Alexander Springs Campground – Ocala National Forest

Visited 04/02/11-04/03/11

When it comes to camping, I prefer primitive sites, away from crowds of other campers and their screaming children.    Then again, sometimes you’re the one with the screaming children.    Such was the case on our trip to Alexander Springs.    If you’re looking for a good place to take your kids, or if you’re the type that doesn’t mind the side-by-side “lot-style” camping experience, this place is for you.


Being that we were tent camping, our only choice was to stay in Loop B (there are 4 loops, three of which are for RVs).     Usually I’m not a big fan of having so many close neighbors, but the density of the foliage surrounding each campsite afforded us plenty of privacy.     Compared to some of the other lot-style sites I’ve visited over the years, this one was practically like having our own forest.    There’s nothing worse than sitting around your fire at night and seeing some stranger picking his toenails eight feet away, while you unintentionally eavesdrop on his whispered conversation about the crust on his toes.     We didn't have to watch any toe pickers here. 

Each campsite had a fire ring and picnic table, with a fair amount of running room for the kiddos.    All of the sites are all within a short walk of the bathroom and shower facilities, and those facilities are kept clean enough for anyone’s standards.    They’re the nicest bathrooms I’ve ever had the pleasure of using in the middle of the woods.    

The staff we ran into were all friendly and none seemed like they had yet been jaded by their jobs….  a common affliction for state park workers.       I saw several employees riding around in golf carts, just making their rounds to be sure no one was burning down the forest or drunkenly picking fights with the wildlife, and they were all polite and pretty much left everyone alone.    

Firewood was available for sale and you need it if you plan on having a fire.     There weren’t enough dead tree appendages lying around to break up and use as fuel for the night, so bring at least $20 just for wood, or bring your own wood.   I think it was $6 a cord, which is pretty steep. 

The only gripe I had about the camping was that our lot was right next to the bathrooms.    Good for  that quick trip to drop off that soda and hot dog you ate this morning.    Not so good for trying to enjoy a quiet time around the fire.    The doors constantly slamming shut and the toilets constantly flushing can get on your nerves a bit.    It’s a small gripe, though. 

If this park was only a campground, and nothing more, I’d still give it a solid 7 out of 10.     However, the spring itself, and the river it feeds, easily take it up to a 8.5 out of 10.       The springs are probably where you’ll spend the majority of your time during the day, especially if you brought boats (although canoe rentals are available).      

You can't really tell from the horrendous pictures I took, but the spring area is actually pretty large.   There are several covered picnic table areas and a lot of grassy area to sit on.     The spring itself is only about knee-deep all the way across, so if your kids can play in the a kiddy pool, they'll have no issues here.     The water was crystal clear, warm and beautiful.    


In my experience, people are drawn to natural springs like hippies to a Phish concert, so they're generally really crowded.     We didn't find this spring to be crowded at all on a this Saturday afternoon, which was a big relief.    

Just a few feet from the spring is a boat loading dock.    The park staff were really helpful and gave us a canoe dolly to help us with this beast.  

The spring feeds a 7 mile river, which makes for some beautiful rowing scenery.    The water in the river is as clear as the water in the spring, so you'll get a good look at a plethora of different fish.     Unfortunately, we had too many people and not enough boats, so we were unable to get a look at any more than the first mile of river, or so.    I'll certainly be going back at some point, to kayak the river in its entirety.  If you don't want to camp, and just want to do the river, you can do that for a small fee.  

On a side note, if you're drinking, you'll have to keep it incognito on the water.   While alcohol is allowed in the campground area, there are signs posted that it's not allowed in the spring area.    We brought a few beers in a cooler and kept them out of sight.    Easy peasy. 


There is a small trail system around the spring, as well, but we didn't get a chance to walk them.  

A word of advice on booking your campsite through the website below.... They tell you that, if you book a Friday or Saturday night, you have to book 2 nights.    However, I was able to bypass that by booking my site and changing the "2" (which is auto-filled) to a "1", in the "number of nights" field.      I've tried this with another campground and it didn't work.    Fortunately, this one worked for me.    And the staff at Alexander Springs didn't even mention the fact that I had booked only one weekend night.   That leads me to believe this is a rule of that website you book through, rather than the park itself... which is bullshit.  

Oh and one more word of advice... The campgrounds are pet friendly.   The spring, however, is not.    So, if you were like us, and planned on checking out in the morning (11:00, I believe) and spending the rest of the day at the water, you'll be disappointed.   We had nowhere to keep the dog that my friend brought with her and ended up boating and fishing in the nearby Saint Johns River.   We still had a good time, but it would have been nice to explore the spring river some more. 

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WEBSITE:  http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Alexander_Springs_Rec_Area_Fl/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=74037&topTabIndex=CampingSpot
PHONE #: 1-877-444-6777
PRICE: $21/night for up to 5 people. 
PRIVACY: 4/10
FISHING: ??   (Didn't bring our rods but we saw a lot of fish)
STAFF:  10/10