Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park High Springs Fee
cdv
20' Airstream Westfalia
1 review
"No walk-ins possible"
Reviewed 8/29/2021
Arrived at 4pm. Checked the website in the morning and they had 5 open RV sites and all tent site besides one were open. When we got there there was a "campground full" sign up and the ranger explained to us that we can only book online, they don't do walk-ins and the website closes the reservation window at 1pm every day. Even if ther... more
Arrived at 4pm. Checked the website in the morning and they had 5 open RV sites and all tent site besides one were open. When we got there there was a "campground full" sign up and the ranger explained to us that we can only book online, they don't do walk-ins and the website closes the reservation window at 1pm every day. Even if there were sites open, which there clearly were, he can't see them in his system and he can't check us in. He also told us this was the same for every FL state park. We camped at Grayton Beach and Big Lagoon State Park as walk-ins with no reservations just a couple days ago, so no idea if he is correct or not. He was very friendly and told us of other campgrounds in the area. Camping sites here are all on sand, close together with narrow street in between. Spring is very nice.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
"The spring is AMAZING, the campground is NOT!"
Reviewed 8/9/2021
| Nightly rate: | $18 |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
| Site Number: | 16 |
I wish I could rate this campground and park experience in two separate ratings. Past reviews stated that the long dirt road was rough during the rain. Well it rained the entire time there! I can tell they brought in sand and watched them grade it flat almost every morning. Even with that, the road is a typical dirt road in Florida whe... more
I wish I could rate this campground and park experience in two separate ratings. Past reviews stated that the long dirt road was rough during the rain. Well it rained the entire time there! I can tell they brought in sand and watched them grade it flat almost every morning. Even with that, the road is a typical dirt road in Florida when it rains with poor drainage. I never felt that we would become stuck or any other campers/travel trailers. The Rangers were helpful and accommodating.
The park/spring is AMAZING! The water was beautiful and refreshing. We were there for July 4th weekend. They do close it off at a max capacity, which was low enough to not feel too overcrowded. The water was up due to all the rain, so we didn't Kayak as far as we planned due to the fast current of the actual river, but Kayaking the spring was nothing short of magical. I can see why the Spanish Conquistadors thought the springs was a fountain of youth. The noise was okay and to be expected due to the July 4th weekend. I could hear the loud music and yelling from the neighboring campground and glad I didn't stay there with my family.
Onto the campground: One of, if not, the worst state own/ran campgrounds we have stayed! The bathrooms were disgusting, that when I opened the door, it felt like I was in a Port-A-Jon at a construction site, that hadn't been cleaned for three weeks. Needless to say I am glad we were self-contained and didn't need to use their "bathhouse". The campsite itself was hard to back into/on-top of each other, very uneven, and the power supply kept tripping. We ended up having to use another campsites power outlet due to ours not working. Thank goodness they were in a tent and didn't need the 30amp connector. The Rangers were as helpful/nice as they could be, but all the sites were full plus it being the weekend they couldn't get an electrician to fix the power supply.
Talking with the Rangers, they said they are in the planning stages of building a new section of the campground soon. Until then, we will not consider camping there again. I will say that we were very close to leaving after the first night. I am aware that the park itself was bought by the state only a couple of years ago, but it is time that Florida invests money into this park as the spring itself is amazing.
Another thing I wish I would see is that they would stop the water run off from the bathhouse making it down to the spring. When it rained hard, the run-off sat on top of the water creating what looked like a cloud over the blue water. That can't be good for the natural environment they are trying to preserve.
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Verizon
T-Mobile
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
"Not fancy, but fantastic! Surprised by other negative reviews"
Reviewed 4/5/2021
| Nightly rate: | $23 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 14 |
Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Stayed 2 nights in 35 foot RV+tow car in site #14 at $23/night. At the time, this was our cheapest per night stay and one of our absolute favorites. New small state park. There is a long dirt road to get in but was very manageable. Same with the sites (sand)... more
Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Stayed 2 nights in 35 foot RV+tow car in site #14 at $23/night. At the time, this was our cheapest per night stay and one of our absolute favorites. New small state park. There is a long dirt road to get in but was very manageable. Same with the sites (sand) which made us a bit nervous looking at it that we would get stuck, but no issues. Did have some issues trying to level. The springs were gorgeous to look at and we even took a swim. You can rent kayaks as well. Not extensive, but very nice hiking paths through the forest. Could hear owls occasionally although never saw one. The sites were close and in "corrals" but something about it made it feel nicer. Can't explain it. Just great feel to this park. The tent area was also very nicely laid out. Highly recommend!
June Bug 20 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Buckeye
OH
33' Grand Design Transcend Xplor 265BH
Ford Expedition EL
14 reviews
"Fantastic springs, we saw manatees, campground was nice and small, perfect for a weekend"
Reviewed 7/11/2020
| Nightly rate: | $18 |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 3 |
First off you have to kind of separate in your head 3 things... the springs themselves, the campground, and the river. We came for all three and LOVED it. This trip happened for us on Fathers day and as a father it is one of my favorite memories for Fathers day ever. I wish we'd stayed longer but we had reservations elsewhere to get... more
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Verizon
T-Mobile
Buckeye would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
"Worst state park campground"
Reviewed 6/30/2020
| Days stayed: | 1 |
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| Site Number: | 15 |
Stayed there for one night in June on our way back from a two week road trip. State park is rather new but poorly adapted to RV camping. Access road to state park is one mile of dirt, rocks and sand. Sites are close to one another and most are not level. Ours was so bad the auto leveling system in our camper did not work. So we ended u... more
Stayed there for one night in June on our way back from a two week road trip. State park is rather new but poorly adapted to RV camping. Access road to state park is one mile of dirt, rocks and sand. Sites are close to one another and most are not level. Ours was so bad the auto leveling system in our camper did not work. So we ended up with a camper at a very uncomfortable angle. Sites are mostly sand and dirt. facilities are shared with the springs so very busy and dirty. They seem to clean up once a day in the morning so make sure you shower before the day passers arrive. Little to no shade. No dump station. No or little service (Verizon). We would definitely avoid the site and head to another state park in the area next time.
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
"Really wanted to like it."
Reviewed 10/2/2019
| Days stayed: | 1 |
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| Site Number: | 13 |
Starting on the road in, the other reviews were too nice. We had to drive no more than 5 mph and thought our transmission was going to drop with the amount of severe bumps the entire way in. Finally get to our reserved spot, #13, and there is such a big dip to get into our spot, our tow hitch dig about 6 inches into the sand (everythin... more
Starting on the road in, the other reviews were too nice. We had to drive no more than 5 mph and thought our transmission was going to drop with the amount of severe bumps the entire way in. Finally get to our reserved spot, #13, and there is such a big dip to get into our spot, our tow hitch dig about 6 inches into the sand (everything is sand btw). We couldn't even make it into our spot. Luckily they had other openings so tried #1. Got all hooked up and the power doesn't work.... finally settled on #2. We were the only Class A in the park, and I now know why. No space. The Spring on site was amazing! Crystal clear. We went on a Wednesday and there were quite a few people there, but not packed. I'm glad we stopped for some photo ops, but won't be staying again.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Greg B
FL
37' Forest River Signature 8324SB
Ram 2500
2 reviews
"Newly taken over by state park - bad idea"
Reviewed 9/24/2019
| Nightly rate: | $25 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 16 |
I spent some time at this park last year and returned to camp there last weekend (9/21/19). The oversight by the state of the springs is terrible- they are not enforcing the no swim areas and the spring run out is being destroyed as a result - a real shame! Camp sites for RV units are very tight - double check your size. Access road... more
I spent some time at this park last year and returned to camp there last weekend (9/21/19). The oversight by the state of the springs is terrible- they are not enforcing the no swim areas and the spring run out is being destroyed as a result - a real shame! Camp sites for RV units are very tight - double check your size. Access road is very rough for over one mile and sand covered road may require 4 WD to navigate if you have a moderately sized RV. Verizon service only 1 bar. Florida state park service needs to invest some $ here and soon.
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Verizon 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Grateful
Iowa City, IA
Pleasure Way Excel TS
2 reviews
"Beautiful blue spring and great park staff"
Reviewed 1/8/2019
| Nightly rate: | $15 |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | 8 |
We were trying to camp at a different park, but it was full (holiday traffic). Lucky for us the reservation phone agent found us 2 nights here. The highlight is a large, crystal clear, blue spring. Perfect for swimming and jumping in from the diving platform. This used to be a private park, and the state took it over about 18 mont... more
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Verizon 4G
Grateful would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
"Beautiful Springs, Rough Road to get to the park. TLC Needed "
Reviewed 10/31/2018
| Nightly rate: | $15 |
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| Days stayed: | 0 |
Gilcrest Blue Springs is a beautiful springs one of Florida's Natural wonders. The park is on the rough side, the pavilion are run down and need attention. The Bathroom are clean, but very small and could use some TLC. I had reservations to spend a few days in the campground, but discovered there was no Dump station and no Showers the ... more
Gilcrest Blue Springs is a beautiful springs one of Florida's Natural wonders. The park is on the rough side, the pavilion are run down and need attention. The Bathroom are clean, but very small and could use some TLC. I had reservations to spend a few days in the campground, but discovered there was no Dump station and no Showers the road into the camp ground is very rough. The staff is wonderful and working with what they have, TLC is needed to keep the area open to more Campers.
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Verizon 4G
T-Mobile 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
Ashley
Bradenton, FL
28' RV Freedom Elite
4 reviews
Source: https://www.campendium.com/gilchrist-blue-springs-state-park
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