We stayed here for two weeks as we tried to regroup and figure out our game plan for the rest of the year. This site is just off U.S. 441 south of Ocala, Florida. It is also part of the Cross Florida Greenway. It has a small area for horses on one side of the entrance and has a mountain bike park on the other side of the entrance. The bike park has a large pump track and leads to miles of bike trails. While we were there we saw a few people take advantage of the horse park which was nice. The campground is extremely popular on the weekends when all the sports bikers come to ride the trails. During the week it was fairly quiet. The dump station is located just behind the ranger/check-in building. The bathhouse is located in the center of the campground. It is fairly large, showing it’s age and had problems with the hot water. There is a paved road all around the camping areas and the campsites are either gravel, packed-in dirt or a combination of water and electric, a picnic table and a fire pit. There are a couple of short trails behind the camping area that you could walk your dog in but mainly we romped around in the big grassy area that the local scouts used for the outings. There was a hawk that dropped down on a pole with a birdhouse in the center of this area, red cardinals, orange breasted finches and a large red-headed woodpecker.
The best thing about this campground is the fact that the internet works really well here. We couldn’t get a TV station though. There are no laundry facilities in the campground but the closest coin laundry is located south on U.S. 441 in the next town called Belleview, Florida called Rock-N-Wash II. This is an excellent place to hang out, get your clothes clean, watch a little TV and they have FREE Wifi as well. There is a Highway Patrol office located at the corner of 80th Street and U.S. 441 right in the center of the road. Across 441 is the Santos Park with children’s playground, baseball field and covered picnic areas. The county is in the process of creating trails across from the park. They are not ready yet.
Again, this is a great little campground to spend some time at. You can get a reservation here more times of the year than almost anywhere else in central Florida. The price is pretty decent as well. If you are a mountain biking enthusiast then this is really the place to check out. The bathhouse could use some updating and the screens in the windows need cleaning. Being so close to Ocala gives you access to more restaurants and stores. Belleview is a very nice little town as well. If you don’t like a lot of traffic the going south to Belleview and shopping there might just be a better move. The bad news is that they do not have a donut shop there. If you want donuts you have to go north to Ocala and hit the Dunkin Donuts. Belleview doesn’t have a Wal-Mart but they still have a K-Mart.
Santos Campground
3080 SE 80TH Street
Ocala, FL 34480
(352)369-2693
$22/night
https://www.floridastateparks.org/trail/Cross-Santos
http://omba.org/santos-campground.html
Santos Campground is located on the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway. This portion of the greenway is best known for mountain bike trails. Over 30 miles of trails with three levels of difficulty are available to accommodate beginners to experts. The Santos trailhead draws riders from all over the state and country to experience what many call the best bike trails in Florida. In addition to bicycle trails, the Florida Trail Association hiking trail and equestrian and wagon trails are marked and maintained between Santos and County Road 475A.
Camping (22 sites)
33 back-in 50amp 1
35 back-in 50amp 1
38 back-in 50amp 1
40 back-in 50amp 1
41 back-in 50amp 1
42 back-in 50amp 2
43 back-in 50amp 1
44 back-in 50amp 2
47 back-in 50amp 2
49 back-in 50amp 1
50 back-in 50amp 1
51 back-in 50amp 1
53 back-in 50amp 3
54 back-in 50amp 2
55 back-in 50amp 1
62 back-in 50amp 1
WHERE TO GET WHAT YOU WANT
GAS
Kwik King Food Store
9470 U.S. 441
Ocala, Fl 34480
(352) 245-7878
Quick King Food Store 13
10251 SE US Highway 441
Belleview, Fl 34420
(352) 401-3630
GROCERIES
Publix Super Market at Belleview Commons
10135 SE U.S. Highway 441
Belleview, Fl 34420
(352) 245-4115
http://publix.com
Winn Dixie
10393 SE US Highway 441
Belleview, FL 34420
(352) 307-8260
http://winndixie.com
RESTAURANTS
Quiznos
5198 SE Abshier Blvd
Belleview, Fl 34420
(352) 245-7847
http://quiznos.com
Taco Bell
10199 SE US Highway 441
Belleview, Fl 34420
(352) 347-1113
http://tacobell.com
Wendy’s
10410 SE U.S. Highway 441
Belleview, Fl 34420
(352) 347-3225
http://wendys.com
SUPPLIES
Walmart Supercenter
2600 SW 19th Ave Rd
Ocala, Fl
(352) 237-7155
Camping World formerly Suncoast RV
3550 S Pine Ave
Ocala, Fl 34471
(352) 342-9589
Southern RV Center
4250 S Pine Ave
Ocala, Fl 34471
(352) 368-1058
MEDICAL SERVICES
Ocala Regional Medical Center
1431 SW 1st Avenue
Ocala, Fl 34471
(352) 401-1000
http://ocalahealthsystem.com
The Villages Regional Hospital
1451 El Camino Real
The Villages, Fl 32169
(352) 751-8000
http://cfhalliance.org
PROPANE
Amerigas
2130 NW 7th St
Ocala, Fl 34475
(352) 629-7031
Ferrellgas
460 NW 27th Ave
Ocala, Fl 34475
(352) 622-8298
Heritage Propane
526 NW 21st St
Ocala, Fl 34475
(352) 622-8661
U-Haul at Hwy 27 & NW Pine
1011 NW Pine Ave
Ocala, Fl 34475
(352) 732-7085
Amerigas
2130 NW 7th St
Ocala, Fl 34475
(352) 629-7031
Ferrellgas
460 NW 27th Ave
Ocala, Fl 34475
(352) 622-8298
Heritage Propane
526 NW 21st St
Ocala, Fl 34475
(352) 622-8661
U-Haul at Hwy 27 & NW Pine
1011 NW Pine Ave
Ocala, Fl 34475
(352) 732-7085
LAUNDRY
Rock N Wash
10477 SW Hwy 441
Belleview, Fl 34420
(352) 245-0163
Open 24/Hours – 7Days a Week
(Located in the Winn Dixie/K-Mart Shopping Center)
Hope you enjoy our pictorial review below
Our Pictorial Review of the Campground