Ocala National Forest

The Ocala National Forest is located less than a mile east of the Wilderness RV Park. The Ocala National Forest is over 380,000 acres of sand pine scrub, Florida peninsula inland scrub and Florida longleaf pine sandhill forests. There are over 600 lakes, rivers and springs spread throughout the Ocala National Forest. There are also a multitude of hiking, canoeing, off road and equestrian trails crisscrossing the forest.

The Ocala National Forest is home to four major natural springs in Florida:

• Juniper Springs
• Silver Glen Springs
• Alexander Springs
• Salt Springs

The Ocala National Forest was founded in 1908. It is the oldest National Forest east of the Mississippi and is the southernmost National Forest in the continental Unites States. The Ocala National Forest has four separate Wilderness Areas:

• Alexander Springs Wilderness
• Billies Bay Wilderness
• Juniper Prairie Wilderness
• Little Lake George Wilderness

The Ocala National Forest also the following lakes inside or along its borders.

• Lake Dorr
• Lake Woodruff
• Lake Dexter
• Lake Kerr
• Lake George
• Lake Ocklawaha
• Lake Delancy
• Orange Lake
• Lochloosa Lake
• Halfmoon Lake
• Lake Bryant
• Lake Weir
• Lake Mary
• Lake Kathryn
• Blue Sink
• Doe Lake

OCALA NATIONAL FOREST