Florida Camping and
Campgrounds Info.

Florida camping, hiking, and backpacking tips for a great trip. Camp ideas to save time and frustration...

A big number of Florida camping parks are open all year long but there are some that close during the summer. The North part of Florida is usually busier during the summer season where Central and Southern Florida pick up during the winter and early spring months.

Camp Florida Caution:

Be aware that wherever there's water there is a possibility of alligators. Even though they usually shy away from people they can become aggressive if fed. Bear are also found in Florida and should not be fed for the same reason. Aggressive animals may have to be destroyed so please do your part while you're in Florida... avoid feeding them.

Florida Camping Weather:

Monthly average temperatures range from a low of 39.9 degrees F to an average high in the low 70's to the low 90's depending on the time of year. The average monthly rainfall ranges from about 2 inches per month in the winter and early spring to almost 9.5 inches in Sarasota in August. The rain is heavier June through September/October, but don't worry, it's not called the "Sunshine State" for nothing. :-)

A quick Florida camping note:Something to keep in mind is that about 50% of the campgrounds in Florida prohibit tents. While this is goofy, they must have enough business where it's not a concern for them.

Foghorn Outdoors Florida Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 900 Tent and RV Campgrounds, by Marilyn A. Moore. This book has a feature called "Top 20 Most Unusual Campgrounds" that notes caves, nudist camps, and skydiving campgounds, to water slides that plunge you into natural springs. It also covers the 10 most luxurious camps (a good idea if your spouse isn't so keen on Florida camping), bicycling areas, family and beachfront campgrounds, as well as best campgrounds and more. At 630 pages it should keep you busy on your trip. ;-)

The Best in Tent Camping: Florida, A Guide to Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos, by Johnny Molloy. If you prefer tent camping to an RV... (Is anything else really camping? ;-)) then you'll want to pick up this book. Johnny tells you what sites are best and gives a brief description. He even mentions a Florida camping park that's only accessible by boat, how cool is that? Campsites are rated by beauty, cleanliness, noise, privacy, security, and spaciousness. Also includes maps, facilities, fees, and etc.

Beach and Coastal Camping in Florida, by Johnny Molloy. Yep, it's Johnny again. Can you tell this guy has spent more than 1,500 nights out beneath the stars? ;-) If you like to camp next to water like I do, then take a look at this book. He covers 24 campgrounds all on public property along Florida's coastline and three are in the Keys. Good stuff.

Florida Campgrounds And Parks

The Florida State Park site below is decent but it lacks a map which makes it more difficult to find campgrounds in a specific area. I recommend going to ReserveAmerica.com for Florida campgrounds as their site is well thought out, intuitive, and takes reservations. They make finding Florida camping areas easier with their clickable map, or if you know the name, they've got links too. There's also quite a bit of information available about the campgrounds which will help you to make decisions. It's definitely one of the easier sites I've found to use though they might not list every campground available.

With Florida camping becoming more popular some campers are making reservations a half year in advance, so if you're serious you'll want to make early reservations, especially if you're coming from out-of-state during the busy season. Popular State Park locations are usually very busy on holidays and weekends. There is a reservation fee, which is pretty common now. Depending on the park early departures, no-shows, or cancellations may not be refundable and there could be a cancellation fee. While this sounds a little harsh, they are holding the site for you. That sure beats driving several hours only to be turned away at the gate because the campground you planned on staying at is full.

Florida State Parks Florida State Parks offer most of the best Florida camping. If you're trying to decide which Florida State Park you want to stay at, use Reserve America's Florida camping site.

This State Park site also lists Florida State Parks by activity but it's more of a hassle to search through all the links by activity... and then eliminate them because of their location.

Florida National Parks

Florida's National Forests have 1.25 million acres of land and feature camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, horse trails, and more. Apalachicola National Forest has 85 miles of designated hiking trails, where Ocala National Forest offers about 100 miles, and Osceola National Forest offers about 24 miles. The 1,300 mile Florida National Scenic Trail runs through each park.

Florida National Parks: Click "more >>" under "Search by Topic", check off "camping" under "Activities", then check off the Park Type(s) you're interested in, select Florida, and click "Find a Park". Sorry there's no direct Florida camping link. :-(

I hope my Florida camping page has helped make your trip a little better.