In this blog, we’ll review Manatee Springs State Park in Florida’s Big Bend area. The park sits about 50 miles west of Gainesville, Florida, just six miles west of Chiefland, Florida. According to Wikipedia, Manatee Springs is “a first magnitude spring that flows directly into the Suwannee River by way of a short run.”[1] The spring itself releases between 35 and 150 million gallons of water daily.
This makes it a popular cooling-off spot. Manatee Springs is an important winter refuge for West Indian manatees. From November through April, manatees are regular visitors to the spring.[2]
There are three campgrounds at Manatee Springs State Park, with a total of 80 campsites. The Hickory loop has 20 tent-only sites with electric hookups. Only 12 of the 20 tent sites are bookable online. The Magnolia 1 loop has 41 campsites, of which 38 are bookable online. Eleven are tent-only sites with water and electricity, 25 are RV/Tent sites, and 2 are RV-only sites. According to the booking system, 23 of the 27 RV sites have sewer hookups. The Magnolia 2 loop has 19 campsites, of which 16 are bookable RV/Tent sites with only water and electricity.
There are five criteria we look at when rating a campground. First up, Hospitality and Check-In. We give this a 5 out of 5 as it was easy to check in. We were able to remain in our vehicle to check in, making it very easy to confirm our reservation with the park ranger, receive our site tag, and be on our way.
Next in our review is Infrastructure & Amenities, which we are giving a 4 out of 5. The main park roads are paved and in good condition, making it easy to maneuver with the truck and trailer. However, the campsite loop roads are narrow and hard-packed dirt and sand, not the easiest to drive through with the trailer at spots. Most campsites sit at a good angle to the loop roads making it moderately easy to back into the campsites.
The bathhouse at the campground was newer and in good condition, but there were no laundry machines available at the bathhouse. There is a drive-up dump station at the campground, yet with about half of the RV sites having a sewer connection, the 1:25 ratio of RVs to dump stations should mean easy access to dump tanks. Like most Florida State Parks, there is a security gate at the park entrance to enter when the ranger station is closed.
Site Quality gets a 4 out of 5 as most campsites were composed of packed dirt and sand. A good layer of fresh gravel would have made for a better experience. Most campsites are well-defined and somewhat private. There were a few sites that were paved for accessibility. For full hookup sites, some sewer inlets are placed toward the front of the sites, meaning more than one sewer hose was needed. Other campsites had items like fire pits in odd locations, meaning you need to be aware when backing up the trailer on the site. Most campsites are partially shaded, which makes for a cooler experience on hot days, but it also means that using satellite internet, like Starlink, would be difficult given the obstructions.
Our Exercisability rating is 4 out of 5, as running and biking on the main park road are difficult given the non-existent pavement on the sides of the road. The park road has a decent bike path once you leave the park from the park’s entrance toward the town of Chiefland along route 320. There are also plenty of opportunities for water sports along the spring and Suwannee River and 8.5 miles of nature trail within the park to explore. According to the park website, there is a “safe connection to the 32-mile Nature Coast State Trail…” which is suitable for biking.
For our final rating, we are giving a 1 out of 5 for Workability, as the bandwidth on Verizon was almost non-existent. We got some download bandwidth at the site but almost zero upload bandwidth, so our devices didn’t work well. At one point, we had to drive about 7 miles to the town of Chiefland to upload a video. If you plan to work from the campground, you may want to think again or try to get satellite internet. As mentioned above, a device like Starlink satellite internet may not clear the tree obstructions.
Using an iPhone 13 Pro and a Verizon 8800L Mifi, we could get speeds of 3.44 Mbps down and 0.06 Mbps up. Although there was some download bandwidth, the lack of upload bandwidth made surfing the web nearly impossible. If you do book here, be prepared for a frustrating internet experience.
Overall, I would likely not stay at Manatee Springs State Park again because of how I camp. I look for places to work from and live remotely more than focus on water sports. Exercise was a challenge, and connectivity was a nightmare. You may be different from me, and this park may appeal to you. If so, the campground does have some full-hookup sites. You may love this place if you don’t mind being disconnected, don’t mind limited exercise options, and enjoy a beautiful spring and a big river nearby.
All the best in your camping endeavors!
As always, thanks to our fans who support our efforts by starting their shopping from our Amazon Storefront and by their generous financial support by using the THANKS feature located under each YouTube video ($ within the Heart icon). Your support is greatly appreciated!