Paynes Prairie Camping

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.

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 the campground. Everything is well marked. It has many picnic areas with pavilions & grills, restrooms, boat trailer parking, boat launch, viewing areas(boardwalk and amphitheater). The tent camping area was packed when we arrived on Saturday, but cleared out by Monday. Tent camping sites are very impressive, with assigned parking and they are mostly secluded. We walked to the observation tower with our dogs one day, and biked it another day, then went on the Paynes Prairie(dogs aren’t allowed there) the visitor center is informative and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. We actually saw Bison through telescopes located there. Bring Binoculars on the observation tower. We saw several different types of wildlife! Close to Gainesville, approximately 15 mins.

Tent campers: MAY. Bugs were not awful. well shaded areas. Fire ring. Our picnic table was newer. We did have some armadillos visit. Staff: Very friendly and informed us of weekend events. Bathrooms: WATER had a strong smell to it. Iron possibly. The woman's bathroom fan did not work, so it did get pretty steamy in there. The corner store is about 2 miles from the campground entrance. Coffee is "alright"... we forgot our percolator 😔. Trails: It's very nice to walk around this preserve. Scenic.

Great Campground, nice bathrooms. Beautiful lake with boardwalk. Short drive to trails threw the Prairie and can see Buffalo and wild horses.

[Campground INFO(January 2025)] *Electric : 30amp and primitive *Water : Yes *Shower : hot and clean *Fee : $18+$7(electric)/day+reservation fee $6.7+tax *Ground : gravel *Shade : almost full *Wifi : None *Connectivity : soso (AT&T) *Laundry : none *Boat Ramp : Yes,but small and rough This campground is good and clean. The boat ramp only allows small boats.