By Ron White
Protected Key deer explore a campground in the Florida Keys.
With its tropical climate and abundant natural lands teeming with wildlife and wildflowers, Florida provides a great backdrop for a camping trip. The "
Orlando Sentinel" reported in July 2009 that the number of visitors to Florida's state parks hit an all-time high of 21.4 million people during the system's 2008-2009 fiscal year. With more than 1 million snowbirds driving into the state each year with RVs and other camp vehicles, the state also provides an abundance of private KOA campgrounds. Plus, the state features thousands of acres of federally owned recreational areas featuring campgrounds.
Wows and Woes
Divers prepare to enter Silver Springs in the Ocala National Forest.
Florida features 160 state parks spanning more than 700,000 acres. Florida's state parks reflect the state's diversity. Bahia Honda State Park was named the best beach in the continental United States in 1992. Blue Springs State Park offers tube rides in the spring and summer and manatee viewing in the winter. The Ocala National Forest, Big Cypress National Reserve and Everglades National Park are also popular among campers.
The primary drawback to camping in Florida is that insects and heat become overbearing in the summer months, and tropical weather poses a threat, too.
Insider Tips
Bahia Honda State Park draws hundreds of campers each year.
The top campground in the Ocala National Forest is Juniper Springs Recreation Area, which has a spring-fed swimming pool and a 7-mile canoe run. Reserve America ranked it one of the top 100 family campgrounds in the United States. Book camping reservations in advance during busy seasons. For visits to Blue Spring State Park, arrive early in the summer months. After the park is filled, rangers do not let anyone else past the gate.
Author's Most Memorable Moment
Bikers stop to chat during their ride through a Central Florida campground.
After a two-day hike on the Florida National Trail, I stopped at Juniper Springs Recreation Area to camp. That afternoon, a neighboring camper brought me a plate of cookies and invited me to visit with other campers. Several snowbird families, I learned, meet annually at the park to camp through the colder months, and they gather each night by the fire to swap tails and laugh.
Bottom Line
Trails provide access into the Ocala National Forest for campers, hikers and bikers.
Camping in Florida is a year-round activity offering diversity and a wealth of activities that puts you in touch with the Florida outdoors.
Resources
About the Author:
Based in Central Florida, Ron White is a freelance journalist and stay-at-home dad. A former editor at a Central Florida daily newspaper, White now writes frequently for the "Daytona Beach News-Journal" and "Orlando Sentinel." He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Eastern Illinois University.
