In Florida, January can be a nice month weather wise, or it can be cold. If there are winter frosts and freezes this is usually the month for it. For some reason I chose this month to go camping – at a place without hookups!
I don’t know what I was thinking, but the reservation was made back when it was much hotter and cool to cold sounded great, I guess. We froze during our first night staying at Juniper Springs. Then, I read the sign about generators and we used ours to charge the battery for heat the following night. Temps were in the 30’s overnight!
We camped here for two nights and had sun the day we arrived and rainy drizzle the next day – our only full day. Check out is at 11:00am, so I didn’t do as much as I had hoped.
About Juniper Springs
Juniper Springs Campground and recreation area is located off Route 40 in the Ocala National Forest in northern Florida. The area features a natural spring with swimming hole, mill house with water wheel, historical information, and walking trails. In warmer weather I imagine this place is packed with swimmers and campers. In January there were only a handful of campers. There was no swimming or water adventures – “Paddle Out” area, and all the boardwalks, were closed for repairs.
The Springs and Swimming Pond
The swimming hole was good size but had a lot of grass in the bottom. No one was there to swim as temps were in the 30’s overnight and 50’s during the day. This area was also not open for swimming. It seemed that maintenance was being done on the main building too. That is fine, but when there are few amenities open, the price for camping here should be much cheaper.
In this cooler weather, the only thing to do is to bike or walk and I was pretty disappointed that most of the trials were closed.
Make Reservations at Recreation.gov
Making reservations is easy. Go to Recreation.gov and search for Juniper Springs. Each campsite has numerous photos – kudos to the park for that! (Click on the site number in the reservation section to see the pictures.) Each site lists the max length of the RV that will fit that spot. All sites can be rented for tent camping. There is one loop specifically for tents and that is the Fern Loop (photos down the page).
Important Fresh Water Info For Campers
This campground has no hookups meaning no water or electric at each site. They do have water spigots everywhere to get clean water for drinking. AND there is a camper water hose at the dump station to fill the RV…!!! Unfortunately we didn’t know this until we were dumping the tanks and leaving to go home – BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WAY TO KNOW ABOUT THIS!
Can’t Get a Map?
This makes me wonder about all the secrecy. When we checked in at the main gate, we were not given a map- but we could take a picture of the map. And any other information I gathered came from the signs at the restroom. This is how I found out that generators were permitted as long as they were off between 10pm and 6am.
My yellow markings on the map photo show one section crossed off – for renting kayaks and canoes. I’m not surprised as this was January and it was cold. A bridge blacked out because of the problem at Fern Hammock Springs, which I read about at the site. The yellow circle is where the dump station is – go there to fill your RV tank with fresh, drinking water if needed, BEFORE settling into the campsite. And for some reason the map is “For staff, do not hand out”. Why can’t we have a map? Maybe they do this in winter because there are fewer visitors and nothing really to do!
Our Campsite in the Sand Loop
We were set up in site 57 Sand, in the Sandpine Loop. The location for the camper, and tow vehicle, was a narrow concrete slab. Our truck and camper (28 ft.) just fit. There was brush to both sides with just enough space to walk around it, so did not use the awning. I took my bike out through a path next to the camper.
The fire pit area was back behind the camper, and that space was huge! The picnic table was extra long and a couple of tents or a screen house would easily fit. But, there was no way to get out of the drizzle that persisted during our short stay.
The Sand Loop sites are mostly all set up with a long slab and separate picnic area. For this reason we could not go under our awning to get out of the rain.
Because of the time of year, many sites were empty. I took some photos of the empty spots which you can see in the last section on this page.
At first I thought that a toy hauler camper wouldn’t do well in this section of the campground, but I think that most sites would accommodate one. In fact, a toy hauler would be better here than at the pull through area. Site 57 has a tree and too much brush, so pick another site for a toy hauler.
Tropical Loop RV Pull Through Sites
There are two more camping locations at Juniper and one is also for RVs. The Tropical Loop has pull thru sites and a couple are larger for bigger rigs. The Tropical Loop seems more open between sites but it’s still in the woods.
Camping in Trop Loop means being closer to the swimming area and trails. Because it’s a pull through, with picnic area right next to the camper, an awning would seem to work.
Fern Hammock Springs Near Tent Camping Area
I rode my bike out through Fern Loop, which is the tent camping area. It has dirt roads. At the very end of the road, I walked down a short trail to Fern Hammock Springs. I’m sure there are other trails leading to this area from the Tropical Loop and elsewhere.
My overall impression of the Fern Hammock springs area was that it needed cleaning up. Some of the fencing was broken. A creepy old building sat at one end. The water looked beautiful, and I intended to go back for a better look, but the rain kept me away.
I planned to get back to the springs and get a closer look, but the bad weather kept me at the campsite near the fire.
More Sand Loop Campsite Photos
I took a walk to check out our Sand Loop area. Almost all sites were shaded with nice areas for the camper. In fact our site’s pad seems to be the most narrow. They all have large areas for the campfire and table, with bear boxes. This loop is a gradual hill and at the top is Site #44 which seems to be the most wide open and sunny. Our RV has a solar panel and that site would work well this time of year. But in hotter months (nearly always) I would not want that location.
Site #47 was one I really liked, but unfortunately our camper is too long. It is very shady and beyond the picnic area is a cleared area that would be perfect for a screen house.
Final Thoughts on This Camping Trip
I loved the area at Juniper Springs. They have a lot to offer and the campsites were all very nice. The camping areas are different and I like that too. If you don’t care about swimming, and want peace and quiet – choose the Sand Loop. It is away from the bustling springs area. To easily walk down for a swim, choose the Tropical Loop. Easily pull the camper through each site to set up.
But, because we camped in winter, and with a lack of hookups, this place is overpriced for the off season. Our stay for two nights was over $80, which is more than I spend at State Park campgrounds which offer as much or more. I wouldn’t mind paying the price if swimming, kayaking, and trails were available.
Have you camped at Juniper Springs? Please let us know your thoughts.
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