Magnolia Campground

Manatee Springs is a great state park with much to do. Spring is 72 degrees year round so swimming is an option. During winter there are manatees in the warm waters. Paddling is possible year round with rentals available. There are 8.5 mi of interconnected hiking trails so various combinations. Biking is possible but it’s double track and absolutely flat. Road biking out of park has a bike lane the 6 miles to 31-mile Nature Coast Bike path.

Hickory Loop is tent only. Magnolia 1 Loop has a much better bathhouse and sewer hookups. Magnolia 2 doesn’t have FHU and small bathhouse has two tiny showers. No ADA facilities in #2, and huge, loud fans run 24-7, so if you’re camped near #2 you hear the constant noise.

0-1 bars on Verizon at site. Concession has free strong WiFi. A few OTA tv stations.

The Springs and Boardwalk are great.
Campgrounds were nice. Restrooms were clean and the campground road was narrow with a few pot holes.
Stayed in Magnolia loop 1 site 3. Be aware when it rains it will flood. We were told this after we set up our rig but it didn't rain during our stay.
Cell service is poor. AT&T 1 bar. With Weboost we got 3 bars.
Our site had full hooksup but the sewer inlet was above ground and it was difficult to dump.
Overall very happy with the campground and park.

Park was nice. Boardwalk from spring to river was a nice. The springs was really nice and refreshing. Water was clear and no browning because of flooding. No manatees were there because it was summer. Campground was clean and site was average. Water/Power/Sewer hookups worked. Although the sewer outlet was above ground and made dumping difficult. Site has low point and would flood and puddle. Luckily it didn't rain during our stay.
Cell service was poor 1 bar on AT&T. Had Weboost that helped and got 3 bars.
Restrooms were good and clean.
Check-In was very easy and ranger was nice.
Firewood was $10.00 per bundle.
Campground road was a little narrow and had some pot holes.

First the rate: $20/night for the site, plus $7/night utility fee, plus $6.70 reservation fee, plus taxes x 3 totaling about $6 = $66.

Second, the sites: For site #12 the reservation said "pad length 20' and driveway length 50'". I called to make sure my Sprinter and tow car would fit and they said sure. Indeed, most of the RV-specific sites (there are tent sites too, mostly on the interior of Loop 1 were sufficiently deep to fit a good-sized rig. It's the tight turns that might present some challenges, certainly in Loop 2. I would only take smaller trailers into that loop.

Third, the overall impression: The campground is composed of natural surfaces though there are several paved accessible sites. It's sandy for sure. The main road through the park, the large parking area at the spring and the service buildings are all in good shape. I read a number of older reviews stating the campground was in need of improvement. Towards that end, the Hickory Loop is for tents only now but all the utilities in the Magnolia Loop were fine, including sewer it seems at most sites. However, most of the pipes were nearly a foot off the ground. Lots of natural shade and well-spaced sites made it very pleasant.

It's a short walk from the camping areas to the spring where there is a large swimming area with stairs going down to the water. Further down is the put-in for canoes, kayaks, and SUP leading directly out to the Suwannee River. The spring in this area is filled with large fish, many turtles, and an occasional alligator. No manatees as I guess it is late in the season and it's been quite warm. But paddling the spring and the river was really terrific and worth the trip. I also rode my bike on the North End Trails which are more double track, not real MTB trails but the forest was pretty and some interesting sites along the way.

Finally, cellular access: Yes, quite minimal however with my AT&T 4G Hotspot and MIMO antenna I was able to get enough of a signal for texting. I had no T-Mobile signal at all.

This was the second time we visited the park, as we could not find sites available anywhere at the time. While the evenings were quiet, we were greeted by confusion and irritation from the volunteers at check-in. (Partly due to the terrible new reservation system Florida parks have installed.) When we went to our site (#43), it was in a road I’d generously say no RV/camper should go down (Magnolia Loop 2). The pot holes were terrible and unmanaged, the road was a blind one way blocked by fallen tree stumps, and a very tight loop at the end that was difficult for our truck and small 17’ TT to turn around in. The site looked abandoned and was washed out mud. It would have been extremely taxing to park the trailer in, not to mention it was directly on a swamp and the horseflies/yellow flies/mosquitoes/ticks were horrible.
We asked for another site after seeing half the park was open and this seemed like the most outrageous request. However, after arguing with another volunteer, we were told to try a different site. We parked, unhitched, and drove to the front to get a new parking tag. The volunteer was very confused why we parked and said it was only available one night rather than our two. At this point, the communication went completely south and everything was blamed on us. Even the ranger that came to help made it a problem we created. Eventually, after being told to hook up and move to tent camping, we were told that was no good and to park in a Host site.
I’m disappointed in the quality of the park and consistency between sites. The cost is the same, but some sites are level with gravel and easy to park in while others have trees blocking the space, potholes, and mud. I’d really like to see the park system send some money to help Manatee Springs.
The boardwalk was great (at the end for fishing), but it felt like it would fall into the swamp at any point.
River snakes are ALL over the springs, but are harmless if you leave them alone. There was no cell signal at all (Verizon) and very few satellite TV channels.

We stayed here on short notice and were in an ADA paved camping spot as it was the only one open for our two nights. Nice hiking trails, and observation area for the springs. Much more primitive springs than the pool at Juniper Springs.

We didn't stay long enough to use our paddle boards. Loop through campground was pretty rough for a state park due to some recent heavy rains.

My favorite thing about this park is the proximity to the springs. We rode our bikes from site 16 but could walk it in 10 minutes. Bathrooms were close and clean, and the grounds were exceptionally beautiful. We had plenty of deer visitors which was lovely.

Only downside is lack of easy access to firewood. What they sell at the ranger station burns in under an hour making cooking and nightly fires a challenge. We had to make 3 trips on bikes to get more bundles.

The sites are well spaced. They are all located a short walk from the swimming area. The bathroom/shower house looks almost new in the Mag 1 circle. It was extremely well maintained and clean. Tons of wildlife; deer, squirrels, ticks, etc! The only problem we had was campsite (16) flooding during a heavy rain. We had about an inch of standing water for several hours afterward. It wasn't a huge deal as we were in a camper and walking around in flipflops but it would be a disaster for a tent. We did not notice flooding in the sites around us though.