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Best Tent Camping near Floral City, FL

1,004 Reviews

Several tent camping options surround Floral City, Florida within the Withlacoochee State Forest and nearby conservation lands. Crooked River Campground offers tent-only sites with fire rings and picnic tables, while the Tucker Hill Forestry Primitive Sites provide more rustic accommodations for backpackers. Flying Eagle Preserve and Potts Preserve also maintain primitive tent camping areas along the Withlacoochee River system, creating a network of natural camping destinations within 30 minutes of Floral City.

Most primitive tent sites in the area feature natural, ungraded surfaces with minimal site development. Crooked River provides flush toilets and warm showers, making it suitable for campers wanting basic amenities, while sites like Croom B Loop Primitive Site and Tucker Hill offer true backcountry experiences with no facilities beyond fire rings. During summer months, mosquitoes can be problematic at riverside locations, requiring proper repellent. Non-potable water pumps exist at some locations, but tent campers should bring their own drinking water or filtration systems. Campfire restrictions may apply during dry periods, particularly in spring.

The densely vegetated tent sites at Crooked River Campground provide excellent privacy between campsites. Many reviews highlight the secluded nature of these locations, with one camper noting that sites are "surrounded by dense undergrowth which really added more privacy." Primitive camping areas throughout the Withlacoochee State Forest provide direct access to hiking trail networks, including connections to the Florida Trail. Wildlife observations are common, particularly at dawn and dusk when deer, turkey, and various bird species are active. Tent campers should be prepared for Florida's hot, humid climate by selecting shaded sites when possible and bringing adequate insect protection. A review mentioned that "ticks can be bad - make sure you bring repellent" when visiting forest campsites.

Best Tent Sites Near Floral City, Florida (40)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Floral City, FL

1004 Reviews of 40 Floral City Campgrounds

  • Jeanene A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 12, 2017

    Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park

    Anything but stark...

    Part of the Starkey Wilderness Preservethis location is full of multi use trails, has primitive cabin rentals (no electric) and tent camping available. Front country (car camping) and back country camping (hike in only). There are specific equestrian camping sites as well.

    Cabins are pretty close to each other. All sites need to be reserved.Tent, cabin, shelter and pavilion reservations: Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, (727) 834-3247. Picnic tables and fire pits are provided. Pavilions are also available to rent and they take reservations for large groups as well.

    We chose car camping for our visit to check the place out. A favorite for hiking and biking. This place has gotten busier as development has been growing steadily over the years. Many of the trails are without shade and the recent fire season hit the back part of the tract pretty hard (Spring 2017) but you would not see any signs of this unless you hiked out the furthest trails from entrance.

    Bring your bikes, hiking shoes, horses, or telescopes. Birders bring your binoculars! Over 150 species call Starkey home either full or part time. There is something here for everyone.

    As always in Florida bring bug spray, sunblock, hat, and please leave no trace!

  • Tracy L H.
    Dec. 31, 2019

    Sawgrass Island Preserve

    Old Florida!

    Sawgrass Island Preserve is a unique piece of property.  I love hiking on the north side of the property it looks so much like Old Florida.  I like to go across the causeway and down the Bog Button Trail and over to the Hammock Trail and along the Cactus Trail and down around the ponds and back out the Bent Pine Trail.  This is around a five mile hike and can be stretched out by doing the North Loop Trail also .  I have seen several whitetail deer, sandhill cranes, lots of other birds, quail, and some turkeys while hiking.  I also saw a black bear up a tree in the marsh.  It is a hidden gem for sure.  The south side is nice but gets super sandy in places due to horseback riders.  And if you have horses the preserve allows riders and even has a spot or two with water for the horses and some picnic areas with hitching post to tie off horse and have some time to eat.  Some trails are narrow and give the feel of actually walking in, in the woods!  I haven't camped there but they have two primitive campsites on the Hammock Trail near the marsh with a fire ring, picnic table, and lantern post.  There is also a horse campsite along the Cactus Trail down near the ponds and there is an open pole barn with two roomy stalls for horses and picnic tables and a fire ring with benches.  Also room to pitch tent under barn too.  There is no water available at any of the campsites.  Could be a fun adventure waiting in Old Florida.  There is a camping application to fill out on line at www.lcwa.org and a  small fee, but if everything checks out ok at the end of the stay after a Ranger has had a chance to check out the site your fee is refunded.

  • James A.
    Sep. 9, 2020

    Colt Creek State Park Campground

    Tired Tree Primative Site

    Okay, so I didn’t do a ton of research, but I have driven around here before so I decided to get one of the primitive sites and do a little gear testing.

    -$5+ per person/night -Bundles of firewood available for purchase (located at the site) -$5 arm loads -Fire ring, Picnic Table, Bench, and Garbage pail at the site

    Walked the long way in (3.25miles), instead of the 1 mile route. The entire hike is through typical open grass “roads” cut and maintained in the Florida brush. The site itself had a nice vibe and is far away from any other sites at the park. A large open clearing could easily allow for a dozen tents, unfortunately, I brought my hammock,.. and this site is not set up for hammock camping.

    With a little rigging and placement over a dried up gator hole, I found a spot that I could hang my hammock and shelter for the night.

    I thoroughly enjoyed the spot, other than the lack of clearing for a hammock, and the mosquitos were absolutely unbearable... I am aware that it was rainy season in Florida, near a WMA named Green Swamp, but I went home with hundreds and hundreds of bites, despite my preparedness.

    I would camp here again, maybe when it’s a little cooler and more dry, and also would hike in with a tent, or potentially take the shorter route and pull a wagon full of gear, to enjoy a bit more “glamped” feel.

  • A
    Aug. 31, 2021

    Hog Island Campground — Withlacoochee State Forest

    Spacious camp sites!

    We loved the large sites. And pretty private. Wooded areas between sites. Nice clean restrooms and showers. Only 2 showers in the ladies bath house. It's old but clean. But it's sapose to be no pets. And a camper near us had a very large dog in a cage that barked all day. Very annoying. Bad area for ticks. Rangers check sites several times a day and are very nice. Also there is water but no electricity. We will go back. No generator after 10pm.

  • Alex M.
    Jul. 1, 2019

    Mutual Mine Campground — Withlacoochee State Forest

    Wide open spaces, very quiet!

    We hiked extensively in this tract and used Mutual Mine campground as one of our stop-overs. Very nice, open, flat areas to pitch tents and close to hiking trails. Fire ring at each site, options to hang your hammock. Bathrooms but no showers. Free potable water. You can also pull in a trailer but this is not a full-commercial type campground. More a cross between that and primitive camping…….perfect for backpackers!!

  • Monte W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 7, 2020

    Green Swamp — West Tract

    Peaceful and free!

    Stayed here for a night in November of 2020. We stayed at the Ashley campsite. It is free but had to register at watermatters.org - (Southwest Florida Water Management). They provide you with a code to unlock the gate once registered. At the campsite there were about 15 sites. Most had non-potable water. All had a picnic tables and fire ring. My site had a covered picnic table. A vault toilet was also provided and was pretty clean. The campsite was about half full when I was here and it was pretty quiet even though you can see your neighbors. You are permitted to collect fire wood as long as it has fallen from the tree. For a free campsite, I can’t complain. I would stay here again.

  • Napunani
    Jun. 10, 2023

    Lake Griffin State Park Campground

    Small and Nice

    PROS 

    Dark sky friendly-no street lights in campground 

    100% gravel site 

    Metal fire ring with cooking grate 

    Moveable wood and metal picnic table 

    2 hook lantern pole 

    Security gate that closed at dusk with code provided for entrance 

    Some privacy from neighbors 

    Coin washers/dryers at the campground bathhouse 

    3 bars T-MOBILE 

    CONS 

    No senior or military discount 

    No campground WIFI 

    Site 11 very unlevel 

    Gravel roads to and thru campground 

    Tight campground road 

    Horrible traffic noise from US 441

  • Todd M.
    Feb. 10, 2021

    Potts Preserve

    Great place to boondock!

    Great place to boondock! Spent 3 nights here by the pavilion. There are about 5 spots in the “primitive” camping area. Plenty of privacy and a kayak launch area. Spots have fire rings and a couple have picnic tables. Porta potty is clean. The back-country area was recently gated so RVs can no longer camp there. It’s now designated as tent-camping only. It’s a huge open space with entrances to walking trails and beautiful views of the river. The back-country area has an outhouse. It’s easy to get to and very quiet other than other campers and periodic airboats that zoom by.

  • Elliott B.
    Jul. 15, 2017

    Crooked River Campground — Withlacoochee State Forest

    Old-Florida-style camping at its best.

    Crooked River Campground is located within the Croom Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest (Hernando County), and a short 5-mile drive from I-75. Thankfully the furthest away from the interstate which remains busy 24/7. The complex is on the shore of Silver Lake, which is part of the Withlacoochee River system, this campground is part of the Silver Lake Recreation Complex. The Withlacoochee travels around the different campgrounds here and there is a large day use boat ramp onto the lake away from the campgrounds.

    At Crooked River (The Native American name for the Withlacoochee) it seemed like every site was surrounded by dense undergrowth which really added more privacy. You can see from my campground and another random site I took a photo of that you are really nestled into the underbrush. If you want to get to the water there is a staircase which provides access to the Withlacoochee River for small boats. I took my folding kayak out and the water was very nice and refreshing against the unbearable heat of Florida. I think there was only 1 maybe 2 other campers while I was there and saw more people on mountain bikes going around the roads than anyone else.

    Local Features and Activities

    · Nature trail and boardwalk.

    · Fishing

    · Canoe trail

    · Sorry, no pets allowed

    Facilities

    • These are tent only primitive campsites with the standard uncovered picnic table and fire ring with a grate and/or a grill.
    • Flush restrooms and warm/hot water showers
    • The campground also is available for organized youth groups, but requires a reservation. You can’t do this online (at ReserveAmerica) like the normal sites. For reservations call (352) 797-4140.

    Directions: Take I-75 Exit 301 onto US98/SR50. You'll then turn east (away from Brooksville) and go about 1 mile until you reach the second stoplight at Croom Rital Road. Turn left and proceed north. Follow the signs to the Withlacoochee State Forest Silver Lake Recreation Area and turn right into the complex and follow the signs to the campground.

Guide to Floral City

Floral City sits on the Tsala Apopka Chain of Lakes in central Florida, surrounded by cypress swamps and oak hammocks at around 45 feet above sea level. The area maintains a subtropical climate with summer temperatures regularly exceeding 90°F and mild winters. Campgrounds near Floral City provide access to the Withlacoochee River system with numerous primitive tent camping sites available for outdoor enthusiasts.

What to do

Paddle the Withlacoochee River: Launch from Crooked River Campground's staircase access point where you can explore the river by kayak or canoe. "I took my folding kayak out and the water was very nice and refreshing against the unbearable heat of Florida," notes Elliott B. from Crooked River Campground.

Explore hiking trails: The Withlacoochee State Forest offers extensive trail systems with varying difficulty levels. At Tucker Hill Forestry Primitive Sites, Jeanene A. reports, "You can hike all day and walk the 1/2 mile to car to get camping gear so you don't have to carry a heavy pack all day. Primitive site is located just off the A loop and you can get in some wonderful hiking here!"

Wildlife viewing opportunities: The diverse ecosystems around Floral City provide excellent wildlife spotting. "We loved exploring the trail and then letting the kids play in the water while we tried to catch some bass... The kids really loved cooling off in the river and catching frogs," shares Danae N. from Crooked River Campground about their family experience.

What campers like

Private, secluded campsites: Many tent camping areas near Floral City offer spacious sites with natural buffers. "At Crooked River it seemed like every site was surrounded by dense undergrowth which really added more privacy. You can see from my campground and another random site I took a photo of that you are really nestled into the underbrush," mentions Elliott B.

Waterfront access: Flying Eagle Preserve offers free camping with reservation and proximity to water recreation. "Amazing is all I can say. Hiking trails horse area. Fire rings and picnic tables," states DIANE F., while another camper adds, "Each time not a single soul to be found with the exception of the passing airboats. Site was very spacious and private."

Clean facilities: Several campgrounds maintain well-kept amenities despite their primitive nature. At Potts Preserve - River Primitive Campground, a camper notes, "Very pretty nice but you can not drive up to the sites must walk an eighth of a mile to site." The natural setting compensates for the walk-in requirement.

What you should know

Reservation systems vary: Some campgrounds require advance planning while others are first-come, first-served. At Croom B Loop Primitive Site, Jeanene A. advises, "All groups using the Withlacoochee State Forest are required to obtain a Special Use Permit from the Visitor Center. I always check for permits even when hiking alone as I would not want to encounter a large group when seeking a quiet evening."

Seasonal considerations: Florida's climate affects camping comfort dramatically. "Ticks can be bad - make sure you bring repellent, this site not far from road so in summer water can easily be cached in advance," warns a reviewer about the Croom area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Floral City, FL?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Floral City, FL is Crooked River Campground — Withlacoochee State Forest with a 4.5-star rating from 11 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Floral City, FL?

TheDyrt.com has all 40 tent camping locations near Floral City, FL, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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