Clearwater Lake Rec Area

Love to stay at Clearwater Lake when I’m Ocala National Forest. Campground has huge sites that tend to be pretty private. Bathrooms are super clean and the hosts are fantastic. During our last stay the host let us keep our camper inside the gate after our checkout time so that we could take one last hike on the FL trail. Super grateful for that bc we had our generator in the truck so we felt safer leaving things where they could be watched. This place is a gem.

Beautiful place but those showers need to be fixed. They won't stop leaking so when you take a shower only a trickle of water.

It’s a great place to getaway from the hustle and bustle.

I have camped here many times. We had a large group coming the next morning to park their cars as we hiked the Florida Trail northbound. The staff were extremely helpful as our group quickly exceeded the available spaces available for backpacker parking. The campground was clean and well taken care of as usual.

Step back in time and enjoy “ Old Florida!”
Great Hosts, Clean Bathrooms and sites, nice Campfire rings, beach, paths, roads and Trails are all very nice! The Bathroom shower plumbing needs some attention though. 1 shower head in the Mens as well as the ladies shower need attention! 5stars

Beautiful large campsites with lots of shade but trees are extremely difficult to navigate the road and to get into the campsites. Had to try three different sites just to find one we could get our 35 ft 5th wheel into. Website said it would fit. Many trees are overgrown and need trimming.

To be on level hardtop requires backing in which puts the door of travel trailers facing the road and not the table/fire ring area. Pulling in forward will put the camper on a steep slope unless you drive over the parking block and then off the paved surface which is forbidden.
Dogs are not allowed to walk the lake trail, even on leash. So not a dog friendly environment.
There are no marked trails to yhe water or bathrooms. Rather it requires wandering through someone elses campsite.

Friendly staff, clean amenities, nice views. If you're in the area I recommend it!

One of our favorite US Forest Service campgrounds. As with the more developed Forest Service campgrounds it has flush toilets and hot showers but no electricity at the campsites. Generator hours are very generous from 6 am until 10 pm. A possible compromise would be three, two hour periods during this 16 hour time frame. This would allow folks to keep their batteries in good shape and maybe reduce some of the generator noise. The roads and campsite parking pads are paved and a few of the sites are big rig friendly but not all. The campground slopes slightly toward the lake so if you are in a single footprint rig such as a van, truck camper or rooftop tent bring your leveling blocks and you will be good. There are level tent areas at each site. The sunsets over the lake are fantastic and there is a fine 1 and 1/3 mile trail around the lake through mature pine and live oak forest. Canoe and kayak rentals are available. The Paisley bike trail connects the campground to Alexander Springs. During our 14 day stay there were no loud, obnoxious parties and this is always appreciated. The other big asset of Clearwater Lake is the staff, many of whom have been there for a few years. It is obvious that this Forest Service facility is lovingly cared for and protected. The grounds and bathhouses were always clean and maintained. Jerry and Terry and the rest of the staff are experienced, professional, and helpful. They want folks to have a good experience but also expect people to follow Forest rules. Overall a wonderful, relaxing family friendly experience.
Dan Greene

First time at state campground. Site was so steep it required minimum 4 leveling blocks on the rear tires of our class b campervan. We only had 3 for each side so we were not level for the entire stay. Camp office said all sold out even though there were a large number of empty level sites we we not allowed to move into one. Reservation was made months in advance so I am not happy with the site I was given.