Best Tent Camping near Fort White, FL

One of 5 river camps along the Suwanee River and one of the nicest. This system of river camps currently is first come first served with no fee - but that could change soon and screened sleeping platforms may require reservations. Reservations can be made for groups and are suggested. Suwannee River camps are spaced a days paddle apart and are wonderfully convenient (especially in summer when afternoon rains come daily and bugs are everywhere).

Most of the time you will have a camp host on the property.

River camp has bath house with water and electric, grills, fire pits, tent camping area and screened sleeping platforms with electric, lighting and ceiling fans. Many units also have hooks to hang you hammocks. There are 5 sleeping pavilions typically will hold 6-8 persons and have small corner tables with small bench. Each has picnic table and fire ring. You will find a broom in each shelter - please sweep out and leave clean for next group. Camp host oftentimes has firewood available for sale.

There are trails to explore around springs and sinks. You can learn a lot about Florida's Aquifer and more staying at this and other camps. Spring fed pools around take out area are a refreshing 72 degrees year round!

Tent camping area has fire pit and picnic table to share with others

At high water access to stairs to take out and to camp can be difficult.

Note: Always take paddles, PFD's, fishing equipment, food items and valuables to your camping area - do not leave in boats. There are raccoons and other nocturnal creatures and an occasional bear passing through.

One of 5 river camps along the Suwanee River and one of the nicest. This system of river camps currently is first come first served with no fee - but that could change soon and screened sleeping platforms may require reservations. Reservations can be made for groups and are suggested. Our outfitter American Canoe Adventures makes our reservations for us. We stay here at least 2 times a year as the Suwannee River river camps are spaced a days paddle apart and are wonderfully convenient (especially in summer when afternoon rains come daily and bugs are everywhere).

Outfitters have road access to help with deliveries of gear and supplies - Road access not open to the public. Most of the time you will have a camp host on the property.

River camp has bath house with water and electric, grills, fire pits, tent camping area and screened sleeping platforms with electric, lighting and ceiling fans. Many units also have hooks to hang you hammocks. Sleeping pavilions typically will hold 6-8 persons and have small corner tables with small bench. Each has picnic table and fire ring. You will find a broom in each shelter - please sweep out and leave clean for next group. Camp host oftentimes has firewood available for sale. There are trails to explore and if you look closely you will find remains and signs of old turpentine harvesting in the area close to the camp in the forest. Chuck-will's-widow, owls and frogs will serenade you at night.

Tent camping area has fire pit and picnic table to share with others

There are canoe racks off platform visible at lower water levels or you can tie boat up under ramp. At high water you will be able to paddle up walkway to get out. - please turn boat to side of railing and secure as far up ramp as possible to leave room for others coming in to get their vessels up. There are also canoe racks at top of walkway. Always take paddles, PFD's, fishing equipment, food items and valuables to your camping area - do not leave in boats. There are raccoons and other nocturnal creatures and an occasional bear passing through.

Ranger Review: Wild Zora Bars and Paleo Meals to Go at Hart Springs, Fl

Not far from the city of Gainesville sits the town of Bell, Fl home of many small springs. The spring we visited was Hart Springs. Hart Springs was just the right temperature on a hot summer day and a perfect location to enjoy Wild Zora Bars.

Camp Ground Review:

The Hart Spring has one of the largest swimming area with year-round 72-degree Fahrenheit water temperatures. The spring has an over bridge and concrete steps that lead down into the springs. Plenty of shade and Pavilions with grills close to the springs, playground, bathrooms and camp store. This park also has a splash pad, volleyball and basketball court. Beautiful ½ a mile-long boardwalk along the springs and the Suwannee River. Rentals of canoes and Kayaks available and cave diving is allowed for certified cave divers. The campground is located about 1 mile away from the spring accessible by a paved walking, bicycle or golf cart trail which is shaded by cypress, oak and pine trees. Campground has 71 sites (one loop), full hookups, and bathhouse with hot shower, washer and dryer. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring (no grill). Our site was #8 this site was deep, shaded and close to the bathrooms. Nice pool with bathrooms and a big pavilion with picnic tables and two grills for cooking at the pool. No alcohol. No pets (except at the RV campground) Reservations thru Reserve America website.

Product Review:

As a ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test various products. At Hart Springs I tested two products from Wild Zora: Wild Zora Bars and Wild Zora Paleo Meals to Go.

What I thought about Wild Zora Bars and Paleo Meals to Go:

1. Convenience- when spending the day at the springs, pool or on a hike it is nice to have a healthy snack with balanced nutrition without having to compromise on flavor.
2. Very tender and easy to eat- Having children it is often difficult to find jerky or nutrition bars that are soft enough to chew, these bars are tender and eaten without difficulty. This is also beneficial for my older father who finds it difficult to chew most Jerky.
3. Good balance of nutrition- it is nice to have a snack for both myself and my children that contains some vegetables. Unfortunately, we do not always get enough.
4. The Paleo meals are easy to transport, requiring no refrigeration and very simple preparation. When you are ready to eat you simply add water, stir and allow the food to cook. Prep for camping and hiking can be very time consuming. Having meals that are ready to go when you are is not only a time saver but, in some cases, can make the difference between a hot meal and a cold sandwich.
5. The texture of the Paleo Meals to Go was a bit softer than I would have anticipated, possibly I let it sit to long when preparing, but the flavor was very good, and the meal was filling.

I would recommend Wild Zora bars to anyone that is looking for a snack for camping, hiking, or just an all-around healthy snack. I would recommend to anyone who likes camping, especially where space is limited, to try the Paleo Meals to go.

One of 5 river camps along the Suwanee River and one of the nicest. This system of river camps currently is first come first served with no fee - but that could change soon and screened sleeping platforms may require reservations. Reservations can be made for groups and are highly suggested.

Wintertime is fantastic here as the bugs are at bay. Springs are 72 degrees year round and are not open to swimming and you will often find large groups of divers at the various holes. The extensive submerged cave system is on eof the most beautiful attracting divers from around the world.

River camp has bath house with water and electric, grills, fire pits, tent camping area and screened sleeping platforms with electric, lighting and ceiling fans. Many units also have hooks to hang you hammocks. Sleeping pavilions typically will hold 6-8 persons and have small corner tables with small bench. Each has picnic table and fire ring. You will find a broom in each shelter - please sweep out and leave clean for next group. Tent camping area has fire pit and picnic table to share with others. As with all river camps there are stairs up to the camps and trees and racks to tie up your vessels. Nice large picnic pavilion with grills.

There is a lot of space to explore here and at the adjoining Peacock Springs State Park.There are foot and equestrian trails to explore and lots of activities for EXPERIENCED cave divers.

NOTE: Always take paddles, PFD's, fishing equipment, food items and valuables to your camping area - do not leave in boats. There are raccoons and other nocturnal creatures and an occasional bear passing through.

PROS 

Site 14- shady; 100% sand; moveable small wooden picnic table and metal fire ring with cooking grate; small clothes line permanently erected 

Fairly new bathhouse which was very clean 

Quiet except for Interstate 10, US90 and occasional train 

Park security gate closes at sunset and requires code to enter 

Campground Drive thrus by sheriff and park personnel 

Very friendly and helpful volunteers 

Lots and lots of squirrels. 

Didn’t see any other wild life. 

CONS 

Paid transaction fee for making my own online reservation 

Camping in cars permitted in FHU campsites 

No privacy from other sites or campground roadway 

No Park WIFI 

1 bar TMOBILE

Don’t Miss 

Live Oak is the next eastbound Interstate 10 exit, so 7 miles, which has Walmart with Murphy fuel, Lowe’s, Winn-Dixie and Publix 

Watch local law enforcement speed surveillance on US90. Goes from 60 mph to 45 mph at the Interstate junction! 

Robbie’s Cafe for some reasonably priced home cooking 

O’Neal County Buffet in Madison for bodacious fried chicken

Located in the town of Trenton, Florida is this gem of a spot loved by the locals and tourists alike. They offer Lodge Rentals, RV Sites, Tent Camping & Cabins, Heated Pool & Great access to Otter Springs and the Suwannee River. There is a day use area, canoe & kayak rentals, basketball and volleyball court, and canoe rentals available. You can fish in the spring run or on the Suwannee River. We chose to camp in site with water and electric so we were in an RV spot but they have a designated tent camping area with water access and no electric.

We enjoyed exploring the over 600 acres, river, springs, nature trails and loved getting ice cream in the store after! The camp store has just about all you might run out of. Be prepared with insect repellent at dawn and dusk. Sites are spacious enough - not too close together but not much privacy either. If you do not like noise choose a sight away from the pool! RV sites have Full hookup: Electric (30& 50 amp.), water, and sewer. Good Sams memberships are accepted.

This is a great place to host a local event and they are VERY Veteran Friendly offering 15% off on daily and weekly camping. There is Wifi is available in the Pool Pavilion. 

Though this place is not brand new and shows some age, it has a wonderful, welcoming feeling. We really enjoyed our stay!

This hike-in only campground is but one of two such campgrounds that you’ll find here at Phillips Branch Crossing in Jennings State Forest. To reach Mule Landing Campground, you’ll have to first park in the Phillips Branch Crossing parking lot and from there, you’ll just want to follow the Dunns Farm Trail, passing the first campground (Dunn Farms) after about 1/3 of a mile in, where you’ll need to keep hiking for another mile until you reach the banks of the slow-moving Black Creek. You’ll wind around and ascend a slight incline before reaching Mule Landing, but trust me, if you are looking for one of the best private hike-in campgrounds, you’ve just arrived.

Like every primitive campground I’ve ever experienced, this one is no different and offers very little in the way of amenities, but what this place lacks in accoutrement, it more than makes up for by the simply pristine slice of nature that you’ll find yourself surrounded by. There’s enough room here for 2, maybe 3 small-to-medium sized tents with fairly level ground that is softened by all the downed leaves. There’s a single fire ring with a fold-over grill grate and a handful of logs to use for firewood. You’ll discover that there’s also this really cool bartop table with a matching bench that is perfect for whipping up a cocktail or eating dinner from. You’ll discover what looks to be like a trail heading west and away from the campground, but when I took it, this deadends, which might make me think this was created as a latrine of sorts. There was also a large 10 gallon blue Lowe’s plastic bucket that had been strategically left behind in case you wanted to bring some water from the nearby creek up to cook with or even drink (providing of course that you treat the water first). Oh, and there’s this simply sterling wooden bench (that I think our friends at TheDyrt planted here) overlooking the Black Creek at a place called Osteen Overlook that offers a great vantage point, which reads: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few are Dirt.”

Insider’s tips? There’s just a few here:(1) You really want to stay on the trails at all times as there are both deer ticks and rattlesnakes in these parts that, trust me, you don’t want to come into contact with; (2) While you might be thinking about biking on this long trail to make quicker time getting to Mule Campground, you can’t bike on any of the hiking trails here – but even if you could, take my word for it, you wouldn’t want to as the terrain is tough with decent inclines and declines, on top of what can be some rough footing on account of the tree roots; and (3) From this CG to Black Creek is only about 60 or so yards that you’ll have to navigate a set of handcrafted stairs and while we couldn’t find a decent place for a kayak or canoe to land here, I’m sure that there’s a spot nearby if you looked close enough – so rather than hiking in, you might be able to simply float your way here, but I would definitely call the FL State Ranger and inquire about this.

Happy Camping!

Campground Review

Woods Ferry River Camp is the first in a series of river camps available about a day’s paddle apart on the Suwannee River From White Springs (River mile 159.3 GPS Location: N 30 21.22, W 82 51.37 ) to Adams Track (River mile 85.5 GPS Location: N 30 2.10, W 83 1.14). On our recent visit River Level was at 52 making it easy to get out of kayak on a small sandy area under ramp. One of the storage racks had been damaged in recent storm/flooding but one still remained and held our 6 boats easily. There are carts to help you get your gear up the high 200 yard, winding ramp to get to the camp. Recent weather has taken a toll on this favorite camp of ours. We stayed in screened pavilion # 3 and found the railing to be loose and many of the installed hammock hooks bent down and unusable. Shower in the men’s room was scheduled for repair so we “stood guard” for our male camping companion to shower in ladies room. Camp hosts were wonderful and had ice as well as firewood available “for donation”. Fire pits were all clean as well as the rest of the facility! There is a large pavilion with picnic tables and electricity available for use with a large fire pit and grills. Other than routine maintenance needing done this place is holding up well. It is still free to stay at the river camps. There is a very nice tent camping area also! Screened pavilions need a reservation during busy time of year (which I would suggest always try to get). Our outfitter offers a service to shuttle gear to site for a fee. This trip there was a terrible storm front that came through and we did not get to finish our trip and outfitter was able to pick us up at this location. As we were aware of the trouble we could have with the weather we were able to get a call out luckily( limited cell service here) and arranged for our outfitter American Canoe Adventures – to pick us up. The hard part was moving all our boats from the river up to where the van could get to. Long ramp in the pouring rain – not fun. You cannot drive into Woods Ferry, this is a river access location only, except for camp hosts and permitted outfitters.

Product Review

On this kayak camping trip I had the opportunity to test out the Primus Lite XL . This stove comes with a 1 liter pot (good to feed 2 persons) that actually connects to the stove to prevent spills! This connection between burner and pot made for a secure unit making it much easier to stir the pot! The heat flows through the specially designed bottom of the pot which had fins built in, this heats the pot and items you are cooking very efficiently! This new feature also aids in keeping wind from carrying away your heat! Another bonus feature is the igniter button – no need to carry extra lighter for this stove. The clear lid with strainer, footrest, and folding stove handles make this a complete package. Well built, seems like with will hold up well in the back country and light/compact enough for backpacking. Primus did a great job with this set!. As a rebel I also had to test burner without the included pot and unit provided stable support and cooked evenly. Great gas saving stove! Thank you #PrimusAmerica !

Get yours today at https://primus.us/products/lite-xl-4?variant=17262671429