Withlacoochee River Park

Katie Vargas

Beautiful park but roads leading to the park are prone to flooding. Do not go after heavy rains and be aware of the vehicle that you take. The tower is a must see!

Brandy Bee Rose

We came here because ChatGPT said there might be gators here. We didn’t see any, but enjoyed the break from our road trip to spend some peaceful time by the river. If you’re staying in the Tampa / Crystal River / Ocala area, it’s definitely a great area to explore. Driving in from Texas, we just had too many things to see to spend too much time here.

Gator Tom

In Florida it is rare for a park to exceed the mundane. Right out of the 2nd parking lot is a view of the river on a canoe launch dock. Going to the furthestmost primitive campaign was pretty smooth and well marked. Florida's deadliest snake, coral, in the first mile! Bring a blanket for lunch at the campsite where there is a cleared area but zero amenities. Headed west from the campsite is only for the experienced hiker. Hurricane Milton left numerous huge trees down over the trail and haven't been cleared. Got lost three times trying to get to the primitive campsite near the observation tower. In December 2024 the multiple trails in the middle of the park are completely underwater from record setting rains this year. You cannot make it to the boardwalk from the west or southern trails without wading in 1-2 foot water (we didn't even try). It would be helpful if someone put a sign somewhere near the parking lot that indicate this. Also note there are no park maps from the parking lot we left from, so try to find one in a guidebook, online or use the free Strava app (which is what saved us when we missed several turns at double marks on trees). There is a playground near one parking lot. Big pavilion for picnics too. Bathrooms only near the one parking lot, but the trail from the first parking lot goes near it. We hiked for six hours, covering about 8.5 miles. Lots of trees to protect you from the sun. Numerous ecosystems. The amount of animals you see during your day are impressive. Coral snake, wild boar (pack of 3), vultures, hawks, frogs, armadillos (2), fish & alligators. Signs along the nature trail are difficult to read and need updating. There are several buildings you come across during your hike. No mosquitos or ticks in December. Lack of cleaning downed trees and poorly maintained signage takes this from 5 to 4 stars.

June Amos

We were looking for a new park to explore, and we discovered Withlacoochee River Park. Loved it! The river was flooded when we visited, so the dock was under water. We want to come back and kayak soon. The Florida Trail passes through the park, but it was also flooded on our visit. (Another reason to come back. ;-) The part of the boardwalk we saw was underwhelming, but the paved trail makes up for it. Beautiful! It was starting to get hot, and a thunderstorm was brewing, so we'll have to come back and check out the blue and red trails. (Detecting a them?) I don't want to say anymore and ruin any surprises. Just get out there and take a hike.

MARIE POLIFRONE

We so enjoyed our visit to this park! It was a low humidity, rather cool day. Perfect for bug free hiking and exploring. Wonderful boardwalk path, a great paved path, and we even hiked on the Cross Seminole trail. The river and dock were beautiful, but we didn’t put our kayaks in since the current looked pretty strong. The camping looks really nice and the RV sites were large and had electric. Would like to come back and camp there. The park, paths, bathrooms, playgrounds were well maintained. Kudos to the people working there for providing such a beautiful place!