River Forest Group Site

$200.00/night

45700 RIVER FOREST BLVD
DELAND, FL 32720

Overview

River Forest is a shaded group camping facility on the shores of the St. Johns River in Ocala National Forest. Located just across the river from Deland, the site is popular for groups, family reunions and weddings and can accommodate up to 125 guests.

14 day stay limit in a 30 day period in ALL Ocala National Forest Campgrounds

Recreation

This site is a great setting for groups to relax, picnic and enjoy the shade on a warm day. A large field offers ample space for activities such as softball, volleyball and horseshoe tossing.

Visitors wanting to venture out of the picnic area can go for a long walk through floodplain forests and pine flatwoods on the St. Francis Trail, or head to the river to canoe, kayak or fish for bass.

Facilities

All new facilities are the highlight of the River Forest Group Site. Facilities include a screened pavilion for food preparation and cooking with your own cook stoves. A new bathhouse has also been built on site.

The camping area is flat for tents with some shade provided by trees. While RVs are welcome, there are no hookups and all vehicles must remain in the designated parking area. Grills and picnic tables are provided.

Natural Features

The Ocala National Forest 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.

The campground is shaded with large live oaks with a flat, grassy patch of land that leads to the St. Johns River.

Nearby Attractions

The Ocala National Forest is notable for its extensive off-road trail system catering to off-road vehicle enthusiasts, as well as being a traditional destination for deer hunters from around Central Florida. Numerous lakes, rivers and natural springs surround the area and offer many water activities.

Camp site features

Across 1 camp site:

Group sites: all 1 sites
Largest party: 125 people

Directions

From Deland, Florida, drive west on State Route 44 to the first intersection after crossing the St. Johns River. Turn right on County Road 42, and the entrance to the campground is on the right.

Stay Limit

Check in from 3 PM, check out by 11 AM.

Reviews

9 reviews

5 stars

4 stars

2 stars

Kim S

Loop:Rfgs

Site:

Reviewed 8 months ago

Jeff did a great job keeping public areas clean and stocked. Chiggers were biting but… it’s nature.

Jeffrey S

Loop:Rfgs

Site:

Reviewed a year ago

This campground is wonderful…plenty of room for multiple rvs to be parked and the pavilion is perfect for family functions. The bathrooms were clean but the “hot water” for showers was only luck warm at best. I wish there was a fishing dock or more areas open to the river for fishing. There is more room available for rvs if they hadn’t blocked off more than half of the park…we had a fantastic time over Thanksgiving weekend!! We will be back in the future!!!

Mark C

Loop:Rfgs

Site:

Reviewed 2 years ago

A nice site with clean bathroom facilities. The water access is a step down from the field. Overall a great site and location.

BARBARA W

Loop:Rfgs

Site:

Reviewed 3 years ago

This group campsite is lovely. We had over 60 senior ladies in their various vehicles for a 3 night meet up. The grounds are spacious and beautiful. The camp hosts, Mitchell & Diane are gracious and very helpful without being intrusive. This spot is a true gem in the National Forest system.

Alyssa M

Loop:Rfgs

Site:

Reviewed 3 years ago

We enjoyed the River Forest Group Site for out church event. It was nice to have the entire location to ourselves. We saw a lot of wildlife (bears, alligators, possums, etc) but felt safe and prepared. The showers and screened in pavilion served us well throughout the weekend. It would've been helpful to have a refrigerator on site but we made it work with coolers and ice. The mosquitos were really bad, so we recommend you bring a lot of bug spray.

Annie P

Loop:Rfgs

Site:

Reviewed 3 years ago

Such a beautiful and amazing campsite along the St. John's river. The campground was so spacious, had an amazing dining pavilion with electricity and upgraded bathhouses. The campsite hosts Mitchell and Diane kept the grounds in fantastic shape and were so helpful during our stay. I highly recommend this site for your next group camping.

Availability

See the Camp Sites section below to find detailed booking availability.

Reserve

Popularity: Quiet

Busiest in November, when about 23% of guest capacity is reserved. Based on 4 years of reservations.