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a great campground for Scuba Divers. It is also a very nice shady campground. Bathhouse was clean and comfortable. Sites plenty big enough and easy to get into. Dive shop right on site for air fills. The cavern at Ginnie is a great dive! Busy place but not overly crowded. Cell phone service at the campground was spotty at best, though, but if you are looking to get away from that, it shouldn't matter! I think the campground is a little pricey but the convienence factor for divers is worth the extra $$$. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Ginnie Springs is way overpriced. This campground has dirty dusty roads with drivers not adhering to the speed limit. There was loud, drunken parties and all night music, obviously not very well patrolled if at all. Swimming is virtually non existent. I would not recommend this campground to anyone at any time. We camped here in a Truck Camper.
This was a beautiful park with a lot of shade trees. There are no full service sites but the dump station is very conveniently located. Camping prices are per $18 person, plus $7 per site per day for water and electric sites. I do not think big rigs would do well in this park. Ours is 34 foot and don’t think I could negotiates some of the sites. The showers were kept reasonably clean even with a large amount of campers using the facilities. The spring offers 72-degree water year round and tubing, canoeing, or kayaking are available to rent at reasonable rates. The down side of this park was the staff. They did not at all seem knowledgeable about their parks pricing policies nor were they in any rush to assist with checking in, rentals, or returns. We happen to camp there at the beginning of spring break and the park got full fast with spring breakers eager to blow off some steam. I would definitely stay here again even with the lack of helpful staff. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very nice campground in a beautiful area. No cell service or wi-fi, but lots of activities for the kids. River run is nice. We camped during the week so it was quiet. Sites are clean and staff is courteous. Restroom were dirty and floor was soaked. A nice place to visit overall. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is more than a campground; it's also an attraction. The springs and river are fun for canoeing, rafting, swimming and scuba diving. For campers other than Class A motorhomes, there are numerous wooded sites, but larger motorhomes requiring 50 amp service are restricted to an outer row that overlooks a beautiful horse paddock, but unfortunately is located on a dusty, limerock road that serves as the main entrance drive into about 50% of the campground. These sites are very dusty and noisy on weekends and holidays. We found the place to be generally very clean, but the employees were a bit surly and unaccommodating. Because the park charges per person, it can be expensive. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Great campground with terrific springs. There are a couple of things that we were not prepared for - we forgot to bring tubes / floats for the spring and there were very few choices for the purchase in town. Also, the rates are per person, not per site. Still, definitely a great campground - we are already planning to go again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We absolutely love Ginnie Springs. It's a large campground that's mostly rustic sites for tent camping but has a nice size section with water/electric for RVs. Every site is heavily treed with nice shade. The springs are great for a cool off in the hot Florida summer. Floating down the river in a tube with a cooler of Beer is also a fantastic time. Yes the park can be more of a “party” like the others posted. But that’s what we love about it. I’ve never encountered anyone taking it “too far”. We go there with my 18 month old son and have a blast. Will you encounter kids with RVs? Will you encounter college kids drinking beer? Will you encounter divers? Yes to all of the above. But you will also encounter lots of good people having a good time and enjoying the “primitive” campsites. We've camped here in tents but currently use our 2007 Jayco 23B. We go back towards the end of October 2006 and can’t wait!! We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
The camp facilities seemed well maintained, the camp store well stocked and the personnel on the friendly side. The problem I had was the lack of any control whatsoever over a very large number of college kids camping the same weekend I and two other dads were there with our daughters ages 7-9. Our girls were subjected to excessive profanity and alcohol use, drunken kids in the restrooms getting sick in front of the girls, vehicles racing through the park with radios blaring (including a couple around 3:30 am) and more trash than I've ever seen in any campground. Despite having called twice for info in the weeks leading up to our campout, we were given no indication that we might want to pick a different weekend or try a different camp. I believe this is very irresponsible of the campground and feel very bad about what our daughters were subjected to. We camped here in a Tent.
Review Rating
[ 5 / 10 ]
2002
$14
Woodalls listed as 14-21 per night. It turns out the campground wants $14 per person per night. Then you need to add the cost of electricity, etc. etc. By the time it was done I ended up paying $50.00 per night for 3 people in a pull-through that had water/elec and that was it. The campground is split into water/elec sites and non-elec. Many non-elec sites are found and some are right on the river (not the spring). The sites are by my standards primitive, no real upkeep as such, just some clearings in the woods with the utility risers. The springs themselves are fabulous but can be enjoyed for the day without paying the high cost. Manatee Springs State Park has similar springs, better camping, cheaper cost. The big draw for Ginnie Springs is geared toward divers (big cave system). Highly overpriced for visiting Florida's springs. We camped here in a camper.
The rating of 8 is for what it is: a simple park conveniently located close to I-75. The sites are sand and grass with plenty of room. The staff was very nice and helpful with restaurant recommendations. The men's bath house was recently painted and very clean. The report from the ladies was okay. We went scuba diving at Ginnie Springs, which was about 15-20 minutes away. I would stay here again if we go back diving at the Springs. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Paid way too much for this place. The people were nice enough though. Well shaded. Looks like most people staying here live here. Pool was not clean and kids wouldn't swim in it. There are plenty of other places to stay around here so keep rolling another few exits. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Very friendly and helpful managers. Easy to access off I-75. The restrooms/showers were older, but pristine. Sites are grass, mostly level (we did choose to place wheel blocks under one side). This campground is only about 10 minutes from the very cute little downtown of High Springs. We enjoyed our stay there with another couple for 4 days. Will return. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This park is really pleasant. The owner and managers are helpful and friendly. There's a path through the nearby woods that's lovely and great for dog walking. The park is conveniently close to I-75, but there's very little traffic noise. For veterans, the park is mid-way between Gainesville and Lake City, both of which have VA centers and medical facilities. Really glad we found the High Springs RV Park. We camped here in a Motorhome.
There are some things to like about this campground, but a lot not to like. First of all, the owners or office staff was very nice, very helpful. Some of the bad things. They don't take credit cards. They might have 40' sites but if you are pulling a trailer, search for another campground. I barely got into the entrance, and on exit I barely got out. The roads are all sand, packed sand, the sites are all sand, packed sand. If you are looking for a shady rustic place, and don't have a large vehicle I am sure you would enjoy this campground. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We found this park by accident and love it. The check-in staff is super friendly and live onsite. The campsites are huge and most of them are pull-through. All of them have a fire ring, table and bench and a grill. It has an olympic-size swimming pool. The bathrooms were impeccably clean. However, the showers do not have a hot/cold level, only on and off. So no hot showers are possible. We camped here on a chilly morning and didn't enjoy a cold shower. We hope they will change that in the future. We stayed on lot #6 and paid $28 with Good Sam membership. Overall the place has a friendly vibe. The nearby old Florida style towns of Alachua and High Springs have a lot to offer. First class restaurants, gift chops, garden centers, tons of hardware stores and a gazillion antique shops. Access to I-75 is 20 seconds from the campground away. We would definitely recommend this place. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We were taking a trip to Florida and were traveling all day so we decided to stop here, we were planning on staying for a month but we had to change our plans. We went to register and found out that there was a 2 pet minimum per site, we had 3 very small dogs, and there were no exceptions to the rule, so we decided not to stay. We feel that rule is not very fair, its our own motorhome and should be allowed to have the dogs in our home as long as we clean-up after them and make sure they don't destroy property. Other than that and no cable the park looked clean and well maintained. We will not return to this park again. So beware if you have more than 2 pets don't stop there. We camped here in a Motorhome.
What a nice quiet campground. Small and quiet. Easy drive-through site. Owners and employees very helpful and friendly. Stayed one week. We'll go here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We were looking for nice quiet campground, where we wouldn't be kept up all night by party people. We found this campground to be very quite, the campground host (whom I think was the owner) was very friendly, helpful and nice. He also made rounds at night which was refreshing. The park is older with mature trees and it is well maintained, it is very clean and the bathrooms and showers were spotless. We were the only tent campers at the park the night we stayed, and the other people who were in RV's seemed friendly. This was not a fancy resort park, the washboard road coming in is not that bad but its not paved, it was a hair dusty, however this in no way bothered us and this campground is exactly what we look for when camping. My only regret is we were only able to stay one night. I would come back again. We camped here in a Tent.
This was a stop on the way to Georgia. It was very easy on/off from I-75. I would not stay more than a night at this park however. It is on a dirt road maintained by the county and every time a car drove by, the dust was very thick. Host was very nice and pleasant. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
There is a washboard road leading in. Good stopover for overnight, although most sites were taken by what appeared to be families. Sandy sites under trees. We camped with a 40' and toad, very limited on sites for this size and very tight turns. Would not want to attempt here if rig was larger. Be forewarned, only accepts cash - no credit cards. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Large campsites not terribly far from the bathroom area. Has a childrens playground. Great for walking or riding bikes through nature. Lovely campground; somewhat towards the primitive side. The bathrooms were very clean and well kept. All in all a very quiet campground. The road coming in is very tight (trees all around). We camped here in a Motorhome.
Incoming Road was really bad washboard dirt. Campground was all sand and dirt. Ok for an overnight. Be forwarned that most of the sites are not very level. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Most sites are large and shaded with trees and shrubs between the sites. The Magnolia Loop is the nicer of the two. The bathhouse is newer - roomy, clean showers, well maintained. Magnolia is also closer to the river and activities. Many sites in the Dogwood loop are not level. We were disappointed that it was not easy to launch our own canoe - a long way to carry a canoe from parking lot, then down steps. But they do have canoes for rent. The suspension bridge was closed for repair, but the River Sink trail is still a nice walk. Very interesting how the river goes underground for miles. I would rate the campground higher but it is typical FL State parks, hard packed sand roads and campsites. We camped here in a Motorhome.
I marked that this CG is not big rig friendly because of the narrow winding road access and the sites perpendicular to the road. We had booked site 28 because it was rated for a 42 foot RV. There is no way we could have gotten our 42 foot 5th wheel into that site. We did get into site 30 which is rated for a 30 foot RV, with a struggle. I won't say don't go because there are some pluses. I will say be prepared to be challenged if you have a big rig. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We stayed in site #31 which was on the end of the camping loop. Site had picnic table, ground ring/grill, w/e hookups, and was sandy and very shady. Plenty of room to spread out. Magnolia loop has newer bathhouse and dog walk area with a playground in center of loop. Only 3 TV stations available. Campground was quiet even with park having a large family reunion going on. Park offers a Nature center, CCC museum, several trails to hike, suspension bridge, swimming area on Santa Fe River, and picnic facilities. Also has a large group camp with cabins that includes a dining hall, meeting building and open air pavilion. Rangers were very nice and patrol camping areas often. We also went to tube down the Ichetucknee River which was a great trip. $5 pp to tube and you can bring your own or rent from outside the park from vendors. That park was also clean and had a reasonable concessionaire stand for food. Changing rooms, restrooms and picnic facilities with a tram to take you back to the main area provided. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is one of the first parks built by the CCC in the thirties. Wish I could give it a better score, but for the camp ground loops five is the best I can do. The sites are large but the roads in the loops are narrow with limbs that will drag the top and sides of your RV. Some of the sites are for up to 42 feet, but no way would I want to take a nice rig that large in either loop. The Magnolia loop I would put at about thirty feet with out a lot of trouble getting in your site and the road to it. The Dogwood loop I would say around twenty five feet at the most and then you will drag vegetation going in plus the road has some pretty washed out places from all the rain just a few days before we got there.This loop better suited for pop ups and tents. As for the park there is lots of wild life and some good hiking trails.The Santa Fa river is all but dried up and the ticks are bad. The staff is nice and there is some interesting things to see here, but if you have a large RV I would say stay some where else and make it a day trip here. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We were last here six years ago. The drought has closed the swimming area. But the campground is old Florida at its finest. Large, wooded sites with excellent clean restrooms. We saw deer, gopher tortoise, rabbits and lots of birds. The only complaint is the ticks which is part of being out in nature. Maybe there are too many deer? I imagine in the cooler weather they would not be a problem. Because my husband had an doctor visit due to a tick bite, I would come back in the winter instead. Fee represents the senior pass. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
What a great state park, although rustic the utilities function correctly with level spacious sites. The restrooms are clean. O'Leno offers some great hiking trails and provides a nice opportunity to visit with nature. Word of caution, if you are staying here in fall be aware of the hickory trees - our tow vehicle has some new dents because of squirrels harvesting the nuts. Hope to be able to return and stay longer at O'Leno next time. We camped here in a Motorhome.
If you are interested in visiting the fresh water springs, then this is a great and inexpensive campground for you. The restrooms are only a few years old and are well maintained by the campground host. The campsites are large and back up to wooded areas where deer come grazing at dust. High Springs is a quaint town and with antique shopping and a great restaurant (Great Outdoors Trading Company). Just be on the watch for ticks, which were no problem for us. We camped in site 27 with a very large oak tree in the rear of the site. Magnolia loop is the best loop for larger campers. Could be a bit tight trying to navigate this loop in the dark. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We stayed in #18 in the Magnolia loop. Roads in the campground are unpaved and a little bumpy. Unfortunately the swimming area was closed. Not sure why, but the river was very low and I don't think you could have put in a canoe here even though they rented them. Be warned about the ticks. They were very bad during our stay and they do have lots of warning signs posted. On the plus side: the sites were very large and nicely shaded. The restrooms were extremely clean and looked new. The park was not very crowded and very quiet. We did do some bike riding but many of the trails appeared to be for hiking only. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
I have been to many State Parks in Florida and by far this is the nicest and beautiful State Park. Yes it is rustic and the roads are not paved and narrow. It's what camping is all about. The nature trails are so nice and wide and view is breath taking. The sites are shaded and the rolling hills, make this place #1 on my list of best campgrounds. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
The park is nice. Lots of woods around camp sites. The Dog loop sites are closer together than at the Meadow site loop. Nice trails around the park and some mountain biking trails as well. It was very noisy on Saturday night but that was do to all the families having allot of fun. Watch out for the ticks though. Over all a nice place to stay. The roads are not paved and it can be tight for some of the bigger campers. You can do it though, if you have a mind too. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Great staff and very clean and up-dated restrooms and showers. We camp in a class b van so showers and restrooms are very important to us. This state park is very clean and some great nature trails and neat sink holes to visit. We will stop on way back. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Pretty park with shaded sites. Quiet with sand roads in the camp ground: a bit rough, go slowly. Gets a good rating because of it's rustic nature. A river flows through the park and disappears into the ground! We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Park is nice as is bath houses and other amenities. Interior roads are horrible and very narrow and hard to navigate. Sites was good but hard to get into and I would have hated to have tried during darkness. A little brush and tree trimming would be good. Many sites no where near level but ours fortunately was. We just did a overnight here. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Nice rustic park with water and electric. Almost a national forest experience but with the convenience of electricity. Showers were clean. Roads are narrow, tight, and unpaved and could be a challenge for large rigs. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Friendly folks at check-in, and a beautiful, rustic campground with huge sites with water/electric hook-ups. You can hike right from the campground. We are in a 32' fifth wheel and would fit in most sites. Would definitely stay here again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This park is Northwest of Gainesville, FL about 12 miles west of I-75. The park itself is beautiful with nature/hiking trails. The road to the park is paved. The road to the campground and in the campground is sand. It gets muddy after a rainstorm. The sites are small and the access is limited if you are over 36'. The sites are in the forest, well shaded and wildlife is most everywhere. We had several deer stop by for a visit. This is not a big rig friendly park. The restrooms are clean and tidy. A Ranger stated that the campground is on the list to be renovated. There is a bicycle trail adjacent to the park. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Senior resident rate is 1/2 price or $10. This was our 2nd time at this park. As usual, Florida parks are clean, have friendly and helpful personnel, and offer great facilities. From Tuesday thru Friday, I camped with four 15 to 18 year old junior golfers and we commuted to a Junior Golf tournament in Gainesville. My guys had a second, two fifths, and a sixth in their respective age groups. Friday I took them home and returned with my wife and mother. The swimming area is very nice with decent access/egress. The carpet on the pier/dock can get slippery. There are good hiking trails, small rapids in the river, good kayaking and canoeing. If you get bored here, go into High Springs and browse the antique stores, check out the several county parks and springs (No pets past the gate!), or go tubing on the Ichitucknee. A great place to spend a few days. Avoid space 29. We got 3" of water flowing right by the door from a thunderstorm and left a day early since the same was predicted for Sunday. Everything was wet as it blew pretty hard. All spaces are large, private and shady. Most have large logs defining site areas and around the fire pits. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We stayed here for six days. We chose this park due to the proximity to Ichutucknee Springs SP where we were going tubing with friends. We were a little put off by the lady who checked us in. Just wasn't the typical state park employee we were used to. She was very argumentive. We were a little worried about getting into the CG area due to some information we recieved. We stayed in the Magnolia Loop which worked well for us. We were able to get our 36TT in without to much difficulty. There were several other sites that were also big rig accessible. I drove over to the Dogwood Loop and it appears very rough and would be difficult to get into with a lot of rigs. There were mostly popups and tents in that section. The bath house was clean, but used, every time we went there. We saw the rangers numerous times throughout the day. Park is well patroled. The park has wildlife everywhere. More deer in this park than anywhere else I have ever been. Although this is a nice park, there is really nothing around the area, besides the springs. We probably wouldn't stay here again unless we were doing something at the local springs. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a pretty park with lots of wildlife, deer, gators, etc. Roads are narrow, and the sites can be narrow. Has clean restrooms and showers. Beware of TICKS this time of year. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This campground has many hiking and biking trails, and a river to swim in. The restrooms were very clean and well maintained. Ticks were very thick when we stayed. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We were a bit disappointed at the campground in this park. Roads were narrow and winding and had some potholes. But we managed to negotiate to our site with our 36-footer. Luckily we had unhooked our toad at the entrance. It would have been very difficult if we still had our 40-footer! Lots of trees prevented us from getting satellite reception: had wanted to watch the 'gator basketball game. They do have a great group area with pavilions and bunkhouses near the river, and a swinging bridge across the river. This is a real old Florida setting and would be great for tent camping. On site the Santa Fe river goes underground and returns topside over a mile away. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We camped here on way to Florida. The park is scenic, but loop roads are narrow sand with brush right up to edge of road. The sites are also sand - but that is no problem. Due to the narrow road and our having a wide-body fifth wheel trailer pulled by a long bed F-350 dually tow vehicle we would not take our equipment through the loop again - although they say they will accommodate 40' rv. Of course, you never know if that means the trailer or the trailer and tow vehicle (I even called the Ranger Office and was told with our equipment - no problem). Obviously O'Leno SP's 40 foot site must have been referring to the total length of trailer/tow vehicle. We would not think of taking our 34' trailer and 17' tow vehicle thru the loop again and risking damage to roof and sides by the very narrow brushy one-way road to get to the site. Smaller motor homes, trailers, no problem - very scenic sites. Larger fifth wheels - wait until they decide they need to clear trees and brush at least a foot away from the loop road. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Site layout was good. Prevented headlights from shining in your trailer at night. Very quiet. Some sites needed to be graded. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Nice quiet park with lots of history. Bike/hiking trails and peaceful. Lots of trees near the roads limit large rig access to some sites. Staff helpful and friendly. Well maintained park. We would go back. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
I loved this campground. To me, it is ideal! It is wooded and shady, the sites are private. Our site had huge logs laying around it and if you walked just beyond them, there was a beautiful valley (if you can call it a valley in Florida). The wild life was abundant and the park for the public is beautiful! The bathrooms are well maintained and there was a playground for children (although I had none so I didn't pay a lot of attention to it). The roads were a bit narrow and bumpy, but that adds to the ruralness of it. There is a great country store just down the main highway with wonderful food. We stayed here to go to a UF game: the trip to Gainesville was easy and not too far. I highly recommend this park. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
We camped here because of its proximity to the Ichetuckee Springs. It's a great place to go tubing. The springs are a constant 72 degrees. They only allow 750 people to go tubing down the north end, so get there early. The park is quite rustic and buggy. The road were very rough, lots of potholes. We camped in Magnolia 21, not a bad site. Magnolia 22 is a pull through. These sites are very large and have quite a lot of trees. Swimming and canoing was closed because of low water, so check that out before you go. It is fairly close to Gainesville. Go 'Noles!! We camped here in a Motorhome.
This was our best camping experience yet. The park is huge, conveniently off I-75 just north of Gainesville. We were able to ride our city bikes for over 8 miles in the woods, following the Sante Fe river for a bit over wide trails under shade trees. No one else was around, and the sense of being in the wilds created a breath-taking experience. We saw a pod of gopher turtles at the water's edge, and all kinds of birds (and one snake). Fireflies entertained us in the dark of night. This area is not far from Cross Creek which Mrjorie Kannan Rawlings wrote about in her memoirs of the same name. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Rustic park. Sites are shaded sand with a sandy patio area. Most sites are pretty difficult to get an RV in and out of and you'll probably need a spotter to back in. Playground in center of camping loop was nice and there were newer bathhouses that were very clean and well maintained. O'Leno has nice amenities in park--suspension bridge, museum, bike trails, hiking trails, swimming area, 17 cabins (that are mostly simple bunk houses) and rec/dining hall for groups, bike rentals, canoe rentals, fire wood for sale, Junior Ranger program, and several ranger programs. If you're looking for a very peaceful campsite to hike/bike from, this is nice. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a very rustic park. Sites are sand with sand patio. The site assigned to us was pretty difficult to negotiate until our neighbor lent a hand and guided me expertly. Most sites looked like they would have been easier than our site. Next time, I may add a couple of feet to the trailer when I answer the attendant's inquiry! We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We had site #17. Sites are very sandy and heavily treed with a narrow dirt road that leads into them. 2 campgrounds-only one suitable for larger rigs. Each site has picnic table, fire ring/grill, and water. Our site was hard to back into because of narrow road and undergrowth directly across from site was thick. Playground in center of camping loop was nice and there were newer bathhouses. We mostly went to tube on the Lchnetucknee River. O'Leno has nice amenities in park-suspension bridge, CCC museum, bike trails, hiking trails, swimming area, 17 cabins and rec/dining hall for groups, bike rentals, canoe rentals, fire wood for sale, Jr Ranger program, and several ranger programs. Water in park does smell like sulfa. We would camp here again but chose a different site. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is nice park. The Ranger who checked us in was not friendly. Other Rangers we encountered, though, were friendly. We had site 31 in the Magnolia loop. Nice site. Deer came around our site morning and evening. The only complaint would be how often the park rangers drive around the loop and raise up dust with each circuit. Sometimes it was several times within an hour's time. I like security, but this seemed excessive. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Beautiful, scenic park. There are 2 campground areas. We stayed in the Magnolia section which is closest to the River and the hiking trails. The Florida park reservation system has you chose sites by amenities & size. We chose a site which would accommodate our 40 foot motorhome ( site 31 ) which happened to be at the end of the loop. When we asked if we could go directly to it rather than all the way around the loop we were told no. As the previous reviewer indicated, the roads within the campgrounds are dirt/sand and VERY narrow. We watched everyone, with the exception of tent campers, struggle with the roads. Once at our site we had no problems backing in & setting up, as it was at the end of the loop and had a lot of maneuvering room. The same can't be said for some of the other sites. I did check the big rig access box YES but some people may find the campground roadways too narrow for their comfort level. The sites come with water & 50 amp hookup. The dump station is located along the entrance road and is difficult to access on the way out, again it is very narrow & sandy. But, the reason we chose to stay here is the scenery & seclusion. We will definitely return and next time we will just go directly to our the site and not around the loop!!! We camped here in a Motorhome.
Secluded sites in heavy forest - sand, not too level, and no satellite. Good park roads until you get to campground - then gravel with lots of pot holes. Trees into campground exremely tight for our 40 ft motorhome. Really nice park with lots of great hiking/biking trails. We would stay here again for a short while. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This has been one of the finest campgrounds we have stayed in. The restrooms and showers are extremely clean and well kept. The hiking trails are a lot of fun and very well marked. There are trails for all levels of hikers. The rangers present outstanding opportunities for education. The is the second time we have stayed at this park. It is extremely relaxing. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We camped hear as an overnight stop (within 5 or 6 miles of I-75) and didn't have alot of time to check out the entire park, but it's a beautiful area with nice sized secluded sites. The bathrooms were nice and clean. Our evening there was quite rainy with tropical rains from tropical storm Arlene, and the sites seemed to drain well. There were deer roaming around the park in the morning. We had a reservation for our return trip home, but our plans changed. We would like to go back someday. We tow a trailer that is just shy of 30 feet in total length, and I'm not sure how much larger rig that you could get through the campground due to some trees along the roadway. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Bathhouse was very large and very clean. Good playground was close by. There was a stream close by but was not able to visit since this was just an overnight stop for us. Would definitely use this campground again. There are 17 cabins available as well. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.