Rainbow Springs State Park Campground

We were in c loop...and I think it’s the nicest loop from a privacy perspective,
Our spot was pretty huge. Nice and wide and had good trees so felt very secluded.

As all have mentioned, you are not in the state park day use area with the trails but it’s right around the corner and if you are paddling you can launch right from the campground.

The attraction is the crystal clear water. Paddle or kayak is a most.

Also you are not far from getting to see and swim with the manatees if you visit I’m the winter.

Our only concern was signal our cell and hot spots were below average making zoom calls for work super challenging.

Pros:
Spacious
Clean
Well maintained
Great amenities
Great shop

Cons:
Hard to get a spot
Sewer outlet was at a higher elevation than our rig

Lovely, quiet campground with deep campsites, well separated by vegetation, full hookups, picnic table, fire ring and a clothesline. Staff is enthusiastic, friendly and very helpful. The map shows river access for swimming and tubing just a 5-minute walk from the campground but we chose to drive to the main entrance for access to swimming at the springhead. Didn’t check the restrooms as we use our own facilities. This was a one-night stop on our way north but I wished we had planned to stay longer to spend more time on the beautiful walking trails and at the spring. We plan to return. $23 rate is after FL resident senior discount, reservation fee and taxes.

We enjoyed our stay at Rainbow Springs! Check-in was super easy, and finding and parking in our spot, simple. Site is traveled, and very level. No trouble with power or sewer hook-ups. Our site was partially shaded at times, but we were gone mostly during the day; we kayaked the river twice, and took a roadtrip to Cedar Key another day.

The site, like many there, was a bit tight, but still comfortable for our 30' travel trailer and truck.

Our friends were in the site next to us, but the sites are pretty separated by vegetation, so we weren't as close as we would have liked.

Kayaking the river was great, but I'll add we were there during the week, and there were no tubers to speak of (the park hadn't started the tube shuttle/tram yet; begins on Memorial Day).

Lots of no-see-ums so take your bug spray!

Verizon's call service was nearly non-existent; I could text but calls broke up and no internet. AT&T was a little better, but not great!

Beautiful, private sites with easy access and lots of "Old Florida" vegetation around you. we rented a canoe, paddled up the rainbow river and were in view of oodles of turtles sun bathing as well as young alligators.
The drive over to the rainbow springs park area with a large swimming area was easy. The water was gin clear and cool, refreshing 72 degrees + for swimming.

we will have lasting memories of the beauty of this park.

The campground was well kept and river access was about a 15 minute walk. Campground has a small shallow swimming area but our family enjoyed the swimming area at the headspring much more. Vehicles are not allowed near the river so a kayak dolly or cart is a must if you plan to launch a kayak or paddleboard. The park provides one for guests to share.

The headspring is a 15 minute drive or 45 minute paddle upstream. Take a picture of your campground parking pass to gain entrance for free. Their swim area is very deep but they allow pool noodles which I highly recommend. There is also plenty of room to spread out on a crowded day. Our family enjoyed the well paved trails that take you through the area that used to a theme park and zoo way back in the day. You can see several (man-made) waterfalls, interesting flora, and incredible views of the river.

Tubing will cost you about $20 per person/ per day for tube and shuttle. If you have your own tubes you can launch from the campground and shuttle back for $10 per person. This float takes about 1.5 - 2 hours. If you really want to save $$ they allow you to purchase one shuttle ticket (armband) where one person can take the shuttle back to the campground, pick up their vehicle, and drive back to the takeout point to pick up tubes and rest of the party. You can also use another tube company in town if you want the longer 4-5 hour float that takes you down to the bridge near town.

The river itself has plenty of wildlife including turtles, otter, fish that you can see through the crystal clear water, Osprey, and Anhinga. The Anhinga birds were really fun to watch as they submerged themselves and poked their little heads out of the water. They startled us a few times.

We spent 4 days / 3 nights and it was plenty of time to see and do everything we wanted to do. Also, having sewer hookups was a big plus since our travel trailer has very small tanks and we often have to use the portable holding tank several times while staying at State Parks.

We stayed here for 3 nights in Jan 2022. I booked the site many months ahead w no previous knowledge of campground. We probably had the worst site. No shade, sandy, no privacy.
However, everything else was great. The campground is quiet. It has its own access to RainbowRiver and canoe/kayak rentals for campers only. The actual main entrance to the state park is across the river and that is where crowds go. We tented a canoe on 2 days and paid a reasonable hourly rate. Rainbow River is beautiful crystal clear water. We saw pileated woodpeckers and wood ducks. We found a nice 1 mi loop trail to walk our dogs and didn’t see anyone else on the trail. The rate is 30/night and there is a 7/night utility fee.

If you come here please make the drive to the main park. It is worth a visit to see the springhead as well as nice walks through the old park itself. Read the park history, it is interesting old Florida.

Sites were level, our site 42 had nice shade and decent privacy. had to use an extension on our sewer hose to reach the sewer cap as it is located in the very back of the campsite. We rented kayaks from the visitors center at the campground, the launch is a short walk from behind the center. Paddle right, upstream to the Headland park, then turn around and paddle back. Gorgeous trip with lots of wildlife to view if you're quiet. There are restrooms, a swimming area, visitors center, and trails at the headlands.

Zero internet even though verizon showed 4G with 2 bars. 4 TV air antenna channels.

We have camped at Rainbow for over 20 years in a number of different rigs and tents. Senior rate is about $21.00 per night (after they have added all the tricky new fees the State Park System has implemented). Always a great experience, and love the beautiful area. Gardens at the main spring site are lovely, and swimming in the springs is delightful. We like playing in the water at the campground too, and have taken jet skis, jon boat, electric motor powered rafts, to spend alot of time on the river, and find our peace there each time. Treat yourself to a trip there!

Clean, wide and private site. 30 and 50 amps, water and sewer at the site. Will return to enjoy the Springs.