Bicycling

Lake Louisa boasts 7 miles of paved roads and over 20 miles of unpaved multi-use trails for visitors to bike on. Mountain bike or “fat” tires are advised for off road trails, as some trails may be sandy. Please watch for vehicles on the paved roads.

Cabins

Lake Louisa State Park's 20 cabins overlook beautiful Lake Dixie. Cabins accommodate up to six people with two bedrooms, two baths, full kitchen and dining/living room. Each cabin is equipped with dishes, pots and pans, silverware, linens, towels, picnic tables and rockers on the porch. All you need is food and personal items. Wheelchair accessible cabins are available.

Unfortunately, due to limited parking, RVs are not allowed in the cabin area. To conserve energy, the fireplaces are out of service from May 1st to September 30th. For the guest's relaxation, televisions and phones are not provided.

Reservations may be made up to 11 months in advance through ReserveAmerica. Book Online or call (800) 326-3521 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) or TDD (888) 433-0287. Pets are not permitted in cabins or the cabin area.

There is a minimum two nights stay in cabins on weekends and holidays, either Friday and Saturday night, or Saturday and Sunday nights. A single Friday or Saturday night may be reserved only if the following Saturday or Sunday night is already reserved.

Cabin Rental: $120.00 per night, plus tax.

View the photo gallery.

Camping, Equestrian

Lake Louisa's equestrian primitive camp includes a four-horse paddock, fire rings, water hookups, picnic tables, pavilion, grills and a compositing toilet. Paddocks are available for equestrian users on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a beautiful area tfor camping, with sites located under the shade of a longleaf pine canopy.  There is plenty of lush pasture land at the site where your horses can graze. The park recommends that equestrian users bring other means of portable horse coralls or tie-downs in case the paddocks are in use. Four large posts with hookups for tie downs have been provided at each side of the camp facility also. Reservations can be made by calling the park's Ranger Station at (352) 394-3969. Payment is due at the time of your arrival. Campers must arrive at the park one hour before sunset to register for their site. Pets are not allowed at the equestrian campsites.

Camping, Full Facility

Lake Louisa has 60 full-facility campsites nestled between Dixie and Hammond Lake. Each site has 30 and 50 amp hookups. A dump station is located between Dixie Loop and Sandhill Loop. Campground amenities include two bathhouses, two fishing piers, a pavilion and an amphitheatre where ranger programs are held from October to April. Well-behaved pets are allowed in the campground.

Because this is a new campground, trees, shrubs and other native vegetation were planted to restore the area to a natural landscape. Little shade is provided from the trees since they are in the early growing stages. The sites provide beautiful lake views and the open vistas offer easy wildlife viewing.

Maximum RV length = 115 ft.

Reservations: Reservations may be made up to 11 months in advance through ReserveAmerica. Book Online or call (800) 326-3521 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) or TDD (888) 433-0287.

Camping, Primitive

Lake Louisa currently has two primitive campsites, Wilderness Point and Pine Point. Both are tucked away in some of the most pristine and beautiful areas of the park. Pine Point is located next to Big Creek. The park recommends bringing bottled water with you when camping. The sites do not have any water or electricity, only a fire ring and picnic table. Each site can hold a maximum of six people. The sites are not accessible to vehicles due to the remote nature of the sites, habitat sensitivity and difficult terrain.  You must backpack in, backpack out and also carry out your trash. Pets are not allowed at the primitive campsites. To make reservations, contact the park's ranger station at (352) 394-3969. Payment is collected at the time of your arrival. Campers must arrive at the park one hour before sunset to register for your site.

Camping, Youth

Three primitive youth campsites each accommodate 20 people. All three sites are located south of the park's equestrian primitive camp. The sites have a picnic table and a fire ring. The closest water source is non-potable and located at the equestrian primitive camp. Parking for the youth camp is located at the site's trailhead. Parking on the site is prohibited to minimize impact to the native vegetation. A chaperone is required for each 10 youths and must remain with the youths at all times. Groups must arrive at the park one hour before sunset to register for their site. Pets are not allowed at the youth camping area. Reservations can be made by calling the park at (352) 394-3969. Payment is made at the time of arrival.

Canoeing & Kayaking

The park offers a canoe and kayak launch at Dixie Lake just off of the fishing pier. Lake Louisa offers canoe and kayak accessibility also but does not have a designated launch area. Canoe and kayakers would have to launch from the Lake Louisa beach, which is accessible via Lake Nellie Road or our main entrance off of Hwy. 27. Both lakes provide canoers and kayakers an excellent opportunity for viewing an assortment of wildlife, or just for finding serenity in the calm waters.

To rent a canoe or kayak please visit the ranger station.

Family Reunions

The picnic area at Lake Louisa provides ample space for reunions and our 2 bedroom/2 bathroom cabins are a convenient and comfortable lodging option.

Fishing

Lake Louisa State Park has fishing access at four of our six lakes. Lake Louisa is our largest lake, which offers fishing access off of the lake's shoreline. Dixie Lake is our second largest lake and is only accessible by our main entrance off of Hwy. 27. This lake is a beautiful lake that offers fishermen not only a chance to catch fish but also a chance to see some of the park's abundant wildlife. Dixie Lake is located approximately half a mile inside the park and has a fishing pier, canoe/kayak launch, bathroom, and a sheltered pavilion. The park also has Smokehouse Lake which does not have any amenities and is accessible to four-wheel drive only. You must register at the Ranger Station and give 24 hours advance notice to access Smokehouse Lake. The park prohibits gas-powered motorboats and boat trailers, (hand launch only), into the lakes. Only boats powered by trolling motors or manually powered are allowed. All Florida freshwater fishing laws and bag limits are enforced. Please check with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for current fishing license requirements.

Hiking/Nature Trail

Hiking is permitted on the horse trails, where an abundance of wildlife may be seen. Birding is a favorite activity, with sightings dependent on the seasons. A .5 mile nature trail is located at the Lake Louisa parking lot. The trail winds through three of the parks eleven natural communities, with interpretive trail signs provided for visitors to read about the park's flora and fauna.

Horse/Equestrian Trail

Lake Louisa State Park offers 16 miles of marked trails for equestrian users. Riders can access the park's trails one of two ways. Our back entrance horse trail parking lot is accessible via C.R. 561 to Lake Nellie Road. The horse lot will be on the left hand side where the paved road turns to clay. The parking lot has drinking water for horses, hitching posts, and a kiosk with information regarding the horse trails. Please follow payment instructions at the honor fee station at the trailhead. Riders can also enter the park through the main entrance off of Hwy. 27. Lake Louisa also has a primitive equestrian campground open to riders. To make arrangements to camp at our equestrian campground you can call the Ranger Station at 352-394-3969. The campground has a 4-horse paddock, water hookups, self-composting toilet, pavilion, fire ring and grill. Please be sure to bring your proof of negative Coggins for your horses.

Pets

Pets on restraints are allowed in the campground area. Pets are not allowed in the cabins.

Restroom Facilities

Lake Louisa's campgrounds offer bathouses, with hot water, that are ADA compliant. The Lake Louisa Beach bathhouse offers toilets, with cold water only (non-potable water). Each of our 20 cabins have 2 complete bathrooms, of which two of the cabins are ADA accessible. We have 3 clevis multrum composting toilets,(no water) at Dixie Lake day-use, Lake Nellie day-use and our equestrian area.

Weddings

Moss draped oak trees along the shores of beautiful Lake Louisa provide a fantastic backdrop for weddings and other ceremonies. Please call the Ranger Station at 352-394-3969 for more information

Wildlife Viewing

Lake Louisa has many types of wildlife at the park, including butterflies and birds. Take a moment to print our Butterfly and Birding checklist to see how many you can find.

Recycling

A recycling dumpster is located at the end of cabin road. Guests can recycle cardboard, plastics, aluminum, glass or anything with the recycling numbers 1-7 imprinted on the bottom.

Geo-Seeking

Participate in a virtual treasure hunt by finding one or all of the many geocaches located throughout the park. To find caches, look at Geocaching website.