Good Florida parks for winter vacation?

[kayakrguy]

Hi folks,

We are thinking of going to FL in Jan or Feb next year. I would like to hear recommendations for places to stay with the trailer (I should be done by then, knock on wood<g>) We like to hike, love swimming and kayaking.
Being eaten by alligators not so much. Ditto copperheads, water moccasins etc.

Those details aside, what has worked for you and what would you recommend?

Thanks,
(I submitted this to the Southeast board too)

Jim

[john]

I went to Florida this past March for three weeks. There wasn't a state park that I didn't like with the mild exception of a state park (spring) just a little north of Orlando. I think they had to deal with alot of teenagers.


If you start trying now you should be able to get a few nights in the keys at Bahia Honda. You have to use Reserve America and they will show that all camp grounds in the keys fully booked for like over a year in advance. People cancell, though. Call reserve america repeatedly untill you get what you want. Cancellations take a while to show up on the net and if you wait for it to show up on the net you will lose it to a caller assumeing the cancellation makes it to the net. Back to Bahia Honda. We didn't like the large gravel at the camp sites. It made going barefoot difficult. Considering the rest of the park and what it has to offer I shouldn't quibble over gravel. Check out the snorkeling trips they offer.

Another park just a little north of there near Marathon is Curry Hamock. The site are graveled here too, but the gravel is much smaller. The camp ground is brand new (like a year old) and has good views of the water due to the vegetation not have grown back after the construction yet. My wife liked the bathrooms.

Anastasia near St Augustine comes to mind. Nice beaches and secluded private camping.

An inland state park we visited was Myakka river state park. We stoped there to kill a night on the way to some of the springs. We regretted haveing come into the park with that attitude after getting there and seeing how awsome it was. We wished we had had moer time there. It is an old park and it shows with full grown forests with many trails and wild life. It also has a canopy walk. A brige to get you into the trees' canopy. At one end of the bridge is a tower (wood) to get you above the trees. Lots os swaying.

Visit the small springs and swim with the locals who will ask in all honesty "What brings you here?" Apperently tourists generally go to the largest springs.


What ever you do you will have fun. Florida's parks put North Carolina's to shame.

[Ira]

Jim, how much time do you plan to stay down here? The Keys are cool, and that's where I expect to be doing most of my camping (on a rich friend's property on Upper Metacumbie!). But like John said, you gotta book early.

Even just making it as far South as Key Largo is very cool, and there's an Outdoor America and other camping sites there, right near John Pennekamp state park. You might have better luck getting a spot there. Also, after your long drive from up north, you might get a kick out of just unhitching the TD in the morning, and driving down to Key West for a day trip or overnight in a hotel.

It's a long haul but a NICE haul, a few hours from Largo, but it can easily be made into a cool day trip. DON'T make the trip down there on a Friday, and DON'T make the trip back on a Sunday. It's traffic-heavy with locals going down there for the weekends.

There are also some nice County Parks in South Florida which I like to consider "managed wildlife." It ain't the real thing, but they're real pretty, with lakes, watersport facilities and great toilets. In Broward County, Quiet Waters and Markham Park have some great facilities, and it's a quick drive to the beach. One is in Deerfield Beach, between Boca and Ft. Lauderdale, and the other in Sunrise, west of Ft. Lauderdale. They're for a pampered type pf camping though--where you can run out and pick up a pizza.

Tom S knows a lot about the southwest parks in the state. Check out his website for photos--www.tomswenson.com. It's the first trip he made in his TD.

There's a REALLY cool place right near Naples (east of it) called Everglades City/Chokoloskee. The latter is a tiny island connected to the first, and it's part of the Everglades National Park system, with glass bottom boats and more going out into the Ten Thousand Islands. It's as close as you can get to "old Florida," and an outstanding environment.

Here's a link, and look at the bottom of the page for two campgrounds.

http://www.florida-everglades.com/stay.htm

You can also stay in Faxahatchee Strand park near here, but no facilities. January, February--great time to be there. July, August--you're mosquito food.

Finally, you got kids? Depending on the length of your trip, maybe you want to spend a night camping at DisneyWorld's Ft. Wildernesss. It's AWESOME!

[Arne]

I posted this on another thread, but this is wakeva spring state campground near orlando, FL.... The FL state parks we stayed at were all quite nice, not overcrowded.....

[TomS]

Tom S knows a lot about the southwest parks in the state. Check out his website for photos--www.tomswenson.com. It's the first trip he made in his TD.

Here's the link to our Florida trip report. We stayed at Myakka River S.P. It was an intersting place. I also highly recommend day trips to Don Pedro Island S.P. (you'll need a canoe or kayak) and Lover's Key S.P. My trip report has photos of all three.

[Jiminsav]

you don't have to worry about gators or snakes in January or febuary in northern florida..it's too cold for them to be doing much.

but, you do have to look out for the killer flamingos

[kayakrguy]

Folks,

Thanks everyone for the tips on the parks and things to do. I'm not clear about the Springs. Have been to springs that are hot. Have been in springs that could freeze your.....ummmm....in 30 seconds. I would hope FL springs are somewhere in between?

Tom S's website was actually one reason I even THOUGHT of building a T....I saw the water, the sun, the sand, the alligators...forget the last...and said 'Goitta do That'<g>

The flamingos are great! I have always said that if you want to make money in real estate, but two flamingos, put in yard, watch everbody move, watch prices go down, buy houses, take down flamingos, make huge profit selling houses. My sister in law gave me some for Christmas....I put them up....and that is how I became a millionaire! <g>

Jim

[kayakrguy]

Ira,

No kids, empty nest, empty wallet, empty head, all from raising and educating 4 kids <G> We were thinking of two-three weeks....a month?....6weeks<g> Seriously, 2-3 weeks. The Keys sound like fun and are part of what we would hope to do. We have family in Chokoloskee over on the southwest coast, near the west end of the Everglades--my cousin works at the store near the park entrance...

Jim

[Arne]

They all claim the springs are a constant 72 degrees... in reality, Wakeva Springs were closer to 80 degrees (the temp of the ymca pool I swim in)... Manatee Springs were colder, but still swimmable...

[Ira]

Ira,

We have family in Chokoloskee over on the southwest coast, near the west end of the Everglades--my cousin works at the store near the park entrance...

Jim

Really!? I forget exactly where the entrance to the park is, never launced from an official "entrance," but what kind of store is it that you're talking about and what's your cousin's name? I may be driving over there on Sunday, weather permitting.

For me, it's like an hour and half drive--perfect for a day trip.

By the way, the next time you connect with him/her, ask where's the best place to camp, even it's without hookups and full facilities. I never camped there--just fishing.

[kayakrguy]

Ira,

Her name is Winifred Thomas. She is also director of the local chamber of commerce. I can't remember the name of the store (it has a website) but you can contact her directly with your questions at:

[email protected]

Good luck with the fishing!

Jim

[john]

This is a long post, but it is mostly pics.

I have put this off long enough and this thread is good for it. I just need to thank Ira for the travel advice. We were lucky they were open after the damage from the storms. Thanks Ira.


This next pic is the view of Wakeva springs from the other side of Arne's pic earlier in the tread. The only thing we did not like about Wakeva springs was the inflated show of law enforcement. It is not that law enforcement bothers me, but alot of cops often equal alot of crime. Probably a temporary problem in an otherwise wonderful park.


This is our Anistasia state park camp site. Great beaches here.


Curry Hammock Sun rise through my side door.


Curry Hammock sunrise from the bath house


This pic taken in Curry Hammock sums up my experience in the Keys. Calm...


Curry Hammock sunsets.



Our Curry Hammock site. Note the small tolerable gravel.


Our Bahia Honda site. Large gravel here. another part of the campgound is on the beach and I mean ON THE BEACH. Some of it was washed away due to storms and much of it has no electricity. The park as a whole is ten times better than at Curry Hammock, although the campground at Curry Hammock is better.


Florida is real laid back about paking and fishing on the side of the road. People are even allowed to fish from many bridges. I saw one guy fishing in the middle of a cloverleaf in Orlando. North Carolina has a real problem with it for some reason. This pic is taken between Sanibel Island and the mainland.


Myaka state park camp site.


Manatee Springs campsite and yes I let the kids feed the deer.


Fanning Springs


We snorkeled here and I will ask my wife the name of this spring later. Ichetucknee. Someone on this site pointed me to this one also. Dale?? Thasnks.





There are a few more pics in my album here on TTT.

[kayakrguy]

John,

Fantastic! No, not the fan, the pictures <g>

Jim

[Ira]

That first shot he showed is in Chokoloskee, a tiny "island' attached to Everglades. If you go to the other side of the building, facing the water, there's a fantastic view of "The Ten Thousands Islands," thousands of tiny mangrove islands. (Mangroves are trees that grow in the salt water.)

That building is called Ted Smallwood's store, and it's now a museum. A guy named Ted Smallwood opened the store around the turn of the century, and he even dredged out the bay there himself so he could trade with the Seminole Indians and others. Heron, Ibis and Egret feathers abounded, after of course killing the birds to get them. And at that time, they were HIGHLY sought-after for women's hats. In fact, the first Audubon officer was shot to death trying to prevent the poaching on the main rookery, which Teddy Roosevelt helped enact legislation to protect.

Also, the island was home to every low life and criminal on earth, since it WAS an island and isolated until they built a tiny bridge connecting it to Everglades City and the mainland. And up until the 70s, tons and tons and TONS of drugs were run into here, coming in boats from Mexico. (In fact, the entire "police department" was in on the action too, until the scandal broke.)

[kayakrguy]

Ira,

Chokoloskee sounds like my kind of place <g>

Jim