Bear Lake Campground is located in the Blackwater River State Forest, FL. The immediate question which probably comes to mind is “are there bears?” The answer lies somewhere between “Yes there are technically bears everywhere in Northwest Florida” and “Yes, but not the bears you’re expecting.” For my purposes I’ve been to Bear Lake a few times because it offers a great 4 mile long loop trail around the lake which of course “bears” the name Bear Lake Loop Trail. You might be using the campground for what it is, or for day use to do this trail. No matter which purpose you have, you’ll see these:
They’ve got bear statues, several of them, on display by the bathrooms. When I first found my way to Bear Lake to hike the loop trail a few years back these were the only bears I saw. While hiking the area what I would encounter was an eagle, squirrels, lots of fish, and little else. When I returned to camp there I was wondering if being around overnight would lead to more animals popping up. But nothing new appeared, and you have to keep in mind this was built originally as a fishing lake. There are alligator warning signs, but I did not see any and that is to be expected anywhere in Florida. Overall, I’d say there’s no real bear infestation to be had here, in spite of the name.
You’ll want to know if you are camping that reservations need to be made online through the Forest Service website and that cell service is not going to be viable out there. Bathroom wise the campground has individual user style bathrooms which are my favorite because no one can walk in on you. They do have showers. It’s pretty nice for a random spot in the forest. I regret not getting one of the sites more on the edge of the campground near the water, because those look fantastic, but my choice when I camped there was originally made wondering if I should be in the thick of people in case of bears and sometimes being next to the water in Florida does invite gators. If you fish, just get a lakeside spot though, you’ll probably love it.
Besides just hiking the Bear Lake Loop Trail there are a few other trails in the area. From near the campground you can turn off the loop trail onto the Sweetwater Trail which takes you over toward another lake like recreation area in the forest known as Krul Recreation Area. It also features camping, and I noticed that swimming platforms were being built there when I visited. That hike will take you over a cool boardwalk, a suspension bridge and let you view a historic water wheel.
