Best Tent Camping near Lacoochee, FL

So I will say this site has super clean bathrooms, nice tent campsites and freshly paved roads. The tent sites have hookups and very close to the bathrooms. The only downfall is there isn't a ton to do here so don't expect anything spectacular.

Colt Creek State Park is one of the newest parks in the Florida State Park System. Their RV/Tent Campground just recently opened in early 2018. RV spots are spacious. There is not a lot of privacy between spots but cover will grow in in time. Most sites are in full sun most of the day. Tent camping areas are on grass not gravel. very nice dump and wash area at gate to campground. They also offer equestrian, group, and primitive camping at this location. The equestrian camp is well used and quite large with standard amenities for horses and campers. There are 2 primitive sites along a 10 mile loop trail. Group site does not have a pavilion but does have port o lets ( no water or electric). There are 4 lakes ( no swimming) on the property kayak/canoe rentals, nice fishing ares and a dock. Lots of wildlife. Great for biking as well.

We stayed here a lot when we first moved to Florida and loved it. We stayed in the tent ⛺️ area because it was the most cost effective. What you should know about the tent area is that it is not drive up, you have to walk a short distance to your site.

One thing that we loved about the location is that it is close to all of the attractions. We actually walked home from Universal Studios to our campsite one night.

Some other things to know you can only stay for 14 days at a time and only 14 days in a month. This was an issue for us as we were working in the area and camping full time. This seemed to be the case with all of the county parks in the area, so we had to move every two weeks.

Apparently you can stay longer in the RV Park, but they wouldn’t let us with our roof top tent. They went as far as to say that it is illegal. We looked into it latter and found that not to be true. Apparently it is illegal in Orlando to camp in a tent within city limits. This does not apply to roof top tents though as they are not on the ground. They were a bit rude about the whole thing and after being lied to, it left a bad taste in our mouths.

Remember that the tent sites are not drive up? Yea, we couldn’t use our roof top tent there either, fortunately we carried a ground tent too.

Some other things to know, the tent sites are close to the highway/ turnpike so there is always traffic noise. Some weekends and during breaks it is a training ground for high school rowing teams (you are not allowed to use a canoe in the lake either, but somehow rowing is ok) and there are competitions. So it can be busy then and noisy in the morning when they are training and competing.

Don’t look too closely at the girls in their tight athletic outfits either. Our neighbor got tossed out for that and complaining about their littering (which was a legitimate complaint there were water bottles littered everywhere when they were there).

So those are the pros and cons. In spite of the negative stuff we would and have gone there again as it is a nice spot.

Nice place, relatively quiet. Little light pollution. Sites are very spacious. Close and clean facilities. Saw a good bit of wildlife: deer and wild boar. Hiking and biking trials. I regular tent sites (which are also hammock friendly). Also have cabins for rent. Prices are on the lower end, $17 a night for tent sites. Only reason for the 4 start is the reservation system has to be done through the county park and rec sites.

The people are friendly and the fishing is great. Tent sites are primitive but there is a bath house.

How could being at Disney be a bad thing? Even when tent camping it was amazing. Never a mosquito in sight. Geckos all around. GREAT for bike riding around the campsite.

Tent camped at a site in loop one. Weather was nice, though we were warned it can get a bit muddy when it rains. Crowds were a bit higher on the trails during Saturday afternoon but Sunday morning was much more quiet and we saw lots of wildlife.

I typically avoid tent camping here in the summer months– early summer the trails are heavy with mosquitoes and summer rains bring a large amount of flooding. Though in the fall winter and spring this park is AMAZING. We were very lucky on this trip to have snagged spot at the high part of the riverside loop. Sites 20 and 21 typically stay dry enough for tents. Sites along the river side of loops are prone to flooding some holding as much as 4-6 inches of water.

 This trip was a short overnight to get rid of some pent up cabin fever. We loaded up a tent and the bikes, praying for dry weather. The mosquitoes were not bad, almost none, the the river was near flood stage and inches from overflowing its bank near the campground. 

The 2.5 mile loop from main entrance is perfect for biking, be careful near the pool area that is VERY crowded in the summer as many locals visit and it will reach capacity early in the day. You can rent bikes and canoes at the concession area near the stand if you did not bring your own. The grounds are beautifully kept, campground hosts are helpful, bathrooms clean and playground areas are plentiful. There are very nice pavilions and one air conditioned building available for rent for special events. If you are visiting in the summer call to make sure the site you booked is dry. 

We did see where one person got his travel trailer stuck on the mud trying to get into his site. There are very few tent campers in the summer so be prepared if you are tent camping to hear neighbors a/c running all night. 

I get products to test from time to time- today I am testing the INNO INH540 Bike Rack On first impression upon receiving– this is a heavy duty rack! Shipping weight is nearly 50lbs. and came fully assembled. This bike rack will fit both 1.25 and 2 inch receivers. We first tried to mount on my Jeep Liberty but we need to get a receiver extension as our spare tire prevented installation. So we mounted on our Dodge 1500 truck. I had to have my husband help me slip it into the receiver(was a bit awkward for me to do on my own).

 I was very pleased to find the unit came with a hitch lock that was keyed the same as the cable lock for the bikes. Rack came with 2 keys so we each have a key on our ring and can access without looking for it. 

The bars are adjustable and the rotating upper and lower cradles are well designed. The support bars also fold down when not in use. Another nice feature is locking pivot at base that will allow you to tilt the rack out of the way of tailgate to enable access without removing the entire rack. 

The rack will hold 4 bikes up to 35 lbs each or a total of 140 lbs. We have mountain bikes with less space on crossbars of frame so was a bit tight to get loaded. Loading was much easier once we did it a couple times and got used to where we needed to place the cradles. Street bikes load with no issues,(we borrowed the neighbors bikes to test and to show off our new INNO bike rack– they were jealous)! 

Order yours today from https://www.innoracks.com/ You will not be disappointed!

At the tent sites you are not allowed to have campfires which is kind of a bummer. The sites are on a slight slope that goes down to the lake. The sites are nice with a good view of the lake

What a lovely campground!

Everything is quiet and even though the sites are close to each other, there's lots of privacy (at least among the tent sites).

There appears to be a lot of people actives on water and on foot.

Staff has been very friendly.

SO where to start.. This camp ground is very expensive to stay. For a pop up tent campsite it's going to put you back about $200.. That does NOT include passes to Disney. You DO however have access to the other resorts. The campground itself is very nice.

Had a 2 night tent camp stay here during January. Great option for family reunions, we had my girlfriend’s 30th here, and with our rented golf cart, had no problems escorting our guests to our campsite to enjoy a camp cookout with us at our campsite. Was definitely an authentic Disney experience, with a never ending list of activities with plenty to keep kids and kids at heart busy, which we didn’t partake in since we were enjoying our campsite.

Horrible for tent camping. Didn't own an RV. I'm just traveling through, and I went off of what information was listed. This place is pathetic. Not as advertised. Trash is not taken out regularly. One table on the ground, and it's not a picnic camping table. Tent campers have no showers or restroom. Freeway is very close and noisy. Campground is not really for campers. I'd stay away. This place is appearing fraudulent. Owner does not run this property accordingly. Seems like just a place to store RVs. Not for camping in tents or RVs. Stay away. There's much better camping across the state, regulated and maintained.

We go a couple of times a year and it is the best. We have tent camp, used a pop and driven an RV. They also have cabins for those that do not want to “rough” it. It is a great place to start the camping lifestyle. My kids love it. Best time to go is Halloween and Christmas. Visitors will decorate their sites and it’s a lot of fun to visit. Every night there is a campfire and movie. There is a complete calendar of events that are free and some that require an extra cost.

If you’re tent camping in the tent-only walk-in sites, site 60 is definitely the most private (farthest from the lot but still a short walk in on a paved path). Bathrooms are two single stall/shower combos, but never too crowded. Campground is good for paddling, especially for renting from the concessions (they have single and tandem kayaks, SUP, and canoes). It’s a drive and a separate entrance to get to the head springs area of the park, though there is a small roped off swim area by the boat ramp. We went before tubing opens (April 1 each year), so the Rainbow was less crowded and stunningly clear and emerald.