Paynes Prairie Camping

Amazing place. A real hidden gem of a campground. Clean hot showers are always available. Dump station is easy in n out. Super quiet atmosphere

Best of all the parks with trails. We saw wild horses, bison, lots and lots of deer. Small park, yet large due to the different sections. I could bring a chair and umbrella and sit down and enjoy this one all day. Definitely bring water sunscreen and bug spray. Snacks are nice, but please remember not to feed the wildlife... They need to hunt and if people feed them they will be less inclined to hunt. Only take pictures and leave nothing but foot prints.

The campground is very pretty, clean, and well managed. It has been very quiet. From the visitor center we were able to see bison and wild horses with the scope provided at the center. We were also able to see bison, deer and turkey from the observation point tower also by the visitor center. La chua was a very pretty trail and easy even for a wheelchair. The rangers and staff were very helpful. They have a little movie in the visitors center to watch that is about 15 minutes. The dock/walkway off of 441 was beautiful. There were plenty of gators and the lotus was blooming. There was a roseate spoonbill and many other birds. I would come again to this park for sure.

We had a really great experience at Paynes Prairie (Puggy Campground)! It’s a beautiful, peaceful campground that’s conveniently close to UF/Gainesville. The campsites are spacious and well-kept. The bathrooms were very clean, and they were cleaned regularly. There’s a dock on Lake Wauberg where you can fish or just relax and enjoy the pretty view. The observation tower is definitely worth checking out, too. We got lucky and saw a wild mom and her baby on one of the trails, which was such a cool experience.

We stayed here in December, for a week. Our site #47 was a back-in and accommodated our 40” fifth wheel RV and 350 Dooley. There is water, & 30/50 amp hook-ups, that worked well. It is mostly level, with hard packed sand/gravel. Each site has a picnic table, 4x4 pole with a hook, & fire pit with a grilling grate. The site is fully shaded, so Starlink wasn’t an option. 1 bar on T-Mobile. Hotspot works okay. The main roads are narrow, but it was doable, also there are some low lying branches. Ms. Connie was at the guard gate, she was friendly & helpful! She gave us a campground & trail maps, and our parking pass. We bought large bundles of firewood for $10 each. They don’t allow for you to collect wood here. We liked the rustic feeling and it was peaceful. You can walk to Lake Wauburg from t