About Clearwater Lake Rec Area
Number of accommodations: 38
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Open year round
This campground is open year round, providing flexibility for your stay.
Campground Amenities
Most popular amenities
Showers
RV Utilities and Hookups
- Dump station on site
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
- Showers
Water Access
- Beach Access
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Rates, Sites & Availability
38 Sites Available
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Site Details
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38 Sites Available
No available sites
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Reviews (433)
What Guests Are Saying
Clearwater Lake Rec Area offers a beautiful and clean campground with spacious and well-maintained sites, friendly hosts, and excellent restroom facilities with hot showers. Visitors appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, access to the Florida Trail, and fun activities such as kayaking and nature walks. However, some guests noted a tick problem and expressed concern about pricing and booking policies, suggesting that improvements could enhance the overall experience.
What Guests Are Saying
Clearwater Lake Rec Area offers a beautiful and clean campground with spacious and well-maintained sites, friendly hosts, and excellent restroom facilities with hot showers. Visitors appreciate the peaceful atmosphere, access to the Florida Trail, and fun activities such as kayaking and nature walks. However, some guests noted a tick problem and expressed concern about pricing and booking policies, suggesting that improvements could enhance the overall experience.
Review Summary
john S
VerifiedFebruary 7, 2021 • Stayed at: 12, Loop: A
This is one of the best Forest Service campgrounds we have stayed at in FL. The staff was very welcoming and their pride in the campground showed. The facilities are well taken care of and the sites are groomed before you get there . We stayed a week and wish we could have stayed longer. The sand billed cranes down at the lake will let you know they're on duty every morning like clockwork. The small town of Umatilla a few miles away has the basic ecentuals. Cell coverage was good, OTA tv was useble but nature won out. A Safe and well managed campground!
Jon A
VerifiedFebruary 7, 2021 • Stayed at: 36, Loop: B
This is a very peaceful and relaxing park. The park is clean and the staff, especially Joe and Emma are friendly and helpful.
Bobby P
VerifiedJanuary 31, 2021 • Stayed at: 22, Loop: A
Our family camping trip was an extremely disappointing experience. Two ATV's literally drove right through our campsite (twice) at 3:30am in the morning which terrified my two young boys. We never went back to sleep and it was a miserable night.
In addition, we specifically selected Clearlake campground for the opportunity to rent canoes which was promoted on the website. Upon arrival, we were told the canoe rentals were closed due to COVID-19. The website should have been updated appropriately. We would have camped elsewhere knowing this information. We planned to stay two nights but ultimately packed up early and headed home.
Robert R
VerifiedJanuary 31, 2021 • Stayed at: 16, Loop: A
Clean, quiet an the Bathhouse is excellent, nothing to complain about!
june C
VerifiedJanuary 25, 2021 • Stayed at: 11, Loop: A
Bear box was so convenient. This is a very beautiful, very well maintained campground. Every site is beautiful and spacious. The lake is clear and so beautiful especially in the morning. Me and my crew highly recommend this campground!
barry r
VerifiedJanuary 23, 2021 • Stayed at: 27, Loop: B
the hosts were very pleasant n helpfull,@ answering any questions we had.we camped here numorous times over the yrs,n we are always pleased with how clean it always is.We rate this place with a 5 star.
Trent P
VerifiedJanuary 17, 2021 • Stayed at: 19, Loop: A
We stayed three nights, in Thursday, out Sunday, in loop 1, space 19. The campground is nice and well maintained. The lake and surroundings are beautiful. We shared beach space with four Sandhill Cranes one morning and they gave us quite a show. The crowd was really quiet on Thursday night, but made a bit more noise Friday and Saturday. Not bad, just had stereos playing and such, and they did get quiet before 10 PM. The sites are paved, but narrow. Ours was just exactly wide enough for our 22’ trailer withe the tires right to the edge of the pavement. There was not an inch to spare. There is quite a bit of traffic noise from county road 44, which for an apparently rural road, stays pretty busy. Verizon cell service ranges from 0 to a weak 2 bars depending on where you stand. Using a hotspot without a booster I was able to join a video conference and did not have any issues with bandwidth. The campground staff and host were awesome.
Adam S
VerifiedJanuary 12, 2021 • Stayed at: 38, Loop: B
Great campground. The camp host during our stay was Joe, and he was so friendly and helpful in helping us find our first come first serve spot. (I recommend site 18) Great mountain biking and hiking right close by. Miles and miles of off road trails in Ocala forest. We were there during hunting season and there were lots of hunters around. Kind of ruined the vibe in my opinion, but still a beautiful forest.
Linda K
VerifiedJanuary 11, 2021 • Stayed at: 19, Loop: A
Beautiful location, friendly staff, clean restrooms.
Luis V
VerifiedJanuary 11, 2021 • Stayed at: 16, Loop: A
Place was clean and organized. The staff was friendly and very helpful. The location was easy to find and had easy access to all roads.
Location Clearwater Lake Rec Area
Address:
24511 Cr 42
Paisley, FL, 32767
United States
From the intersection of Florida Highways 19 and 42, go east on Highway 42 toward Paisley. Drive approximately 6 miles and turn left at the entrance to Clearwater Lake Recreation Area.
Clearwater Lake Recreation Area is accessible via Florida Highway 42, and is located approximately 6 miles east of the intersection with Florida Highway 19.
Latitude & Longitude: 28.9794 / -81.555
Elevation: 16 feet
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check in time
2PM
Check out time
11AM
General
- Campground gate is locked during Daylight Savings (Mar - Oct) and (Nov - Mar). Campers who check-in after the gatehouse is closed must visit the Gatehouse the next morning to complete their check-in to their site. Failure to do so will lead to a 'no show' charge to your reservation and potential forfeiture of site.
- Campsites are limited to 2 tents, 2 vehicles (campers included), and 5 persons.
- Extra vehicles will be charged a per-vehicle, per-night fee
- Bears and raccoons frequent the area; all food must be kept in approved containers. Failure to comply with this regulation can result in immediate ejection from campground without refund.
- Alligators inhabit the area; use caution around water.
- Private vessel launches in the Juniper Wilderness Run are subject to a fee.
- Dogs/pets are allowed in campground only and must be leashed and supervised at all times. No dogs/pets allowed in day-use area, bathrooms, in lake or on the trail around the lake.
- Click here for more information about Ocala National Forest
- Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.
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Last updated: June 3, 2026
