Hopkins Prairie Campground
in National Forests in Florida
The managing agency’s description mentions a closure. Read it below and confirm before you drive out.
The numbers that decide it
- Longest rig
- Not published
- Sites
- 22
- Electric hookups
- Not published
- Pull-through sites
- No
- Paved access
- Not published
- Accessible sites
- Not published
- Driveway grade
- Not published
- Bear boxes
- Not published
- Campfires
- Yes
- Shade
- Yes
- Group sites
- Not published
Site-level detail from Recreation.gov, checked 2026-08-05. Where a field says “not published”, the agency has not published it — it does not mean zero. See it on Recreation.gov
Hopkins Prairie Campground
An island of shade amid a broad, winding grassland, the Hopkins Prairie Campground is a seasonal destination for campers looking to get off the beaten path. An unsung gem, Hopkins Prairie is a rambling incursion of interconnected wet and dry prairie landscape surrounded by sand pine and oak scrub. Boating • Depending on water levels in the prairie, you may be able to launch your canoe or jon boat to drift across the deeper spots in this vast ecosystem. Camping • Hopkins Prairie is a designated camping area with minimal facilities, open seasonally. • Expect full recreation sites during weekends. Have backup plans. Sites may close when capacity is reached. Please be aware that low tree branches over the road may limit the height of vehicles entering the campground. Fishing • The vast expanse of Hopkins Prairie has ponds and shallows. Depending on water levels, it may be possible to fish from the bank or launch a canoe or jon boat to access the deeper areas. Hiking With a year-round trailhead providing access to the Florida Trail, Hopkins Prairie is a popular destination for day hikers to wander off in either direction along the trail, or complete a section down to the Pat’s Island Trailhead or Juniper Springs. Nature Watching Hopkins Prairie is an excellent destination for birding, since the interface between open prairie and scrub forest is usually busy with songbirds, while wading birds pick through the ponds. Even when the campground is closed, you can meander from the Hopkins Prairie Trailhead along the Florida Trail to enjoy birding. It’s also a perfect spot where you can peer out from the shade of an oak scrub forest beneath gnarled limbs to an expanse of grasslands shimmering in the sun. This site is operated by Naventure .
Before you go
Season
October – June
Reservations
First-come, first-served
Hours
Open year-round; Busy season is October through March. Visitor information: Check-in time is 3 p.m./Check-out by 11 a.m.
Restrictions
Campground parking is for campers only . There is a trailhead parking area along the access road to the campground. • All Ocala National Forest campgrounds allow pets, but they must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet and are not permitted in designated swimming and picnicking areas. • A maximum stay limit of 14 consecutive days is allowed in a 30-day period.
Scenic drives that pass close
Make it a night on a better road
Byway plans the drive in — real stops, real weather, nothing invented.