By:
Submission
Located 23 miles from Gainesville, Fl. ATTN: Do not use GPS device directions to locate park. Please use the following written directions:
I-75 Exit 414, travel 1/4 mile North on Hwy 41/441, take right onto Hwy 238, travel 1/4 mile and take a right just before John Deere Tractor, travel south past I-75 rest area on SE October Road to sign and park entrance.
Was in need of a overnight stay saw website read the reviews and thought all would be fine . BEWARE this place is nothing what either stated ..
The 2 mile road one lane road is not friendly to coming and going traffic someone would have to move over and with the dirt and ditches on the sides ..
They don’t answer their phones .
When we finally got to end of the road you see a handful of filthy, broken down rv’s
In a field .
Luckily we were able to turnaround and get the out!!
Their website states Bon fires, activities, play ground . Didn’t see anything that remotely resembles any such features .
Not for me.
Initially, I thought it would be a good place to hang for a bit, but it quickly deterioriated two weeks into my stay. The owners let ANY RV stay regardless of its quality, age, and/or condition. One caught fire (long-term resident) while I was there, suffered substantial damage, and was still in the camp at the time of this writing. It's not as huge of an eyesore and stench laden as it was where it burned, but it's still there in the camp in another spot across the dirt road. Think junkyard level for some of these RVs. Truly deplorable.
Overall, it's too rough, rugged, and primitive. Some long-term residents are a bit sketchy, too. One of the long-term residents threw limerock on top of my RV at night. Another resident has a pomeranian that terrorized my dog and me in our little spot when it roamed freely because its owners are irresponsible. That happened four times within my short three and a half month stay. DCF (Department of Children and Family Services) also knocked on my door looking for a mother who previously rented the space I was renting. Speaks volumes, eh?
It's not a very nice area, generally, and very few amenities/stores within a reasonable distance. It's also extremely loud due to the camp being directly off Interstate 75. The resident dirt roads inside the camp have deep limerock washout trenches and are badly in need of repair. My car needed to be realigned. Old scooters, full "recycle" bins, and trash were also left beside the dumpster for weeks.
I picked up quite a bit of trash and splintered plastic after the mower(s) did a number on the place. I've also been battling an asian lady beetle infestation I got from the field I was butt up against and a raging UTI and bladder infection my dog got from the poor quality water; it's definitely not drinkable. It's been quite costly to me to tend to these awful issues.
The owners could clearly be more responsive and provide the camp with some TLC. Text mesages to them seem to disappear into the ozone. It's all quite a shame because October Bend has so much potential to be something truly special but it is currently a dump. The photos are deceptive.
Stayed here for 2 nights before we found something better to accommodate our longer stay in the area. Two major down falls #1. It is right on top of I-75. No one got any sleep as there were semi's rattling our rig all night with noise. #2 It is 2 miles down a dirt road. Can not complain about the owners, they were super nice and helpful. Just the location of this is not ideal for a longer stay than a night or few. They do have a bathhouse for those who need it, but nothing other than that for accommodations.
Picture is of our rig and directly behind us is I-75.
It's a field but that's ok. It was all the way back down to the previous exit on a dirt road. It was totally acceptable EXCEPT it's VERY close to the interstate...like it's RIGHT THERE, so if tire noise and engines keep you awake, not a great place for you.
Very good pricing if you need a place for the night.
Park is a work in progress but the owners were very nice. They accommodated our 45' 5th wheel at the last minute when we were having truck issues. They went the extra mile for us and even took us into town to pick up our truck after it was repaired. Many thanks!
