0
Pull-thru
USFSNational Forests in Florida · Florida
Clearwater Lake Rec Area
Overview Clearwater Lake Recreation Area offers a quiet getaway along the southeastern edge of the Ocala National Forest, just outside the community of Paisley, Florida.
Sites4238 reservable
Elev.98ft
Comf.Jan-Dec12 months
Max rig40 ft
Electricnonesites
From Orlando1h06real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 98 ft, Clearwater Lake Rec Area has a 12-month comfortable window (Jan-Dec). Winter nights average around 51°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 42 sites total: 38 reservable and 4 first-come, first-served. Within about 4 miles: 1 named hiking route, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jan
Jan-Dec
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
39%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
74°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Orlando
49 mi
1h06
02
Jacksonville
118 mi
2h36
03
Tallahassee
232 mi
4h37
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 5.4 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 42 SITES
Color byShow only
26 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
1
Accessible
0
Prime
42
Sites
★ The standout
Site 22
A · shaded.
To neighbor
207 ft
Max rig
20 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
1
Trail segments
47
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
5.4 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.