In this blog, we’ll review Ross Prairie Trailhead & Campground in Florida. The trailhead and campground sit about 15 miles southwest of Ocala, Florida, and about 14 miles east of Dunnellon, Florida, in northwest central Florida. According to the Florida State Park website, the campground is adjacent to the entrance to Ross Prairie State Forest and boasts a sandhill and wetland prairie system that helps provide habitat to a wide range of species.[1]
The campground at Ross Prairie Trailhead & Campground has only 14 public-use campsites that have water and 30 & 50 amp electricity. The campground itself is very open with few trees or shade. The campsites are not at all private and are all pull-through. The main draw to the campground would be the hiking trails in the very interesting natural ecosystems of dry sandhills and wetland prairies sitting next to each other. It was a great place to trail run and allowed access to the paved Cross Florida Greenway Trail system. We ended up at Ross Prairie because of the lack of internet bandwidth at Rainbow Springs State Park nearby and found that Ross Prairie worked well to work from and for exercise.
There are five criteria we look at when rating a campground. First up, Hospitality and Check-In. We give this a 4 out of 5 as it was easy to check-in. There is no ranger station to speak of but a small hut serving as the park office. So, you do have to park and come into the park office to check in and get your site tag.
Next in our review is Infrastructure & Amenities, which we are giving a 3 out of 5. The main park road to the parking lot and campground is paved, yet once inside the campground, the roads are loose gravel and only in fair condition. There are significant potholes in places. The dump station, which is used by all fourteen campsites, is paved and generally in good condition. However, the campground bathhouse is not within the campground itself but outside the campground and is shared with the public parking area. We never used the bathhouse as it was a pretty good trek and only a short stay.
All campsites are pull-through, which makes it very easy to set up. There is a gate at the entrance to the campground, but unlike most other Florida State Parks, the gate was not automatic and did not have a code pad, but instead was locked by the park staff at night. We were not out at night, so we never had to manually unlock the gate to reenter the campground.
Site Quality gets a 3 out of 5 as most campsites are composed of loose gravel and are very public, with almost no berms, bushes, or trees between sites. There was very little, if any, privacy, which is uncommon for Florida State Parks. Otherwise, the campsites are somewhat level, with water and 30/50-amp electrical service, but with no sewer hookups. This would have to be toward the bottom of the list in terms of quality campsites for Florida State Park campground properties.
Our Exercisability rating is 5 out of 5, as the trail system was a good surprise in terms of quality. The bad news is that to run here, you don’t have an immediate paved trail to start on. The good news is that you do have an excellent trail running opportunity that leads to an outstanding paved trail system on the Cross Florida Greenway. It had been a while since I ran trails, and I had forgotten how enjoyable it could be. The scenery and ecosystems are a treat to run through.
For our final rating, we are giving a 5 out of 5 for Workability, as the bandwidth on Verizon was some of the best we ever encountered at a Florida State Park property. This was a welcomed change from the very frustrating experience at Rainbow Springs State Park. Using an iPhone 13 Pro and Verizon 8800L MiFi, we had astounding speeds of 154 Mbps down and 16.3 Mbps up. It made working remotely and streaming media content very easy.
Overall, I would stay at Ross Prairie Trailhead & Campground again, especially if I needed to catch up on work or just wanted a few days of good trail running or hiking. I don’t think this is a campground ideally situated for longer stays, given the lack of amenities, distance to the nearest town, and the lack of campsite privacy. There are much better choices in Florida State Parks. If you’re looking for water access, privacy, laundry machines, or a close bathhouse, you’re better off looking elsewhere. I do think it is worth a few days to stay here if you ever have the opportunity.
All the best in your camping endeavors!
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- https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/ross-prairie-trailhead-campground ↑