Florida Trip

[Okiegent]

We would like to book some time in southern Florida in January or February 2022.
We prefer Corp of Engineer parks or State Parks. Could anyone give us information on good places to stay and route to take things to see and do?
Coming out of Oklahoma City.

We are also headed out to Catalina State Park in Arizona in April . We have booked time in Roswell and City of the Rocks before going into Arizona. We are coming into the area by way of Lubbock Texas. In suggestions on what to see where to stay or routes to travel on this leg of the trip? Thank you for helping us out.

[Lily&Me]

I suspect you will have a difficult if not impossible time getting reservations in Florida for next month and the month after.

I would get on an app like AllStays, see what if anything is available, and reserve what you can find.

Plan your sightseeing around your reservations.

Good luck,

Maggie

[n2916s]

Forget the State Parks in the Keys (Pennekamp, Curry Hammock and Bahia Honda) - fully booked 11 months out.

You may get into Koreshan or Collier-Seminole in SW Florida.

Go to reserve,Floridastateparks.org and browse. You will probably have better luck away from the beaches and away from Orlando…

There are three COE RV Parks along the Okeechobee Waterway but they tend to be fully booked by late Spring for the following winter…

[BigSxyWhtGuy]

Good advice from Maggie. Book anything you can and then build your itinerary from there. All state parks pretty much book out 11 months in advance. You can check in on cancellations frequently to see if you can jump in on one of those. We ended getting into the keys for 7 days for example, we just had to go to three different RV parks to fit it all in. It was a pain but only way we could do it.

I’m in centra FL now and even the RV park I am at now is full and on a wait list. Historically they usually can squeeze someone in.

You can also check out sun outdoors. They are a RV resort company with big presence in FL. You can call their central booking line and talk to the agent, they may be able to give you availability at multiple locations so you can make one call and potentially book multiple spots.

GL

[Silvr_Bullet]

Find out how the Florida website functions, when they update etc. Persistence and being diligent may pay off, try scheduling at varied times, night, twilight hours. It’s a big country and people may be changing plans for one reason or another. Firstly book at private campgrounds, avoid on line booking with them, calling may work when online doesn’t.

[Jeff7176]

We have stayed in a few COE parks in South Florida in the last month+. Midway Campground on the Tammiami Trail was great. Ortana South near Okechobee was as well. We also stayed on NAS Key West which was excellent...if you have access I absolutely recommend it.

The state parks (Pennekamp, Bahia Honda) are hard to get but I have know friends to pick up spots that the reservations fell through, but there are options. Don't give up.

[GetawA-S]

Been to Florida before? We don’t want you to hate us after you drive I 75. It’s a racetrack. I 4 is a demolition derby. It’s also about 800 miles from Pensacola to Key West.
Consider sites along the Forgotten Coast. Cedar Key is relatively undiscovered.
To get reservations at this late date, you almost need to sign up for a service that combs for cancellations and notifies you. PM me, I’m not going to say more “in public”.
An Airstream only park may have better availability (Port Charlotte or Melbourne), but longer stays would probably involve too much driving to the attractions.
Good luck.

[moosetags]

All of the Interstate Highways in Florida are super busy and very treacherous. The only possible exception is I-10 west of Tallahassee. All the great things to see and do in Florida are accessible via US and State highways. We have some of the best state roads in the country. Don't be afraid to use them. The best of Florida is not along the Interstate.

Brian

[Acheron2010]

I have to admit, camping in Florida is what us sophisticated recreational vehicle owners call a pain in the ass. My recommendation...pick the destinations u want to see, fly in and out. Leave the camping for the rest of the US.

[Jeff7176]

I suppose your idea of bad traffic is based on perspective. Florida highways and interstates are a dream compared to the I95 cooridor in the Northeast...which is where we used to live.

But, putting that aside, we are enjoying an excellent COE Park in Demopolis AL now (Foscue Creek) and would recommend it as a great stop on your way down from OK.

[Okiegent]

Thanks for the information Silvr Bullet.

[Okiegent]

Thank you Jeff.

[Okiegent]

Originally Posted by GetawA-S

Been to Florida before? We don’t want you to hate us after you drive I 75. It’s a racetrack. I 4 is a demolition derby. It’s also about 800 miles from Pensacola to Key West.
Consider sites along the Forgotten Coast. Cedar Key is relatively undiscovered.
To get reservations at this late date, you almost need to sign up for a service that combs for cancellations and notifies you. PM me, I’m not going to say more “in public”.
An Airstream only park may have better availability (Port Charlotte or Melbourne), but longer stays would probably involve too much driving to the attractions.
Good luck.

Thank you for the information. We have been over as far as Pensacola. Promise I want hate you guys. We are fairly seasoned travelers . Been doing this for years. Always avoided Florida Keys and southern Florida for the reasons of not being able to get in there. Just looking for any information from folks that have traveled it before and know the ends and outs in theses times. I appreciate your response .

[Okiegent]

Originally Posted by moosetags

All of the Interstate Highways in Florida are super busy and very treacherous. The only possible exception is I-10 west of Tallahassee. All the great things to see and do in Florida are accessible via US and State highways. We have some of the best state roads in the country. Don't be afraid to use them. The best of Florida is not along the Interstate.

Brian

Been down 10 many times going to Gulf State Park. We always try to travel back roads and avoid interstates and big cities if we can. Thank you for your response .

[Okiegent]

Yes sometimes it can be. We are slow and older now. travel about 4 hours a day. Never in a hurry except for cocktails. We are very patient. Thank you for your response .

[Mollysdad]

When highly desirably TopSail Hill SP is booked 11 months to the second, nearby Falling Waters SP is wide open. Also Falling Waters (In the panhandle near Chiply, FL.) spaces are $18 instead of the $43 Topsail ones. Try it.

[Okiegent]

Hey Jeff thanks I will check it out. Enjoy your stay and safe travels.

[Bill M.]

Withlacoochee River Park near Dade City has sites open all year. Maybe because the location is "away" from all the attractions. Nice park. Very low usage. We winter in the area and have come to like the Dade City area. Myakka River State Park (fairly close to Sarasota) and Hammock Hills State Park sometimes have sites open and I think they have unreserved sites that you can line up for. Probably most of the Florida state parks have that?

[Okiegent]

Molly that is the stuff I am looking for its going in my folder. Yes we have looked at TopSail park and always thought we might try it. But it was just to popular . We do a lot of off road camping. We do like to get into a place with hookups occasionally. The wife had her mind set on south Florida and the keys. Never will she turn back.

[Okiegent]

Bill thank you for this information. Much appreciated. We have passes for some parks and a national pass. Not sure what they are the wife takes care of that part. I drive, setup and fix. She encourages ,navigates and is chief financial officer.