Silver Springs State Park Campground

We stayed here for 3 nights in March 2015. The sites are HUGE - I think the biggest sites I have ever seen in a state park. We were in one of the interior pull through sites, and we could have fit 3 of our RVs in there. The exterior pull throughs and back in sites were also very spacious. You have good separation from your neighbor, and nice large sitting areas with picnic tables and fire pits. There are several hiking trails in the park. We did two of the (River Trail and Swamp Trail) and they were both great trails - clearly marked and easy to navigate. Another section of the park has the famous glass bottom boat tours, which we did, as well as canoe and kayak rentals. We loved this park and would definitely camp here again.

I stayed here in Sept 2016 for 5 nights. There is a lot to like about this little state park. There are hiking trails, canoeing, and glass boat tours. Its proximity to Ocala National Forest also provides other activities if you want to drive about an hour. There are a number of Springs in Ocala National Forest. I didn't spend any time in the National Forest due to the fact that it's pretty non dog friendly.
The rangers and hosts were incredibly nice and really added to the welcoming feel this place had. It was just a wonderful state park and I would gladly stay here again.
Here is my breakdown for rankings
1. Site accessibility (large sites, good roads and signage) - 4.5
2. Campground location (kind of a weird location. Had to drive through town) - 3.5
3. Nearby amenities (Walmart, grocery stores, everything you could need within 5 miles) - 5
4. Site Privacy - 4
5. Campground amenities (Trash receptacles, laundry, good water, clean bathrooms) - 4.5
6. Dog friendly (Dogs allowed on all trails) - 5
7. Activities (good hiking, glass bottom boats) - 4
8. Cost - 5
9. Staff friendliness - 5
10. Connectivity (Strong AT&T and Verizon signal) - 5
Total score - 4.5

This is a beautiful state park with very large & spacious sites. I wish more campgrounds had such huge sites as these. It's nice to have a site with plenty of privacy and not feel like you are too close to a neighbor. We travel fulltime but are not retired. We work from the road and sometimes need a place to just relax and unwind and get caught up on work projects. This was the place to do that. There is not a lot to do in the area besides visit Silver Springs park, but that was perfect for us. We had just finished several busy weeks of traveling with friends and family and we're getting ready for more upcoming busy weeks, so this peaceful, quiet week in between was just what we needed to re-charge. Your campground vehicle pass gets you in free to Silver Springs park (normally $2/person). The boat rentals and glass-bottom boat rides are an additional fee. Verizon 4G works great here.

We have a stayed at a handful of campgrounds within the Florida State Park system and Silver Springs is definitely our favorite thus far.

The sites offer plenty of separation between campers and the sites on the interior of each ring of campsites usually puts you in the middle of pine trees and plenty of shade too. Our experience is that the sites were well maintained and offer plenty of room, even for larger RVs. Our little 16 footer had plenty of room left over for us to put up our 10x10 screen room too on the side. Our site was completely level since the floor is made of small pebbles and what looks like limestone or hard clay that makes for a nice even site.

As others have mentioned, if you stay at the state park campground, you also get free entry to the part of the park where the Silver Springs tourist attraction was a popular destination for many years. Unfortunately, it fell on economic hard times and so the State Park system has taken over its oversight. The attraction is nothing like it used to be as all of the amusement rides and most of the animals have been removed, but the glass bottom boats that let you go over the main springs on the river are still in operation and they cost $11 per person when we visited. There are some nice walking trails and gardens on the site though, and they also rent kayaks to those who want to explore the river and the springs on their own. Interestingly, if you bring your own kayak and you stay in the Silver Springs campground, you can launch your kayak for free right on the Silver Springs river.. Otherwise, they charge 4$ per kayak and 2$ per person if you have your own kayak and do not stay in the state campground.

We had very good cell reception while we stayed here, so that was a plus. And the city of Ocala is not far away, so there are plenty of restaurants for those who like to eat out. We were surprised that even though we stayed in the middle of July, we could open our windows and enjoy the cool night air while we slept for three nights out of the four that we were here. Maybe this was just an accident, but we sure enjoyed it while we could.

The public bathrooms and showers were very clean and well maintained.

We definitely plan on visiting Silver Spring State Park again.

We loved Silver Spring State Park from the moment we arrived. Sites are spacious with pretty good privacy, the entire campground is filled with towering trees, and strangely enough, the campground had a wonderful oak/pine smell which we weren't expecting in Florida. We had no sewer at our site, but the bath house had very nice and extremely hot showers. Roads were wide and paved and we had no trouble with our 42' motorhome. There were some nice trails to walk our dog on. A mile or two away was the main park entrance where we rented a kayak and paddled the river looking at alligators, turtles, birds, and fish. Just past the main park entrance is a great 20-hole disc golf course (bring your own discs). Verizon and AT&T both worked well. We were able to receive mail and packages during our stay. All the staff we interacted with were very friendly and helpful. Restaurants and shopping are a short drive away, and we found a giant fenced dog park about 10-15 minutes away. We were sad to leave and wished we had booked two weeks instead of one! We're looking forward to returning in the future.

After so many 5 star reviews, perhaps our expectations were too high. It is a lovely park and we did enjoy our time there.. including hitting the trails and the glass bottom boat ride.

The campground layout is nice, however not all sites are created equally. When we first booked, we found out afterwards that we had selected a 'Buddy Site' - this wasn't abundantly clear at time of booking. Thankfully we were able to switch to a pull-thru that was available for a change fee.

Be cautious on arriving, if you're coming across Highway 40 from the east, you might be tempted by the HUGE Silver Springs sign thinking you're there. But you're not, you're at the attraction side of the park - and there's absolutely no signs or information to steer you correctly to the campground. Definitely follow the directions in your confirmation message - if you make our mistake, take a left back on 40, take a left at the next light and then the campground entrance will be on your left about a 1.5 miles up the road (several other RVs made the same mistake, and the ranger said this happens ALL the time - so why not put up a sign to prevent this?)

Our site was definitely HUGE... but it wasn't private feeling at all. It was pretty wide open to the street with a view of the bathhouse. In the winter, many of the sites have little vegetation yet, so we just didn't feel many sites felt private. Perhaps come spring time things improve. But they are well spaced out for sure.

Cellular service here is just fine, so no worries there.

Yes, the entrances are confusing and you’ll probably end up making a uturn, but let’s move past that.

These spaces are HUGE! We had a camper and a car and could have fit two more cars in our space. Hook ups are updated and maintained well. Sites are spaced probably 15 feet apart. The vegetation is a little light, but that’s the case in all Florida parks since the hurricanes. I never felt bothered or really even heard our neighbors. Bathrooms were clean.

There is an educational center and trails to the springs in walking distance from the campground. The springs trails are easy and rewarding with the beautiful spring overlooks. You can walk to the main park, but we drove because they were doing a controlled burn in the area and we didn’t want to hit heavy smoke. Definitely do the glass bottom boat ride and kayak if you have time.

We loved this campground and all that comes with it to do. Our site was water and electric and a drive through. Very spacious with partial shade. We walked the whole campground and didn't find a site that we would call bad. They are all spacious and lots of trees for privacy. Our grandson is 12 and he said this was the best short vacation he has ever had! We walked through the woods to Silver Springs and had a day on the water canoeing. The water is amazing. We arrived early and they gave us passes to get into the park for free and parking was plentiful. We paid $11 to go on the glass bottom boat which I strongly suggest. The clear water is amazing and the sea life is great. We will definitely be coming back!!

Clean, flat, roomy sites. One of my favorite campgrounds. Call for reservation as it fills up. Cabins look great too. Google maps will take you to the day-use area which is totally different. Friendly staff.

Outstanding Florida State Park! Beautiful hiking, super scenic river, and an excellent smallish museum brilliantly curated. Almost a 2-hour drive north on I-75 but we will be back.