The Best in Tent Camping: Florida A Guide for Car Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos

by Molloy, Johnny

• ISBN13: 9780897325622
• ISBN10: 0897325621
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-07-01
• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press

Summary

From the sugar white beaches of the Gulf Coast to the vast mangrove stands of the Everglades, camping in Florida has never been better. The Best in Tent Camping: Florida is a guidebook for tent campers who like quiet, scenic, and serene campsites. It's the perfect resource if you blanch at the thought of pitching a tent on a concrete slab, trying to sleep through the blare of another camper's boombox, or waking up to find your tent surrounded by a convoy of RVs. Whether you are a native Floridian in search of new territory or an out-of-state vacationer, The Best in Tent Camping unlocks the secrets to finding and enjoying the best tent-camping experiences in Florida.

Author Biography

Johnny Molloy is an outdoor writer based in Johnson City, Tennessee. He has averaged over 100 nights in the wild per year since the early 1980's, backpacking and canoe camping throughout the country. He has written numerous hiking and tent camping guides for the southeastern states, Wisconsin and Colorado.

Table of Contents

Florida Map Key	vii
Florida Campground Locator	viii
Map Legend	x
Acknowledgments	xi
Preface	xiii
Introduction	2	(3)
FLORIDA PANHANDLE	5	(52)
Big Lagoon State Recreation Area Campground	6	(3)
Blackwater River State Park Campground	9	(3)
Camel Lake Campground	12	(3)
Dead Lakes Park Campground	15	(3)
Falling Waters State Recreation Area Campground	18	(3)
Florida Caverns State Park Campground	21	(3)
Grayton Beach State Park Campground	24	(3)
Gulf Islands National Seashore Campground	27	(3)
Karick Lake South Campground	30	(3)
Ochlockonee River State Park Campground	33	(3)
Pine Log State Forest Campground	36	(3)
Rocky Bayou State Park Campground	39	(3)
St. Andrews State Recreation Area Campground	42	(3)
St. George Island State Park Campground	45	(3)
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park Campground	48	(3)
Torreya State Park Campground	51	(3)
Wright Lake Recreation Area Campground	54	(3)
NORTHERN FLORIDA	57	(32)
Anastasia State Park Campground	58	(3)
Faver-Dykes State Park Campground	61	(3)
Fort Clinch State Park Campground	64	(3)
Gold Head Branch State Park Campground	67	(3)
Little Talbot Island State Park Campground	70	(3)
Manatee Springs State Park Campground	73	(3)
O'Leno State Park Campground	76	(3)
Ocean Pond Campground	79	(3)
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Campground	82	(3)
Suwannee River State Park Campground	85	(4)
CENTRAL FLORIDA	89	(38)
Alexander Springs Recreation Area Campground	90	(3)
Blue Spring State Park Campground	93	(3)
Hillsborough River State Park Campground	96	(3)
Hog Island Recreation Area Campground	99	(3)
Hontoon Island State Park Campground	102	(3)
Juniper Springs Recreation Area Campground	105	(3)
Lake Eaton Campground	108	(3)
Lake Kissimmee State Park Campground	111	(3)
Little Manatee River State Park Campground	114	(3)
Mutual Mine Recreation Area Campground	117	(3)
Salt Springs Recreation Area Campground	120	(3)
Tomoka State Park Campground	123	(4)
SOUTHERN FLORIDA	127	(34)
Bahia Honda State Park Campground	128	(3)
Bear Island Campground	131	(3)
Cayo Costa State Park Campground	134	(3)
Elliott Key Campground	137	(3)
Flamingo Campground	140	(3)
Highlands Hammock State Park Campground	143	(3)
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Campground	146	(3)
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Campground	149	(3)
Long Key State Park Campground	152	(3)
Long Pine Key Campground	155	(3)
Oscar Scherer State Park Campground	158	(3)
APPENDIXES AND INDEX	161	(8)
Appendix A--Camping Equipment Checklist	163	(2)
Appendix B--Sources of Information	165	(2)
Appendix C--Web Sites	167	(2)
Index	169	(9)
About the Author	178

Excerpts

Cayo Costa is a barrier island that is accessible only by water. A trip here calls for a little planning, but it's more than worth it. If you like miles of unspoiled beaches, Gulf sunsets, and a tent-only campground, this is the place for you.
Your first step is to get a reservation on the ferryboat Tropic Star. Call [phone] to reserve your seat. Then bring everything you will need for your camping trip. There are no stores on the island and no convenient access to one once you are on it. Then, get to the ferry on time and enjoy the 90-minute ride from Pine Island to Cayo Costa.

Once you get there, register for your campsite. Next, a park tram will take you from the bay side of the island to the Gulf side, where the campground is located. It's a little bothersome loading and unloading your gear on the boat and tram, but once you get set up, you'll wonder why you didn't get here sooner.

The tram drops you off at the campground. Resist the urge to run to the white beach and blue water; register for your campsite first. Follow the beachside sandy path running through a stand of Australian pines to a more open area of sea grape and other native plants. A hundred yards of sporadic sea oats divide you from the ocean. Campsites 1 through 3 are in the shade of the pines and look out on the Gulf.

The remaining 27 campsites are sunny overhead but are separated by sea grapes. The skeletons of dead Australian pines above you stand testimony to the park policy of eliminating these exotics. All of these sites feature an ocean view. A spur path goes behind the small dune at campsite 5 and contains campsites 13 through 24. The sites are shielded from the wind, which make them a little buggier yet warm during infrequent cold spells. The beach vegetation, primarily sea grape and palm, provides adequate site privacy.
The other six campsites are on a path of their own, back from the beach beneath some Australian pines with some bigger thickets of sea grape. These sites are very shady, and look out on one another, though some of the sites are tucked away in the thickets of sea grape.

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Excerpted from Florida: A Guide for Car Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos by Johnny Molloy
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