Salt Springs Recreation Area

Our weekend camping adventure was to Salt Springs Recreation Area. This was an easy drive for us because it was located so close to our home. It made it a relaxing, stress free weekend, full of adventure.

Salt Springs Recreation Area is located in the Ocala National Forest in Florida. It is located about 35 miles from Ocala in Marion County.

Campsites

We loved this campsite. It had everything we needed. There are extra long picnic tables, grills, and fire pits at each site. Not to mention they are also full hook ups for RVs. The paved parking pad was an added bonus. These are spacious sites with plenty of shade from the live oaks trees and pine trees.

There was even a post with a hook to hang my bucket light! Click here to find out more about this cool light.

Pets are welcomed at this campground. They are not allowed near the spring however and must always be on a leash.

Hiking

The first thing we did when we woke up on Saturday was to go for a hike on the Bear Swamp Trail. This was a fun hike, not too long and a great way to explore a bit of the Ocala National Forest.

We didn’t see any bears, but you should always be “Bear Aware” when hiking in this area.

If you love to hike there are several trails located close by. The Yearling Trail is probably the most popular. I would have loved to have hiked this trail but the rain on Sunday prevented us from going. It would have been interesting to see the sites from Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings book The Yearling. Park staff will get you maps of hiking trails if you need them.

Salt Springs

Salt Springs gets its name from the minerals in the spring; potassium, magnesium and sodium (salt). It is a natural spring that comes up from cracks underground. You can see the cracks and the water coming up. It is just amazing to watch.

I wish I could take good pictures. The ones I took don’t do this spring justice. The water is so clear. You can see fish swimming and blue crabs scurrying around on the rocks.

Swimming is allowed in this area. My kids did stick their feet in, but even though the spring stays a constant temperature of 72 degrees, it was still a bit chilly for swimming. Staff that we talked to, said that Salt Springs is very busy in the summer months. So if you want to see it without huge crowds, now would be a good time to go.

This is such a pretty area to explore. You will be amazed at how clear this spring is.

Kayaking

There is free boat launch located in the primitive camping area. This is a great area to kayak. There were not a lot of people out in the water on boats. This is a different story when the temperature starts to heat up.

We all took a turn taking the kayak out on the water. I even tried it! My first time out on the kayak. I was so nervous that I was going to flip it and land in the water. Thank goodness I didn’t. I kept looking for alligators while I took it nice and easy. It was a lot of fun. I’m so glad I went out on it. A new adventure for me that’s for sure.

Park Staff

The park staff were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We really enjoyed the conversations we had with them. They were very patient with our endless questions and helpful when answering them. Just an all around great group of people working here.

Check This Campground Out

This was one of the cleanest campgrounds we have ever been to. The bathhouses were very clean and the campground was well maintained.

There were so many things for us to do. The boys loved the spring and the basketball court. That was their favorite places to go. I loved the hiking trail. But there are other things to do like boating, fishing, and swimming. Check out this campground here.

I hope you find new adventures and Happy Camping!

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