Johnny Molloy - Best Tent Camping: Florida: Your Car-Camping Guide to Scenic Beauty, the Sounds of Nature, and an Escape from Civilization

:: FLORIDA PANHANDLE

:: NORTHERN FLORIDA

:: CENTRAL FLORIDA

:: SOUTH FLORIDA

Best Tent Camping: The Carolinas

Best Tent Camping: Colorado

Best Tent Camping: Georgia

Best Tent Camping: Illinois

Best Tent Camping: Kentucky

Best Tent Camping: Maryland

Best Tent Camping: Michigan

Best Tent Camping: Minnesota

Best Tent Camping: Missouri and the Ozarks

Best Tent Camping: Montana

Best Tent Camping: New England

Best Tent Camping: New Jersey

Best Tent Camping: New Mexico

Best Tent Camping: New York State

Best Tent Camping: Northern California

Best Tent Camping: Ohio

Best Tent Camping: Oregon

Best Tent Camping: Pennsylvania

Best Tent Camping: The Southern Appalachian and Smoky Mountains

Best Tent Camping: Southern California

Best Tent Camping: Tennessee

Best Tent Camping: Texas

Best Tent Camping: Utah

Best Tent Camping: Virginia

Best Tent Camping: Washington

Best Tent Camping: West Virginia

Best Tent Camping: Wisconsin

:: This book is for Hunt Cochrane, a fair canoer, a good camper, a better backpacker, and a great friend.

:: BEST CAMPGROUNDS FOR FISHING

:: BEST CAMPGROUNDS FOR HIKING

:: BEST CAMPGROUNDS FOR BICYCLERS

:: BEST CAMPGROUNDS FOR PADDLING

:: BEST CAMPGROUNDS FOR WILDLIFE WATCHING

:: BEST CAMPGROUNDS FOR SOLITUDE

:: BEST LAKE CAMPGROUNDS

:: BEST RIVER CAMPGROUNDS

BEST BEACH CAMPGROUNDS

BEST ISLAND CAMPGROUNDS

U pdating the fifth edition of this book was an adventure in itself. Along the way I met old friends and new. I learned a lot and received help from many people. Thanks to my wife, Keri Anne, who has explored all over the Sunshine State with me, Pam Morgan, Skip Krassa, The Pole from Baltimore, Eddie Duval, J. L. Plummer, Lisa Daniel, Irv Edwards, Anthony Lauria, Ranger Julie Watson, Barbara and Eve of Cayo Costa, Roger Chubin, George Drinnon, Nelle Molloy, Maggie Bryars, Brian Babb, Meredith Morris-Babb, and Tom Lauria.

I thank all the Florida state park and state forest employees who helped me out, as well as all other public servants who endured my endless questions.

Finally, a special thanks goes to Hunt Cochrane, Kim Breasseale, David Zaczyk, John and Barb Haapala, Aaron Marable, and all the campers who love wild Florida as much as I do.

W elcome to the fifth edition of Best Tent Camping: Florida . This book has undergone a complete updating, including the addition of new campgrounds! Florida is well known as a vacation getaway for those weary of northern wintersthose who are seeking a tropical atmosphere and oceanside ambience. A century ago, the Sunshine State was a sleepy, agricultural land of orange groves and cattle ranches. Since then, it has seen the rise of the urban landscape, as winter visitors made Florida their permanent home. Vacationers continue to come to the area, enjoying the cities as much as the climate. Modern times have seen the development of man-made attractions that have become destinations in their own right.

Florida continues to grow. Fortunately for us, state and federal governments have intervened to preserve the natural beauty of the land, the same beauty encountered by Ponce de Leons men as they searched for the Fountain of Youth. They didnt realize it at the time, but the Spaniards were traversing some of the most lush and unique landscapes in what would later become the United States. New preserved lands have opened new camping destinations included in this book, including DuPuis Campground in the pines near Lake Okeechobee.

Today, we can still see what Ponce de Leon saw: rolling sand hills of the central ridge, sugar-white beaches of the Gulf Coast, vast mangrove stands of the Everglades, incredible rivers of all lengths and varieties, pine flatwoods whose needles perfume the air. This is what the Division of State Parks likes to call the real Florida.

After you have explored some of this states natural preserves, new images of Florida will emerge: not only Miamis South Beach but also the blue water of the Keys; not only Disney World but also Clearwater Lake; not only Cape Canaveral but the federal batteries at Fort Clinch. Your revised picture of Florida will include the human history of Florida: aboriginal Floridians exploring crystalline Lithia Springs; Cracker cowboys running cattle at the DuPuis Ranch, now a wildlife preserve; and citizens banding together to stop Spite Highway on Elliott Key.

This book will also open your eyes to the vast recreation opportunities extending throughout the state, whether you are hiking the Florida Trail near Ocean Pond, paddling the Withlacoochee River at Hog Island, bird-watching at Flamingo, or shelling at Cayo Costa Island. With this book in hand, you will be able to combine your camping experience with memorable outdoor adventures.

A fine tent-camping experience will enhance your knowledge of Florida. I combed the state in search of the best outdoors combination: fine tent camping coupled with interesting scenic locales. My problem was picking only the 50 best campgrounds. Whether you are a native Floridian in search of new territory or an out-of-state vacationer, this book will help you unlock the secrets to the real, natural Florida.

Johnny Molloy

:: THE RATING SYSTEM

I ncluded in this book is a rating system for Floridas 50 best campgrounds. Certain campground attributesbeauty, privacy, spaciousness, quiet, security, and cleanlinessare ranked using a star system. Each campground in this guidebook is superlative in its own way. For example, a site may be rated only one star in one category but perhaps five stars in another category. This rating system allows you to choose your destination based on the attributes that are most important to you. Though these ratings are subjective, theyre still excellent guidelines for finding the perfect camping experience for you and your companions.