Best Tent Camping near Lakeland, FL

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!

This location is utterly beautiful! So many different environments can be seen just walking the trials. The 4 primitive campsites we found were along the river and we did not see bathrooms or picnic tables or fire rings. The trails are marked well but not often maintained - so you really get the feel that you are in the middle of nowhere. No traffic was heard at night and I would not camp out there alone on a weekend due to the "local party crowd". This is a hike in and hike out site. We only stayed 1 night. No amenities. Lots of birds and wildlife in the late day and early morning. Parking is a small fenced in area before turn in road - no security/lighting appx 1.5 miles from camping area that we found

I would have given this location a 5 except for the large amount of trash we found on trails (that we carried out) and the obvious disregard for rules of no swimming and no alcohol.

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.

We decided to book a group primitive campsite in this state park. We were in the primitive group campsite on the Buster Island Loop. It was about 3 miles to hike in to the site. The path is very clear with markers and when you arrive at the site, there is a clear indicator to follow. The path to the site is right off the main trail.

Since this is a primitive site, there are no facilities and keep in mind you need to bring your own water for drinking, cooking, cleaning etc. At the site there were two picnic tables and a fire ring which was enough for our group. The area was cleared with a lot of space to set up all of our tents. We were here in late April when the weather was getting warmer so remember to bring mosquito repellent and enough water for your whole group to stay hydrated!

The hiking trails are loops about 6 miles long where you can experience different types of Florida environments and boating on the lake. And there are also history demonstrations showing the old Florida cowboys at the park.

All in all, this park has many options and activities. Whether you are into water sports or biking and hiking, this park has it all.

The reservable campsites here are very close to each other and not shaded very well, no privacy. We changed to the primitive sites that are first come first served. The are a bit more private and have trees for hammocks etc. it’s nice out there. You can sometimes hear the nearest road and see a power line from camp so you don’t feel that far from the city unfortunately. Sites have a fire ring/grill and picnic table. There is an outhouse out there and on the road in a faucet to get some drinking water, they say it’s clean even though it may be discolored. There are a bunch of short trials to hike in the park. Through some woods, swamps etc. very pretty.

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.

We always camp in the primitive sites when we visit. The are large but have minimal shade. There is a picnic table and fire ring at each site and there is a toilet nearby. For showers you have to drive to the regular campground and use theirs. You can purchase firewood in the park as well. There are no hookups at the primitive sites. Behind the primitive sites is a road so you do hear cars and trucks driving by at night.

We were interested in visiting this park because it is one of Florida's oldest state parks. There are many trails you can visit while you are here. These trails are pretty cool because they are all different so you will never get bored. You can either bike, drive or walk there yourself, but there is also a tram tour you can take. There is also a museum in the park as well if you want to learn more about the area.