Have you ever camped at a haunted campground? I have recently camped at Alexander Springs Campground. It is located in the Ocala National Forest, in the town of Altoona. It is just outside of Ocala, and a 1.5-hour drive or so north of Orlando. This campground holds special meaning to us because it was where we camped for the first time. Although the first time was rough, we still fell in love not just with the campground, but camping. Even on our first trip, we knew that we were not alone in the woods, spirits were watching us. For thousands of years, Ocala was home to the Timucua tribe. Ocala is named after Ocale a Timucua village. The name is believed to mean "Big Hammock '' in the Timucua language. At that time the Ocala region consisted largely of Native Americans and African Americans. Florida was made a part of the United States in 1821. The European Americans did not begin to occur in the area until after in 1823, the Treaty of Moultrie Creek was passed. The tree forced the Native American tribes were forced to live only on the reservations in the southern portion of Florida. In 1908 Theodore Roosevelt made it one of the first national forests in Florida. Ocala National Forest has over 430,447 acres. The Ocala National Forest is the world's largest sand pine scrub forest over 383,000 acres. It is the second-largest national forest in the state. Fall is a great time of year to visit the Ocala National Forest. Temperatures are pleasant with highs in the mid 80’s and lows in the low 60’s at night. The summer crowds are long gone. There are numerous great hiking trails, one being the Florida Trail. What is the Florida National Scenic Trail? The Florida National Scenic Trail is a long-distance hiking trail that weaves its way across Florida. The Florida Trail is currently 1,500 miles long. In the early 1960s, Miami resident Jim Kern hiked the Appalachian Trail. He organized a group of volunteers to create the dream that would be the Florida National Scenic Trail. The first blaze of the Florida National Scenic Trail was marked in the Ocala National Forest in October of 1966. The trail can take you from the swamps of Big Cypress to the beach, over dikes and levees to the hills surrounding the rivers. The Florida Trail was officially recognized as a National Scenic Trail in 1983. The FT is managed and maintained by different land managers, the USDA Forest Service, and many dedicated volunteers. The Ocala National Forest is home to many springs. Juniper Springs, Salt Springs, Silver Glen Springs, and Alexander Springs. At this campground, you can guess by the name you will be able to explore Alexander Springs. Alexander Springs is a first-magnitude spring. The water comes from an underground aquifer. The aquifer is a network of limestone caves and crevasses that form the drinking water reserve for most of Florida. The temperature is a constant 72-degrees year round We stayed at one of the 67 campsites the state parks offer. This campground has both tent campers and RV campers. Each site has a picnic table, an in-ground grill, and a fire ring. Every site has some form of shade from either trees or palm prongs. There is a bathroom in each camping loop. THIS IS PRIMITIVE CAMPING, NO ELECTRIC OR WATER AT YOUR SITE. Ghosts are all around us. Look for them, and you will find them.
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