Tent Camping at Juniper Springs in Florida | Ocala National Forest

Mar 7, 2020 | Adventure, Hiking & Trail, Nature

Juniper Springs Recreational Area is a hidden gem among campgrounds in Ocala, Florida. It’s famous for its seven mile canoe and kayak run and also has a pristine aqua-colored swimming hole that’s a constant 72 degrees year round. What’s more? You can even camp a short walk from all of this natural beauty!

It’s one of our favorite springs in Florida with campsites and we’ve visited more times than we can count. Located about forty five minutes west of Ormond Beach off of S.R. 40, Juniper Springs isn’t far from Daytona Beach. We had a blast around camp and enjoyed filming this beautiful state park! (Technically it’s a “recreational area” in a national forest)

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Juniper Springs in Ocala National Forest

Staying at Juniper Springs Campground gets you close to the natural swimming pool and the gorgeous springs. There are hiking trails built throughout that are well marked and lead to interesting locations including an water wheel, stone bridge, and a beautiful secluded springs. If you come in the summer time, expect larger crowds on the weekends. If you’re not camping, you can still enjoy renting a kayak or canoe for a unique experience on their seven mile canoe & kayak run.

Website: Juniper Springs Recreational Area
Address: 26701 FL-40, Silver Springs, FL 34488
Phone #: (352) 625-3147
Cost: We stayed two nights and paid a reasonable $24 per night to tent camp at Juniper Springs Campground

Paul’s Birthday Goal – #OptOutside

So every year for my birthday I always have a goal to #optoutside. Years ago, REI Co-op (one of my favorite backpacking stores) came up with this slogan for Black Friday. They close down all of their stores and encourage all of their employees to go outside. I loved the idea and adopted it to celebate my birthday every year and 2020 was no different. This year since it was still cold, I chose a fun weekend of camping and kayaking!

It was February in Florida and we had nearly missed the entire camping season so I wasn’t about to let the tail end get away from me. Besides being my birthday, the other thing that made this trip totally different was normally we camped with friends. This time for a change it was just Sarah and I all alone.

When we go camping near home at any Florida State Park, we love car camping! It means we get to bring all the luxuries we want that would normally be too heavy if we were backpacking. Bring on the big fires, comfy blankets, and champagne! ?

We still love bringing our backpacking tent and cookware though because it keeps us in practice and it’s just fun!

⮞ CHECK OUT OUR CURRENT GEAR ⮜

CAMERA GEAR USED IN THIS VIDEO ??

GoPro Hero 8 – An incredible game-changer! Check it out.
External Microphone – Gives us the best audio
Selfie Stick Tripod – This combo tripod/selfie stick rocks!
GoPro Light Mod – For extra light at night
Samsung Phones – What we’ve used so far to take our videos!
Nikon DSLR Camera – But would recommend this much newer Nikon
Phone Tripod Mount – secures our phones nicely
Mini-Tripod – awesome as a hand held!
Travel Tripod – 5-Section Carbon Fiber

Gear mentioned in the video that we brought on this trip:

Tent – Our pyramid tent using trekking poles
Sleeping pad (Paul) – super light and compressible
Sleeping bag (Paul) – now discontinued but this is the closest version
Sleeping pad (Sarah) – with bumpers
Sleeping bag (Sarah) – now discontinued but this is the closest version
Inflatable pillow (Paul) – so comfortable
Inflatable pillow (Sarah) – another great pillow
Silicone bakeware – great bowl for cereal or steam baking
Titanium mug 600ml (Paul) – might opt for double wall in the future
Titanium mug 450 ml (Sarah) – same here
Titanium pot (900ml w/short lid) – we’ve shared this amount for dinner
Titanium pot (900ml w/fry pan lid) – fry pan lid fits the silicone bowl
Ultralight camping chairs – the ONLY two legged ultralight chair you will find
Hiking poles – love the cork grips
Egg crate sit pads – useful for sitting or knealing
Instant coffee packets (Italian roast) – actually taste like good coffee
Instant coffee packets (Columbian roast) – yum
Battery powered travel blender – not ultralight but great for fresh morning smoothies

We hope you enjoyed this adventure at one of our favorite springs in Florida! See you on the next one where we’ll be exploring Juniper Springs by kayak!