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May Prairie

Brooksville, Florida — Hernando County.

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40Surface acres
0.3 miShoreline trails

Surface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 68020487).

Location & fast facts

Where May Prairie is in Florida

The red circle marks May Prairie.

Fast facts

About May Prairie

  • County: Hernando
  • Nearest city: Brooksville (about 2.1 mi from the lake)
  • Mapped as: Lake or pond (USGS National Hydrography Dataset)
  • Distance: about 41 mi from Ocala and 47 mi from Tampa, straight-line (not driving distance)

Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline (Florida: incorporated places touching the lake, otherwise the nearest one).

Fishing in Florida

Official FWC pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.

Good for & watch for

Good for

  • Walking. 0.3 mi of trail near the shore (trails)
  • Camping. 29 campgrounds within 15 mi (list)

Watch for

    Built only from the data on this page: official access lists, OpenStreetMap beaches and trails, campground listings, state and USGS invasive-species records. We don't rate crowds or water quality.

    Lake map

    May Prairie shoreline

    ¼ mileN

    No public access sites are listed for this water in the FWC Florida Boat Ramp Inventory data.

    Shoreline trail

    Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 68020487), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: FWC Florida Boat Ramp Inventory. Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

    Shoreline trails

    0.3 miTrail within 80 m of shore
    About 30%Of the shoreline
    NoLoops the whole lake
    West shoreWhere

    OpenStreetMap shows about 0.3 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 80 m (260 ft) of the May Prairie shoreline, mostly along the west shore.

    Trails along the shore

    The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.

    Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 9, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 80 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.

    Campgrounds near May Prairie

    We found 29 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of May Prairie. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

    14 more within 15 miles

    All campgrounds & RV parks in Florida

    Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.

    Campground data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.

    Conditions right now

    Air temperature & conditions (nearest NWS station)Loading…
    Fetching the latest National Weather Service observation…

    Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (28.6231, -82.3543). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for May Prairie. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

    Sun, moon & best fishing times

    Sun & moon at May Prairie

    Best fishing times

    Major periodMinor periodDaylight

      Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in ET (America/New_York), and accurate to within a few minutes.

      Contact & official info

      Questions about May Prairie

      How big is May Prairie?

      May Prairie covers about 40 acres in Brooksville, Florida (Hernando County).

      Are there campgrounds near May Prairie?

      Yes. We list 29 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles.

      What towns are on May Prairie?

      May Prairie touches Brooksville in Hernando County, Florida.

      Share a tip or fishing report

      Know May Prairie? Tell us about the launch, parking, where they're biting or anything a first-time visitor should know. Tips go privately to the LakeRipple editor; nothing is posted automatically. Helpful tips may be featured on this page (we'll use your first name only if you give one).

      Lakes & ponds nearby

      Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Florida lakes & ponds · All waters in Brooksville