Best Tent Camping near Lakeshore, 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.

Lots of tent camping and bike trails.

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.

We booked our tent camping trip for Valentine's Day and choose a spot with amenities so we were in with the RV's - and there was not much privacy there - sites have some trees but are fairly close and not much between them. Tent camping area was not much different but do not let this deter you from staying at this AMAZING park! This is a very busy state park because it has so much to offer! The CCC Museum cannot be missed. there is so much history there, you will be glad you took the time to check it out - great for all ages. There are many short loop trails that take you through many ecosystems, giant trees at sizes few have seen before, lots of wildlife to. These short trails are great for families and are all accessible from the roadside. You can drive right up to each one. There are longer trails that can also be explored. This part of Florida is also one of the darkest in the state, perfect for budding astronomers! Don't forget to check out the night sky, especially in the clearer cooler months of the year.

Old fishing camp being cleaned up by new management. Pontoon boats for rent, bait, tackle, and snacks in the office/store. Rv sites, permanent mobile home sites and I think tent camping. General manager Doc is so friendly. He love ensuring people are enjoying themselves.

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

It was our first trip in our new RV but have been tent camping there before. On this trip we were treated to a night time tram ride because the 26 species of fireflies were out for a 2 week period. The area is beautiful and shady, staff very friendly, lots of critters on the trails.

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.

Such a great place for families to camp!! The campground is nice and has bathrooms and showers, plus being able to go to the springs is so much fun and beautiful!! Saw deer at night in our campsite #3 we had a double tent site .. beautiful weather.. Springs of course were cold

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.

First timer car/tent camping and our stay was perfect. Deer roam happily around and your wake up call in the morning is courtesy of feisty Sandhill Cranes calling back and forth. Park and facilities were super clean. Nearby trash facilities checked and cleaned multiple times a day during our stay. I can't say how crazy it is during the summer time, but in the early fall it's a beautiful campsite to just hang out in and chill.

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.

We loved our tent camping experience at Lake Kissimmee. Our site was 22 in Loop 1 and we were pleasantly surprised to discover that we had our own direct path to the bathroom, which wasn’t something featured on the FL State Park booking site. On-site store was only open on specific days of the week and did not carry ice, but they did have small bundles of firewood. We look forward to booking the same spot when we come back to visit during the colder months.

Highlands Hammock is my go-to campground for trips with kids and/or new campers. We steer clear of the family camping area and stick to the wilderness (tent) area for more peace and quiet, but it does get busy there as well. Shade and privacy can be hard to come by unless you pick the right spot. The sites after the vault toilet and bend in the road (I believe sites 10 and up, as well as the 2 group sites) have better shade and privacy between, BUT they are closest to the main road outside the park so you can hear traffic and even see a house across the street. I personally stick to sites 1-5 as they have still have some shade and are farther from the road, with the compromise being they are quite close together (you'll probably be meeting the neighbors).

The tent sites are only okay, but the park itself picks up any slack remaining. It's huge, has great bike and walking trails (no dogs allowed on the boardwalk areas though), and lots of wildlife. If it gets too hot at the tent sites, we take chairs over to the shaded grassy clearing next to the pavilions and just hang out while any kids in the group enjoy the playground and camp store.

This park has everything for the family or first-time camper, while still satisfying the itch for experienced folks too!

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.

4 miles down washboard sand/gravel road will beat your truck and trailer to death. And the sites are small!! 18’ trailer in site #6 and had to unhitch the tow vehicle as it was sticking in the road. Barely fit 22’ trailer and tow vehicle in site #1 without unhitching. That aside, it is a beautiful quiet spot that is excellent for star gazing. Bath house is clean and lots of hot water. If you are car camping or tent camping or have a camper van, this might be a good spot for you. It is a dark zone, so no lights after dark - use red lights.

I had tent site 14 which was spacious and secluded due to shrubbery. Road noise is prominent as it’s next to a main road. It’s a trek to the main area with facilities and camp store so you’ll want to drive there. There are compost toilets in the tent area. The park itself is beautiful, with many trails and a variety of foliage. The tram tour is a must as the guides are knowledgeable and it’s an interesting description of the park, with almost guaranteed gator sighting. The camp store has all basic supplies (ice, firewood, cold drinks, etc). Great kayaking nearby at Arbuckle Creek.

All around a great location to get away and explore. This is one of the most comfortable and well-kept campgrounds I've found in FL. The staff and volunteers were very attentive and accommodating. The other campers were friendly and enthusiastic. We tent camped in the Equestrian loop, and the sites were decently spaced with plenty of room for our two tents, two cars, and 8 campers to spread out without bothering the neighbors. There are no stores or restaurants nearby, so pack well. These sites have water, electric, grill, and a table. Firewood is available for $7 cash per bundle (honor system). The dumpster is by the firewood. You can buy ice from the rangers for $2.50 during business hours. Showers are hot. Bathrooms are spacious.

I should probably mention that I'm camping spoiled. I traveled for a year or so around the country tent camping, and lived in Colorado for 10 years camping at least once a month out west. I'm from Florida, and I really didn't think there was much worth seeing here, so I stopped looking. It turns out I was wrong.

The air was so clean that we felt like we were on oxygen! The night sky was absolutely breathtaking, but catching dawn and dusk over the landscape is really nice too. The trails were well maintained and clearly planned to create a unique experience, while being just challenging enough to feel like a real adventure.

The animals just weren't afraid of humans. Our 6 teenagers were so excited to stand face-to-face, only a few feet from gentle deer, bunnies, and turkeys. We even saw some lazy baby alligators sunning on the Military Trail.

The Prairie Loop Trail took much longer than we anticipated, and the wind pushing us back was insane, but it was gorgeous and we had a lot of fun. I'll just plan better for that next time. And, the whole family agrees there will be a next time, soon!

If you are looking for a place in FL where you really feel "out in it", away from absolutely everything, while still having what you need to be comfortable, this is it.

Nice easy hiking trails including some boardwalks. Excellent tram tour to see the wild parts of the park (accessible). Makes a good stop on a road trip or base camp for exploring the area. Check out the nature and history museums nearby (not sure if they're officially on site), they're small but worth the time. Lots of wildlife. Didn't seem too touristy or crowded (neither day use or camp sites). Tent campsites are in wooded areas and are mostly pretty shady. Nice and clean, well-maintained like most State Parks.

Colt Creek State Park is one of the newer parks in the Florida State Park System. We had the opportunity to camp at one of the handicap accessible sites recently and found it to be very convenient. Path and pad on site were roomy and fire pit was higher than usual for safety. These tent sites had water and electric as well. There are 2 of these sites available and both are easily accessed from handicap parking close by. Because this is a new er park the trees have not grown in well enough yet to provide adequate shade so be prepared for that. There is a lovely fishing doc with easy access and bathrooms are just wonderful. There is a paved trail as well as wide dirt trails to explore. This is a great place to visit. Camp hosts were wonderful as well.

Cabin "camped" at Lake Louisa for a long weekend. The cabin was absolutely amazing, clean, spacious, and stocked with everyone we needed. Just had to bring food. Sitting on the porch at night in the glider rocker was so relaxing, there was hardly anyone at the park and it was very quiet. Paddled one of the lakes and did some productive bass fishing. There are kayaks to rent, or you can bring your own. BBQ'd in a pavilion one eve and it was super clean too. Biked the paved roads and hiked miles and miles of wooded trails. The public bathrooms were immaculate and the rangers we ran into were so very kind and helpful. Just bring plenty of bug spray! We can't wait to go back to tent camp next time!