[Bob Thompson]

part "B"
FLORIDA
MIAMI TO NAPLES
Half way from Miami to Naples on US 41 is Big Cypress National Preserve w/ free & some low cost campgrounds. Midway Campround is on the south side of the road, space for 30 rigs, $20 per night, Monument Lake Campground is $16 per day. Bear Lake Campground is about 1 mile north of the Tamiami Trail on a dirt road, but the camping is free & quite pleasant around a 20 acre lake. We stayed at BearLake in 2005 & it is a great place! There are no hookups, but there is a dumpster & portapottys. 1st come first served, 10 day limit. .

Milton - SouthHurricaneLake (near Milton north of Pensacola) State Forest Rec Area primitive campsites ($5 per site / night) , - restrooms, a limited number of water faucets, fishing & a boat ramp The lake is hard to find!

Milton (north of Pensacola)- Bear Lake State Forest Recreation Area Bear Lake (107 acres) , $13 campsites w/ Elec., restrooms & showers, Group dining facility, fishing & boat ramp

Orlando Moss Park Location: Lake Hart, southeast of Orlando, 4 miles Southeast of SR 15 (Narcoosee Rd.) on Moss Park Rd. Campground: 55 sites w/ Electric & Water Pull Thru sites: Big Rig access, Clean restrooms, Clean showers, Pets allowed, Tents allowed, Nightly rate $13 Res, $18 nonres All Ratings (1=poor 10=excellent): 8 Comments: At this Orange County park all sites have w/e, picnic tables, fire rings, & grills. The county recently rehabbed this park. There are campground hosts, 2 new bathhouses, & new dump station. Sites in front are sunny & sites in center of loop are shady w/ lake views. Park can be booked online. Park Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ph: (407) 273-2327 Address: 12901 Moss Park RD, Orlando Acreage: 1,551 acres.

ORLANDO, Magnolia Park, an OrangeCountyPark located in Apopka at the northeast corner of LakeApopka. Location: On County Hwy. 437 (Ocoee-Apopka Rd.) adjacent to LakeApopka. Hours of Operation: Summer: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Winter: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ph. (407) 886-4231 Address: MagnoliaPark, 2929 S Binion RD, Apopka32703 Acreage: 56 acres. Newly renovated campground.

ORLANDO: Bill Frederick Park & Pool at TurkeyLake, 3401 S Hiawassee RoadPark Phone: (407) 299-5581 There are 36 campsites w/ full hookups. Full hookups including sewer is $18 per day, partial hookups $15 per day.

OCALA: OcalaNF about 50 miles NW of Orlando. A favorite free campground is Hopkins Prairie, a few miles down a bumpy road from Rt. 19 on west side of Lake George. Road is well marked. No hookups, pit toilets & water of questionable quality at center of the camp area. Groceries are available in Salt Springs, 8 miles north of the campground.

Campgrounds w/ dump stations:
Salt Springs, Fore lake, Lake Eaton, Big Bass, Juniper Springs, Alex&er Springs, Clearwater Lake, Lake Dorr, & Hopkins Prairie

OCALA: In the Ocala NF, off of city road 42 & state road 19, there are many sites to be found. Area is 20 miles north of Orlando. Some areas of this national forest are posted for no camping but where it is not posted, just pull-in.

OCHOPEE: west end of Tamiami trail. Free primitive CG in Big Cypress Nat'l Preserve off Rt 41 near Ochopee.

OKEECHOBEE: Moose Lodge NW 36th St at US-441 North. Boondocking, dump, electric, water. Donations accepted. Lunches; Fri night dinner; Sunday breakfast. (813)763-4954.

Palatka (near Ocala) Rodman Campground is located about 10 miles south of Palatka on Highway 19. Turn west off 19 on Rodman Dam Road & the entrance is about a mile & a half. Cost: $10 or less, 30 Campsites, Max stay: 14 days, paved road, Scenery 5 out of 5, Noise 2 out of 5, Amenities: Water, Electric, washer & dryer, Dump Station, Restrooms. Year Round This campground is on Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway canal that runs across Florida. Nice, clean, quiet, shaded, plenty of room & the price is right. Campsites were right on the canal which looks like a river. Blacktop roads & graveled sites.

Phipps County Park 40 miles north of West Palm Beach. 2175 SW Locks Road, Stuart. ALWAYS campsites available. Directions: On IH-95 take exit 102 & go west ½ mile then turn north on Locks Road. From Stuart, go west on US 76, cross under I-95, cross over the Florida Turnpike, take the second right (north) on SW Locks Road to the county park sign on the right. It's a short dirt road to the gated entrance. There are 48 campsites, some w/ tables, unhook, set up & pay the Ranger when his office opens. No Elec.. Cost is $10 / water, dump station, bathrooms & a view of yachts on the intracoastal waterway. We stayed 4 nights here & found it quite pleasant. It is a bargain for $10 per night.

Nearby (1/4 mile) is the St. Lucie Lock. At the COE Lock, there are 9 RV sites, 12 boat slips & 3 tent sites. Reservations suggested for RV sites but while we were there in December, there were empty sites. Tenters can usually get a site any time. See Corps of Engineers listings.

Port Richey: WalMarts in Port Richey allows o/n. On RT 19.

Sanibel Island Dayparking just south of Pine Island Ft. Myers, There is a small park which allows free stays during the day. It is located just before the toll plaza to Sanibel Island. I have known people who get there at 7:00 AM & stay until 4 PM & then move away (as to a Wal*Mart) for the evening, & return the next day. You could not buy such a spot.
Shell Mound Park near Cedar Key(70 miles west of Ocala): A Indian mound & nature trail off Highway 347 on CR 326 outside Cedar Key, right on the coast, w/ camping, boat ramp, & picnicking. Description from Cedar Key website: Park is off the beaten track, surrounded by Suwannee Wildlife Refuge. Shell Mound has 24 RV sites w/ water & Elec., plus 6 sites more sites for tents. We found everything clean. In summer it is called Sand Flea Lagoon because of the sand fleas. The shell mound itself is mostly shells that covers 5 acres & is up to 20 feet high. The cost for rv & 2 people is $5.00.

SOPCHOPPY: (Panhandle Area) City park w/water & elec, dump. Boat ramp, fire rings, grills, toilets. Attendant on duty. $5 w/hookups. Watch for low elec wires! HWY-98 to 319S. At SopchoppyCityPark sign, take right (Shelton St), go 0.4 mi to Park Ave, take left (Gravel rd) 0.5 mi to city park.

SilverLake. A couple miles east of Leesburg (near Ocala) The camping area has a bathroom building on a knoll overlooking the parking lot for boaters. That description isn't much to go on, but we had no trouble finding it the first time.

St. PetersburgEgmont Key On the southeast tip of the St. Petersburg peninsula. From I-275 south, Merge onto FL-682 W via EXIT 17 toward Pinellas Bayway – St. PetersburgBeach. Camping is no longer allowed on Tierra Verde. Continue done Pinellas Bayway to FortDesoto. FortDesoto goto Tierra Verde On the southeast tip of the St. Petersburg peninsula Large campground, hookups, County park, $28/night

NEAR TALLAHASSEE
The are three LeonCounty parks (fish camps - free) near Tallahassee along Route 20 east of Blountstown. Two didn't make our list as "keepers." We didn't stay at either of them. The third one is well marked. It's near SilverLake. The camping area has a bathroom building on a knoll overlooking the parking lot for boaters. That description isn't much to go on, but we had no trouble finding it the first time.
There is an easy to find campground in St. Marks on US 98 south of Tallahassee at ApalacheeBay. The St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge is across the street. The second time we stayed there, it was a mess w/ the new bridge being built. This campground has "tiny" sites for 16' trailers.

TALLAHASSEE: the Big Rest area on I-10 west of Tallahassee about 45 to 60 miles on the south side of the Interstate.

TAMPA O/N Camping World just east of Tampa in I-4 At Seffner, FL.