Satellite view of Cypress Glen Campground Canoe Launch
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Cypress Glen Campground Canoe Launch

Also known as: Withlacoochee State Forest - Cypress Glenn Campground - Canoe Launch · Cypress Glenn Campground canoe launch (FWC spelling)
Silver Lake · Hernando County, Florida
Last verified: July 31, 2026
Hand launch only — not trailerable. FWC records no lanes, no trailer spaces and no ramp surface. Do not tow a boat here expecting a ramp.
Blue-green algae health caution, in effect as of late July 2026. DOH-Hernando issued a caution for "Silver Lake Campground at Withlacoochee State Forest" on June 16, 2026 — the same water, about half a mile from this launch. The advice: do not drink, swim, wade or operate personal watercraft where algae blooms are visible. No closure order accompanies it. Report blooms to FDEP at 1-855-305-3903; DOH-Hernando is 352-540-6812.
Flood-stage boating rule: Idle Speed No Wake applies from Iron Bridge to the CSX trestle whenever the USGS Trilby gauge (02312000) reaches action stage, 58.8 ft NAVD88, per Fla. Admin. Code R. 68D-24.109 (effective 2-2-2026). Trilby read 48.44 ft on 30 July 2026 — well below it. The rule does not name Silver Lake; the zone placement follows its coordinates.
Standing hurricane rule: "The Florida Forest Service will close all campgrounds and recreation areas on State Forests if the county where the State Forest is located is placed under a Tropical Storm or Hurricane WARNING by the National Weather Service."
Alligators and snakes. Florida Forest Service: "Warning alligators, snakes and other wildlife are part of the Natural Habitat." A bank launch puts you at the water's edge — keep pets leashed and off the shoreline.
Low water and debris. FDEP's paddling guide: "During dry seasons with lower water levels, paddlers may encounter logs and hyacinth jams, especially in the upper section."
laneNot recorded — FWC lists ramp surface as Unknown ramp
LimitedTrailer parking
Not published for this launch — FWC records Hours as UnknownHours
Directions
Craft Access
Motorboat
Kayak / Canoe
Jet Ski / PWC
Large 22ft+
Site Details
Conditions change rapidly due to water levels, prop wash, and weather. Always visually inspect before backing down.
RampNot recorded — FWC lists ramp surface as Unknown, lanes
Water DepthNot published. This is a carry-in bank launch; no Florida Forest Service page and no FWC field we read gives a depth, and the water follows Withlacoochee River stage.
DockFWC records DockType as "Unknown"; no agency page we read describes a dock here.
Trailer ParkingLimited / unposted
Crowding No visitation data is published. This is a carry-in off a 34-site campground loop rather than a destination lot, with no parking of any kind recorded. Expect campers, not a queue; whether non-campers may use it is unestablished.
Plan B — if this lot is full The two Silver Lake ramps are about 0.47 mi north if you need a trailerable concrete ramp — six trailer spaces at the Day Use Area, four at the campground. River Junction is about 0.30 mi east but FWC carries it as Temporarily Closed. For paddlers, FDEP's trail runs upstream to River Junction (Mile 18) and Crooked River (Mile 16.5), and downstream to Iron Bridge (Mile 20).
FeeFWC records no fee; collection type Unknown
HoursNot published for this launch — FWC records Hours as Unknown
SeasonOpen year-round (campground)
StaffedNot established for this launch
AccessibilityA hand launch: reaching the water means carrying a boat down a bank. FWC rates AccessibilityLevel "Unknown" and records no accessible spaces and no accessible restroom. No agency page describes accessible features. Call (352) 797-4140.
Not Available Fish cleaning · Fishing pier · Pier
Scout's Notes
Ramp Quirks & Etiquette
Why This One Is Easy to Miss
FWC files this launch under the bare name "Withlacoochee River (West Central Florida)" with no Silver Lake suffix, so lake-shaped searches miss it. The Forest Service puts it on the lake: the Cypress Glen page lists "Access to lake for fishing, canoeing/kayaking from campground."
Hand Launch Only
FWC records no lanes, no trailer spaces and no ramp surface — carry-in canoe, kayak or small craft, and no source describes any concrete here. Do not tow a boat expecting a ramp.
Fee Unclear
FWC records no fee required, collection unknown. Whether the Silver Lake $2 per-person day-use fee applies to a carry-in launch from the campground loop — or whether non-campers may use it at all — is unstated on any agency page. Ask at the gatehouse.
Spelling
FWC writes "Cypress Glenn"; the Florida Forest Service writes "Cypress Glen." The agency spelling governs in prose; FWC's stays in the record mapping.
Where It Sits
28.57203 / -82.21176 — about half a mile from the Silver Lake launches and 0.3 mi from River Junction, on the 34-site Cypress Glen loop at 31475 Silver Lake Road, Brooksville. Open year-round.
Thin Data, Not Empty Ground
FWC's row lists no amenities, restroom unknown, parking unknown, hours unknown — read it as thin data rather than a finding that nothing is there. The nearest confirmed facilities are at the Silver Lake day-use area, half a mile north.
Accessibility
No accessible features are recorded or described anywhere, and this is a bank carry — getting a boat to the water means carrying it down. Call (352) 797-4140 before relying on it.
FWC Boat Ramp Inventory row HD00003AA; Florida Forest Service / FDACS reservation page for Cypress Glen Campground (parkId 1120168) and Silver Lake Campground (parkId 1120180) and Silver Lake Pavilion (parkId 1120556); FDEP Withlacoochee River (South) paddling-trail guide; NOAA NWPS gauge TRBF1; FDOH HAB notification repository and Hernando Sun — read or re-read 2026-07-31.
About This Lake