To request a booking at Grasshopper Lodge, start by viewing the availability calendar to see if your desired dates are available. Then fill out our reservation inquiry form indicating your desired arrival and checkout dates, number of people in your party, and any special requests or information needed. We will get back to you as quickly as possible with a confirmation of availability, the rate and total cost, and instructions on how to make a deposit to secure your booking.

We require a deposit of 50% of the rental and cleaning fee to secure a reservation. You can pay the deposit by Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal. If you don't have any of those, you can pay with a credit card via PayPal invoice. Do not send your credit card info by email.

If you are concerned about making a payment online, and your reservation is far enough in advance, you can also mail a check. Just let us know.

The balance of your stay must be paid either when you arrive, by cash or check, or if you prefer, prior to your arrival per the methods described above.

Normal check-in time is 3:00 PM, and normal check-out is 11:00 AM, but it is somewhat flexible. If there are no back-to-back bookings (which you can see on the availability calendar), we can usually accommodate an early arrival or late departure, subject to prior coordination.

The online calendar is accurate with two exceptions:

1) We have recently changed the way we are showing bookings on our availability calendar. If a date is shown as available on the calendar, it is available for that night, and represents a stay through checkout time the following day. At the end of a stay, the "booked" bar will end on the day before actual checkout. This allows us to better show the true availability on the calendar.

2) We don’t put a booking on the calendar until we receive a deposit, so sometimes there will be a few days between initial inquiry and actual booking where we are informally “holding” a date for someone. If you have requested a booking but we have not yet received your deposit, we will contact you first if there is another request for the same dates.

Bookings are secured by your deposit. If you need to cancel your booking, our refund policy is as follows:

​If you cancel a month or more before your booking, we will refund 75% of your deposit. 

If you cancel between a month and 2 weeks before your booking, we will refund 50% of your deposit.

No refund can be offered if you cancel less than 2 weeks before your booking.

The cabin is ideally suited for two people. There is one bedroom with a king-size Sealy Posturepedic bed. With that said, we have had many guests stay with kids. There is an L-shaped couch in the living room, and we can provide bedding to accommodate one adult or one or two kids there (it is not a sofabed, though).

An additional guest or two could “rough it” with a sleeping bag on the living room floor, or even set up a tent outside.

If you are planning on having more than two adults in your party, please let us know how many guests there will be.

For parties of more than 2 people, there is a $50.00 per person per night charge.

A note about visitors: We understand that you may want to invite friends or family to join you for a visit to the Lodge while you are there, and we are OK with that. However, additional overnight guests or a large number of visitors for a party are not allowed. In addition to more preparation and cleanup, it is a burden on the fragile ecosystem at Grasshopper. If you would like to plan an event or celebration at Grasshopper (there have been several weddings at Grasshopper!), let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate you!

Yes, Grasshopper Lodge is pet friendly! We do request that you tell us something about the pet you intend to bring with you – how many, what kind, size, behavior. Dogs absolutely love it at the Lodge. We do expect you to manage your pet, clean up after it, and be responsible for its behavior. You should not leave your pet alone at the lodge while you are gone for any significant amount of time – dinner out, yes; all day at Disney, no. Also, bear in mind (pun intended) that you will be staying in a wildlife preserve, so it’s not a good idea to let your pet roam. In particular, be aware that as with all wild lakes in Florida, there are alligators in Grasshopper Lake, so keep your pet away from the water there.

In spring, summer, and fall (which is most of the year at Grasshopper!), there are ticks that will be glad to hitch a ride on your doggie. Be prepared to check your dog for ticks regularly, and to remove the ticks you find. Also, visit your local pet supplies store and bring some tick repellent for your dog with you.

Many people ask us how secluded and private the Lodge is. The answer is very. We have never had a guest complain that it wasn’t remote, secluded, and private enough.

The Lodge sits on the corner of a 40-acre private in-holding surrounded by Ocala National Forest land. Outside of this in-holding, the nearest neighbor is about 3 miles away. Within the in-holding, there are a total of 6 properties. In addition to ours, there are 3 other seasonally occupied houses, and 2 full-time residences, one of which is the home of our neighbor, Doris, who meets and greets our guests. Her house is about a quarter mile from the Lodge. The other full-time neighbor is a carpenter and woodsman who operates a small sawmill from time to time. From the Lodge itself, you can’t see any other houses. The nearest neighbor is there occasionally, and you may from time to time hear them through the woods if they happen to be up when you are at the Lodge.

The lake in front of the Lodge is entirely within the National Forest, and there are no other structures on that lake, or on the entire chain of several interconnected lakes of which it is a part. There is a public dock and boat launch ramp on one of the lakes furthest from the cabin, and you may from time to time see people fishing or canoeing on the lake.

The dock in front of the Lodge is not our private property, but is one of the loveliest spots to sit and watch the sunset. Once in a while, people do come up and use the dock to fish, but it is a pretty rare occurrence. Most of our guests report not seeing another human being for their whole stay!

The cabin is well outfitted with most everything you will need (bedding, towels, kitchen stuff, etc.). Just bring your groceries!

We recently added a whole-house water filter to our well-water system, and the water is clear, potable, and free of minerals-y tastes. If you prefer, however, you can bring some bottled drinking water.

If you are coming from Orlando,  or from the south on Highway 19,there is a Publix supermarket on the north end of Eustis, about 16 miles south of the Lodge. If you are coming from I-95, there’s a Walmart with supermarket at exit SR 40 Ormond Beach (go east to the next traffic light). There’s a small market in Astor, 5 miles from the cabin that has the basics, but also sells quite good meat. Coming from the west, there is a Winn Dixie on Highway 40 where it intersects Highway 314A after you enter the Forest, about 20 miles from the Lodge.

There’s also a great farmer’s market-type store in Eustis called The Hometown Market. It has a good selection of organic, Amish, and other unusual items. Here’s the web link: http://www.thehometownmarket.com/.

There is a phone at the Lodge for guest use. Local and long distance calls are free. It is not an actual landline, but a Verizon wireless home phone system.

There is now internet with WiFi at the Lodge! It is T-Mobile Home Internet, with approximately 65 Mbps down with a 40 ms ping (for the non-techies, that's really good!). You can now browse and Zoom from the Lodge, as well as stream to your heart's content. We've installed a ROKU stick on the living room TV, so you can log in to your Netflix, Amazon, etc account. We will be upgrading the bedroom TV to a ROKU TV soon. If you want to bring your own streaming device and connect it to one of the TVs, feel free to do so. 

Your cell phone may or may not work at the Lodge. Please refer to the notes below for a somewhat subjective evaluation of service by various carriers.

Verizon – Excellent voice and data coverage. Data rates are quite good (over a megabit), but not as good as in the city).

Sprint – Voice service spotty to OK. Data service fair, usually 600-700 kbps.

AT&T – Poor connectivity for both voice and data. Sometimes the data works, and is about 700Kbps, but sometimes it doesn’t.

T-Mobile – Voice works well, and the LTE data works well also.

You can find free public WiFi at the Astor Library about 5 miles from the cabin if you need it.​

There are two LCD TVs at the cabin, one in the living room, and one in the bedroom. Both are connected to a roof-mounted antenna that pulls in quite a few channels, including all the networks (ABC,CBS,NBC,CW,PBS, etc). There is no cable or satellite TV.

Both TV's also have Bluetooth-capable sound bars which you can use with your smartphone or other music player to play music.

Each TV has a DVD player (BluRay in the living room, regular in the bedroom). The living room TV can also play videos from a thumb drive via its DVD player.

There is also a portable sound system with radio and bluetooth receiver.

Now that we have good internet service at the Lodge, we've installed a ROKU stick on the living room TV, so you can log in to your Netflix, Amazon, etc account. We will be upgrading the bedroom TV to a ROKU TV soon. If you want to bring your own streaming device (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, etc) and connect it to one of the TVs, feel free to do so.

The dirt road in to the cabin is a relatively poorly maintained Forest Service Road. At times it can be a bit rough – as in ruts, potholes, and rises and drops that would be difficult for a low slung car. If there is substantial rain, some of the larger dips in the road will fill with water, and can be 6-8” deep for 10 feet or so. As a result, we recommend that you leave your Porsche at home, and take the SUV, Pickup Truck, or Van for this adventure. If you have no such option available, we regret that we will not be able to accept your booking.

Yes, yes, yes, and yes!

There is a nice gas grill on the back porch, with an extra propane tank next to it just-in-case (nothing worse than running out of propane in the middle of the perfect steak!).

There is a great firepit in front of the cabin, facing the lake, surrounded by comfy outdoor chairs. The firepit has a steel-pole-mounted campfire cooking grill. We try to leave a starter amount of firewood, but you might want to bring your own, or forage around the area for downed trees. There is a long hose on a reel at the front of the cabin, and we request that you stretch the hose out and leave the nozzle end near the firepit when you are having a campfire.

If your visit happens to coincide with high-forest-fire-risk conditions, the Forest Service could impose a “no fires” ban. If this happens, you would see a sign about it as you enter the forest, or we will let you know when you check in. Fire bans are a rare occurrence.

There is a nice, full-size picnic table near the firepit, and a sun-umbrella is also provided.

For complete relaxation, there is a nice hammock that attaches to hooks in the trees in front of the cabin.

The cabin has 2 mini-split systems for heating and air conditioning . In addition, a couple of auxiliary plug-in heaters are provided to keep you toasty in winter, and there are ceiling fans to keep you cool in summer.

There is a lovely wood-burning stove/fireplace in the living room, and its door has a large glass viewing window so you can see the fire burning. We try to provide a starter amount of firewood, but you might want to bring your own (it can be purchased roadside nearby during the winter months). Only dry hardwood can be burned in the woodstove – no green or sap-heavy wood (e.g. pine) should be burned in it. 

Some people prefer to explore the chain of lakes in front of the cabin in a kayak, and some people prefer a canoe. We provide both options at Grasshopper Lodge.

The kayak provided for our guests’ use at the Lodge is a two-person, sit-in Wilderness kayak with a foot controlled steerable rudder. Paddles and life-vests are provided, and there is a wheeled dolly to make it easy to bring the kayak down to the lake. The kayak is great for paddling around the chain-of lakes at the Lodge, and for fishing in the lakes.

The canoe is a 17' Olde Towne Expedition canoe, big enough to easily hold 2 or 3 people, your dog, and your picnic supplies. There are two beautiful wooden paddles, and of course life jackets and the dolly mentioned above. 

There are some really great canoe/kayak runs nearby in the Ocala National Forest. Most of the recreation areas have concessions that rent canoes and kayaks. One of the best is Juniper Springs run, about a 20 minute drive from the Lodge. It’s a gorgeous 7-mile trip, with shuttle service provided by the concessionaire.

Here are phone numbers for Canoe Rentals in the Ocala National Forest:

• Salt Springs Marina: (352) 685-2255
• Juniper Springs Marina: (352) 625-2808
• Alexander Springs Marina: (352) 669-3522
• Silver Glen Springs Marina: (352) 685-2799
• Clearmont Lake: (352) 669-0078.

The dock area in front of the Lodge is not suitable for trailer-launching a boat. You can put in a kayak, canoe, or small Jon boat or dinghy, provided you can carry or drag it to the water. There is a public boat launch off of Highway 19, which is on one of the lakes that connects to ours, but the water between the lakes is quite shallow, as little as 6” deep in some areas, depending on how the rains have been. We have had guests put a fishing boat in at the public dock and navigate across the chain of lakes to the dock at the Lodge, where they tie up.

You know how that goes! I've had guests tell me they caught a 10-pound large-mouth bass right in front of the Lodge!  There are fish in Grasshopper Lake, and many guests have enjoyed fishing from canoe or kayak. If you really want better info, take a look at these sites, or try Googling some others:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/florida/recreation/opportunities/hunting-fishing-and-shooting

http://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/sites-forecasts/ne/ocala-national-forest-lakes/

Please take note of the requirements for fishing licenses.

There is not a definitive answer about swimming in the lake. Some of our guests do, and some don’t. The dock and lake are in the National Forest itself (not private property), so you should check with the Ranger about the advisability. As with almost all natural/wild lakes in Florida, there can be alligators, so it’s pretty much your call, (and at your own risk). There are wonderful safe swimming areas at all of the springs nearby (Alexander, Juniper, Salt, etc), and that is where we go to swim ourselves, and what we recommend.

Firearms or any sort of recreational shooting are not allowed on the property.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages hunting regulations and seasons in the Ocala National Forest. During deer hunting season, you may hear hunting dogs and hear occasional hunting rifle discharges in the area. If you are hiking in the area off-property near the cabin during hunting season, please wear the fluorescent orange hunting vest provided at the Lodge to ensure visibility and safety. Deer hunting season is generally in the late fall (Nov-Jan). Exact season dates can be found here (Grasshopper Lodge is in Zone C):
http://myfwc.com/hunting/season-dates/

There are lots of great hiking trails in the Ocala National Forest. Click the link below for a full list of managed trails:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/florida/recreation/opportunities/hiking

There is a nice trail that goes all the way around Grasshopper Lake from the cabin. A map for this hike is available at the cabin. In addition, walking the Forest Service roads near the cabin is always pleasant.

The Ocala National Forest has fairly strict rules for Off-Highway-Vehicles (OHV’s), and we ask that our guests obtain the necessary permits and use the designated OHV trail system. More information regarding the rules and approved trails can be found on the Ocala National Forest website

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/florida/recreation

Grasshopper Lodge is located in the heart of the Ocala National Forest, which is open to hunters during specific times of the year, as managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. During hunting season (generally December and January), you may hear or encounter hunters in the public lands areas around the Lodge.
​
If you are walking or hiking in the woods during hunting season, it is imperative to wear a bright orange safety vest. These can be picked up at most supply stores around the Forest. Inexpensive disposable safety vests are also available on Amazon.

Hunting season dates can be found at this link:
http://myfwc.com/hunting/season-dates/
Grasshopper Lodge is in Zone C. The most active season in our area is the deer season.

A stay at Grasshopper Lodge is an opportunity to experience the true Florida wilderness in all its beauty, splendor, and tranquility. For those that are open to the experience, it can be rejuvenating and even life changing. 
One of the most amazing experiences at the Lodge is to encounter local wildlife. From Sand Crane families to Grey Foxes to Bears and Alligators, you may see any or all of them.  Some guests hope never to run into a bear, and some are disappointed if they don't, but in any case, if you just remember that this is their natural habitat, and you are their guest, all will be well.

While Grasshopper Lodge is about as close to perfection as you can find, you do need to be aware of a few things that are beyond our control. Please read this linked article from the Forest Service about outdoor safety and ethics:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/florida/safety-ethics

Do pay attention to the article about ticks, and follow its advice. Ticks (and chiggers) can be annoying and irritating. DEET sprays and Permethrin sprays (for clothing) are the best preventatives. If you do get bit, chalk it up to life in the Forest, and don't let it ruin your day.

There is limited parking and turnaround space at the Lodge. If you are planning to bring a trailer (of any kind – boat, offroad vehicle, camping, etc) please let us know in the comment section of the contact form.
If you do plan to bring a trailer, it should be light and small enough to detach and turn around by hand. There is no room at the lodge to turn around a vehicle with a trailer attached.
If you want to bring a larger/heavier trailer, it is possible to park it and to turn around at a neighbor’s property, as long as it is arranged in advance.
See the FAQ “Is there a boat launch ramp?” for more information about getting a larger boat to the Lodge.