Hi there!
So you’re planning a camping trip in Ocala National Forest!
There are many regular campgrounds in Ocala National Forest, and the Salt Springs Campground is one of them.
👆 Map of where Salt Springs Campground is located in Florida. Explore the map. Explore more things to do in Ocala National Forest!
Salt Springs Campground is a part of Salt Springs Recreation Area that is one of the Ocala National Forest recreation areas that you can go swimming at some Florida springs.
Those springs would be Salt Springs!
There are no campsites directly along the springs, but depending on your campsite, it can be reasonable to walk to Salt Springs!
There is a trail from one camping area that connects to the Salt Springs swimming area.
Otherwise, if you bring your own bike, you can bike to the springs!
Or, you can just drive a couple of minutes to get to the Salt Springs parking lot too!
No matter your campsite within Salt Springs Campground, you are just a short drive away from being able to go swimming at the springs!
See more camping options: Springs in Ocala National Forest
A little bit more below about camping in Ocala National Forest at the Salt Springs campground!
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There are waterproof waist pouches that you can store your valuables and take into the water with you.
/end side note
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Things to know about camping at Salt Springs Campground in Ocala National Forest
I did SUV camping / car camping at Salt Springs Campground in March 2022. I was traveling alone and I slept in my car. I stayed in the “primitive” campground at Salt Springs Recreation Area.
Your experience may vary!
1. It can be less than 5 minutes to drive to Salt Springs.
2. It can be a 5-10 minute walk to Salt Springs if you are staying at primitive campsites #128 to 137.
There is a trail to the Salt Springs swimming area from the primitive campground.
This trail to Salt Springs is located next to campsite #134.
👆 Campsite #134 at Salt Springs Campground is the closest campsite to the trail to Salt Springs.
Salt Springs campsites #128 to 137 are the campsites closest to the trail that leads to the Salt Springs swimming area.
👆 Campsites #131 to 134 at Salt Springs Campground are the closest campsites to the trail to Salt Springs.
👆 Salt Springs Campground map of primitive campsites. Campsite #134 is the closest campsite to the trail to Salt Springs.
Once you are on the trail to Salt Springs, you’ll walk for a few minutes and then you’ll see the picnic area.
Keep walking and you’ll see the springs!
3. There’s a boat ramp at the campground.
4. The Salt Springs campground is for tent camping and RV camping… and other types of car camping!
5. There are 2 main camping areas within Salt Springs Campground: the full hook-up camping area and the “primitive” camping area.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, Salt Springs Campground is the only campground in Ocala National Forest with full hook-ups for RV camping.
Salt Springs Campground pictures: full hook-up campground with electricity and water at your campsite
Salt Springs Campground pictures: primitive campground without electricity and water at your campsite
6. Primitive camping: The campsites don’t have electricity.
It is just a simple space for your camping style!
7. There are regular bathrooms at the campground.
No matter which area of Salt Springs Campground you are camping at, primitive camping or modern camping, there are regular bathrooms.
8. There hot water showers at the Salt Springs campground.
Similarly, there are hot water showers no matter how you are camping at Salt Springs campground.
The shower stalls are located toward the back of the bathroom.
9. There’s a dishwashing sink at the campground.
This is also located in the same building as the bathroom.
10. Primitive camping: The dishwashing sink can also serve as your drinking water.
The dishwashing sink has water that is safe to be used as drinking water.
11. You can buy firewood and ice at the campground office.
Because of invasive species that could come with wood brought from elsewhere, it’s always best to buy your firewood locally.
The “campground office” is the building you will see when you enter the Salt Springs Recreation Area.
12. There is a trash dumpster for campers.
13. There are bears in Ocala National Forest.
There are signs posted around Salt Springs Campground that bears are active in the area.
It’s also said that a fed bear is a dead bear.
This means that once bears start to see humans as a source of food, they can become a threat to humans, and that means a potential threat to you!
Once it’s believed by park rangers that a bear is a threat, it’s possible that it can be killed.
Currently, bears in Ocala National Forest are generally not seen as a threat to people.
But it takes everyone, including all campers, to keep it like that and to keep everyone safe while you’re camping, and to keep the campers that come after you safe!
Among the things, be sure to take care to pick up after yourself after you eat.
You want to avoid leaving food in your tent, and be sure to store all food in your car.
There is even a “bear-proof” food storage locker on campsites.
This also means it would be better if you didn’t eat inside your tent at all.
Another thing is to also try not to keep scented items inside your tent.
Scented items can even include things like shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and sunscreen.
Before you go camping, you can read about camping with bears in Florida national forests.
For further reading, you can also read about camping with bears in national parks.
14. After you check-in, you’ll get a gate code so you can get back into Salt Springs Recreation Area after hours.
15. There is wifi at the campground office.
You will also get a wifi password so you can get internet access from the picnic table or parking spots located just outside of the campground office. No internet throughout the campground!
You will have limited to no data service throughout the campground. (I had t-mobile with no service.)
You may also have limited to no data service throughout Ocala National Forest as well, so it could be good to download offline google maps before you go.
16. There is a small grocery store near Salt Springs Campground.
A couple minutes down the main road from the Salt Springs Campground, there is a small grocery store.
It’s located at the Marathon gas station.
There is even a small produce section!
Read the reviews of the Salt Springs campground.
What to pack for your Salt Springs camping trip
Swimming at Salt Springs can be a pretty minimalist activity!
Wear your swimsuit and you can be off swimming in Salt Springs!
But it’s also a good idea to bring swimming goggles or snorkeling gear so you can see underwater at Salt Springs!
See more about planning your camping trip to Salt Springs:
How to make camping reservations at Salt Springs Campground
Although the Salt Springs Campground is not directly managed by the U.S. Forest Service, the official website for making an Ocala National Forest camping reservation is through the official national forest reservation website, which is recreation.gov.
You can type in Salt Springs Recreation Area for the search, and then go from there.
You can also see the individual campsites that are available.
If you click on an individual campsite, it will also give you the basics of the campsite.
If you have flexible dates, you can also look at the calendar availability.
This can also help you determine if you should book soon or not, based on the availability of the campsites.
There are also Salt Springs Campground reviews you can read on the camping reservation website.
Salt Springs Campground map
👆 Salt Springs Campground map received at the campground office at check-in.
👆 Salt Springs Campground map: full hook-up campsites with electricity and water
👆 Salt Springs Campground map: primitive campsites without electricity and water
You will also see the Salt Springs Campground map when you make your camping reservation on recreation.gov.
One note on the primitive campground map that appears on the camping reservation website.
When I made the booking, and also just now when I checked again, it shows that there are showers next to campsite #134. There are no showers there.
The bathroom with showers is the building between campsites 127 and 128.
When I made the booking, this is something I was confused by!
Cost of camping at Salt Springs campground
The cost of camping at Salt Springs campground is around $31 per night for primitive camping and $50 per night for a full hook-up campsite. See current fees.
Included in your Salt Springs camping fee is the day use fee for Salt Springs Recreation Area.
This means you won’t need to pay extra for any sort of Ocala National Forest entry fee for Salt Springs Recreation Area.
Checking in to your campsite
The entry for Salt Springs Recreation Area is located right off the main road.
Once you make that turn to drive in, you will see a building.
That is the building that you’ll go to for check-in.
You’ll see signs!
This also serves as a small campground store.
Then after you’ve checked in, off you go to find your campsite!
And that’s a bit about camping in Ocala National Forest at Salt Springs campground!
See more:
- Salt Springs Recreation Area swimming
- More Ocala National Forest springs
- What to pack for a trip to Florida springs
More things to do near Orlando:
- Kissimmee swamp tour for a chance to see alligators
- Lake Louisa State Park for lakes and glamping
- Wekiwa Springs State Park
HAPPY CAMPING IN OCALA NATIONAL FOREST AT SALT SPRINGS CAMPGROUND!
Here's a sample 2-day drive from Orlando to St Augustine to Amelia Island!
In the morning head to Blue Spring State Park to see manatees (winter only).
Then drive along the A1A through Flagler Beach.
Then stop by Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
Then stop by Fort Matanzas National Monument
And then stay overnight in St Augustine!
The next morning, watch a St Augustine sunrise!
Then you can continue your drive up north, stopping by the St Augustine Lighthouse, maybe Anastasia State Park, maybe a St Augustine food truck, maybe historic St Augustine including Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.
Continue the drive on the A1A and stop to go shelling at South Ponte Vedra Beach, and then onwards to take the Mayport car ferry. (The ferry is closed through early May 2023, check for updates.)
Then stop by Big Talbot Island State Park to go to Boneyard Beach (short hike).
And then finally... you've made it to Amelia Island beaches!
How to save money on your trip
I tend to use booking.com or hotels.com to look for the cheapest hotels. You can also try the expedia hotels site or see if you like any of the vrbo vacation rentals.