Clearwater Lake Rec Area
1Heads up1 fire 29 mi away
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:33 UTC
- A night
- $38From, per site
- Sites
- 4238 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 10 notices
In the agency’s own words
Clearwater Lake Recreation Area offers a quiet getaway along the southeastern edge of the Ocala National Forest, just outside the community of Paisley, Florida. With a shaded campground, day use picnic area, beach and a nature trail that winds through the pine woods and scrub around Clearwater Lake, this facility has plenty of activities to keep campers occupied. The Ocala National Forest, in north central Florida, spans four counties and 383,000 acres. It is the southernmost and oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River, and protects the world's largest, contiguous sand pine scrub forest. Keep reading
Recreation
The abundant water in the area offers many opportunities for recreation. In addition to swimming in the lake, a 7-mile canoe trail meanders not far from Clearwater Lake. Canoe rentals are available at the campground. Campers can fish for largemouth bass, brim or catfish. Hikers have access to the Clearwater Lake Loop Trail, a 1.3-mile nature trail; a segment of the 1,400-mile Florida National Scenic Trail; and mountain bikers can ride the Paisley Woods Bicycle Trail, a 22-mile forested path. This is bear country; practice safe food storage techniques. It is also alligator country; practice caution around water.
Facilities
The campground area is nicely shaded, its breezy lakefront sites border Clearwater Lake. Sites accommodate motor homes, trailers and tents, and flush toilets and showers are available. A dish washing station is also available in both loops. Campsites have level parking pads and space for tents. No hookups are available. The small town of Paisley is a mile away, with camping supplies, a post office and a library with Internet access.
Natural Features
The semi-tropical region gives the campground a mixture of pines and palms, with lush greenery and warm temperatures. With ample habitat, alligators, turtles, deer, raccoons, black bear and numerous birds make their home here.
Nearby Attractions
The Ocala National Forest is notable for its extensive off-road trail system catering to both ATV enthusiasts and Jeeps, as well as being a traditional destination for deer hunters from around Central Florida. These opportunities are available within a short drive of Clearwater Lake. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (352) 669-0078.
Charges & Cancellations
Cancelling a Reservation: Customers may cancel their reservation prior to arrival both on-line and through the call center. A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation. Depending on when you cancel in relation to your arrival day, it may be considered a late cancellation. https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies Refunds are not given for inclement weather for camping, gear rentals, or day-use fees.
What the agency tells you
Campers can check in at 2:00 pm and must check out by 11am. We do not accomodate early check-ins or late check-outs.
Campground gate is locked at 6 p.m. during Daylight Savings (Mar - Oct) and 4 p.m. (Nov - Mar). Campers who check-in after the gatehouse is closed must visit the Gatehouse the next morning to complete their check-in to their site. Failure to do so will lead to a 'no show' charge to your reservation and potential forfeiture of site.
Campsites are limited to 2 tents, 2 vehicles (campers included), and 5 persons.
Everything else this campground posts · 7
Extra vehicles will be charged a per-vehicle, per-night fee
Bears and raccoons frequent the area; all food must be kept in approved containers. Failure to comply with this regulation can result in immediate ejection from campground without refund.
Alligators inhabit the area; use caution around water.
Private vessel launches in the Juniper Wilderness Run are subject to a fee.
Dogs/pets are allowed in campground only and must be leashed and supervised at all times. No dogs/pets allowed in day-use area, bathrooms, in lake or on the trail around the lake.
Click here for more information about Ocala National Forest
Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 42
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 40 ft
- Paved pads
- All
- Accessible sites
- 1
- Pets
- Allowed
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- “…motor homes, trailers and tents, and flush toilets and showers are available. A dish washing station…”
- Showers
- Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind
- “Sites accommodate motor homes, trailers and tents, and flush toilets and showers are available.”
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Beach
- Biking
- Boating
- Canoeing
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Ranger programs
- Kayaking
- Mountain biking
- Swimming
- Visitor center
- Night sky · 50th darkest of 60 in FL
- Bortle 5
58 of 76 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:33 UTC
recreation.gov lists 38 of the 42 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 13
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $38 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
“A $10 service fee will be withheld from any refund for a cancellation.” · this campground’s own terms
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 6
recreation.gov availability, read 16:33 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
42 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 26 mapped sitesAll 42 sites
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 26 of the 42 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 38 of the 42 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| A | 1 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 166 ft | 324 ft | 112 ft | $38 | |
| A | 10 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 57 ft | 405 ft | 432 ft | $38 | |
| A | 11 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 57 ft | 353 ft | 401 ft | $38 | |
| A | 12 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 63 ft | 357 ft | 464 ft | $38 | |
| A | 13 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 67 ft | 296 ft | 522 ft | $38 | |
| A | 14 | standard nonelectric | 67 ft | 267 ft | 463 ft | $38 | ||
| A | 15 | standard nonelectric | 67 ft | 220 ft | 511 ft | $38 | ||
| A | 16 | standard nonelectric | 67 ft | 182 ft | 511 ft | $38 | ||
| A | 17 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| A | 18 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| A | 19 | standard nonelectric | 88 ft | 140 ft | 449 ft | $38 | ||
| A | 2 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| A | 20 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| A | 21 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| A | 22 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 206 ft | 152 ft | 124 ft | $38 | |
| A | 23 | type not stated | ||||||
| A | 3 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| A | 4 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| A | 5 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 135 ft | 404 ft | 213 ft | $38 | |
| A | 6 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| A | 7 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| A | 8 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 101 ft | 429 ft | 340 ft | $38 | |
| A | 9 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| B | 24 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 81 ft | 659 ft | 252 ft | $38 | |
| B | 25 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | $38 | ||||
| B | 26 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 109 ft | 798 ft | 405 ft | $38 | |
| B | 27 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | yes | 81 ft | 696 ft | 325 ft | $38 |
| B | 28 | standard nonelectric | 98 ft | 839 ft | 483 ft | $38 | ||
| B | 29 | standard nonelectric | 81 ft | 741 ft | 395 ft | $38 | ||
| B | 30 | type not stated | ||||||
| B | 31 | type not stated | ||||||
| B | 32 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 178 ft | 718 ft | 636 ft | $38 | |
| B | 33 | type not stated | ||||||
| B | 34 | standard nonelectric | $38 | |||||
| B | 35 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 178 ft | 544 ft | 552 ft | $38 | |
| B | 36 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 188 ft | 366 ft | 371 ft | $38 | |
| B | 37 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 127 ft | 488 ft | 264 ft | $38 | |
| B | 38 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 67 ft | 312 ft | 471 ft | $38 | |
| B | 39 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 52 ft | 567 ft | 233 ft | $38 | |
| B | 40 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 91 ft | 521 ft | 145 ft | $38 | |
| B | 41 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 81 ft | 593 ft | 174 ft | $38 | |
| B | 42 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 52 ft | 612 ft | 251 ft | $38 |
25 of 42 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Lake Dorr CabinOcala National Forest · 3.9 miLake Dorr Recreation AreaOcala National Forest · 5.6 mi
Lake Dorr CampgroundOcala National Forest · 5.6 mi
Alexander Springs Recreation AreaOcala National Forest · 7.0 mi
Buck Lake Group CampgroundOcala National Forest · 10 mi
River Forest Group SiteOcala National Forest · 10 miFrom the intersection of Florida Highways 19 and 42, go east on Highway 42 toward Paisley. Drive approximately 6 miles and turn left at the entrance to Clearwater Lake Recreation Area.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Paisley, FL
Typical weather
Typical October night 64°F, day 83°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 45°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Clearwater Lake Rec Area is in Florida’s 6th congressional district. Its representative, Randy Fine (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: D-. See every public-lands vote →