Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

This campground is a pretty weekend spot or a good place to stop over traveling through Florida. Sites were private and wooded.

We have a Pepwave Max Transit Duo for AT&T and Verizon service. AT&T had download speeds of 17.87 and upload speeds of 3.17. Verizon was 8.1 for downloads and 1.36 for uploads. Our Mifi with T-Moble had download speeds of 9.02 and uploads of 1.05. My job is 100% zoom meetings. Connectivity was occasionally an issue, especially during storms.

We've been meaning to stop in this park for years, and finally did - and wish we had come sooner! It's a lovely park with nicely spaced and shaded campsites.

There's some nice hike/bike trails and the prairie to explore (was too hot/sunny during our stay), and nice overlook tower you can climb for a view.

And glorious cellular signal on all of the carriers - we were able to host multiple live broadcasts with blazing fast speeds. Too many trees to even bother getting the Starlink out.

(Price reflects base $18 price, $7 utility fee, $6.70 reserve fee and tax.. )

Easy access from I-75 and Rt 441, 2 miles to campground from ranger station. Road in the campground needs some work (potholes). Pretty tight inside campground but rigs up to 40 feet made it in. Bathrooms are nice, typical for Florida state parks. No laundry. Sites are adequately spaced, trees in between. Sites are hard packed dirt, almost like a concrete pad, our site was dead level. Our 50 amp electrical service and water pressure were fine. Some sites are 50 amp, some 30.

Lots of hiking in the park and in the area. Did not see any bison or wild horses during our stay,but lots of alligators and birds.

Grocery stores and restaurants are only a few miles away. No road noise from highway, just birds singing.

AT&T cell service was good, 3 bars of 5G, -105 RSPR unboosted, streamed with no problem. Several local HDTV channels.

We had a great weekend at Paynes Prairie, even though it rained most of the time and that limited what we could do. The park ranger greeted us and gave us maps of the park and the campground, and specific directions to the campground. The campground is neat, with good-sized sites for every type of RV. Tent area has parking and walk-in to the tent sites. Sites are bordered by palmetto, oak trees, and some pines. Our site was level with a firmly-packed limerock base. We had a fire ring, picnic table, and a lantern post. Bath house was clean and had plenty of room in the individual shower stalls. The observation tower was an unexpected treat, as we saw many bison, several horses, plenty of birds, and one deer hanging out on the prairie. The path from the parking lot to the observation tower was concrete with and ADA-compliant ramp. The vistors center was not staffed on the day we visited, which was our only disappointment. There are many trails through the park. There is a trail from the campground to a playground and the boat ramp. We wanted to check out the fishing pier on the lake but weather changed our plans. The best thing about this state park is the feeling you get when you reconnect with nature.

What most people said we agree with about the camping facilities. We did find the road noise from I - 10 annoying during parts of the day. We live in the country, so we notice things like this. Note, no laundry facilities at this park.

The park is convenient to Gainesville for shopping and attractions. There are enough paved roads in the part for a ride on a bike. The Gainesville - Hawthorne Railtrail is on the north side of the park. We enjoyed a paddle on Cross Creek next to the historic site of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings who wrote The Yearling. You can visit the homestead. Note this is a popular fishing g area and there are airboats, so I wouldn’t paddle here on the weekend. Micanopy is worth a walk about.

Stayed here on an overnight stopover and wish we could have stayed longer. Easy back in spots for the most part, camp sites are level, spacious, and fairly private. Numerous hiking trails wind through the preserve. Bathhouses were very clean and easily accessible. Park personnel were very friendly and helpful.
The only thing to watch for is the price. The rate is $22 per night but that’s before taxes and state fees. Those additions bumped the nightly cost to $31.86.
Still, it’s a nice place to stay and I’d stay there again without hesitation.

Campsites are pretty level, clean and spacious. Foliage between lots. Picnic table and fire pit provided.
Some tv Channels, able to use Verizon and AT&T cell service, internet good.
Visitor center a must do. Lots of trails from 1 mile to 8. Pick your level. Biking also.
Quiet and a pleasure after cramped RV parks!
Electric and water. Dump station.

Only negative (it is Florida) be sure your dogs have tick repellent on. And check yourself and dogs after walks. We were here in February and it was quite warm,
High 80’s.

I was worried because our rig is not only long but tall, but we had no problem getting into our site. The road into the park is a little tight, but just take it slow. Most of the sites are fairly private with lots of trees above and around. Our site was nice and level.

Satellite was a no go for us, but our Verizon and Att Phones and hotspots worked just fine. We didn’t use the bathhouses, so I can’t say what they are like. The park was quiet and had some very nice tent sites that were off of the road.

The park is about 15 minutes from the nearest Publix. The town of Micanopy is cute and worth a visit. The Cuban at Old Florida Cafe was excellent and we enjoyed dinner, drinks and live music at The Depot.

We didn’t see any bison, but we did see some horses and cattle. We are hoping to return and spend more time here.