Join the fun near Lutz. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Lutz is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Lutz and user-submitted reviews.
$24 / night
"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."
"Lots of RV campers, sites that are quite close to each other, and rock-hard ground from being packed down by heavy vehicles day after day."
"I live in an adjacent neighborhood (2 years) and walk this park daily with my doggos. I’ve biked all the trails and been here from sunrise to sunset."
"This is a great park with trails, restrooms, boating, a fun playground, nice picnic areas, volleyball, BMX, and more."
"Part of the Starkey Wilderness Preservethis location is full of multi use trails, has primitive cabin rentals (no electric"
"We stayed at one of the hike-in sites and had a good time. Be prepared for a trek, as the site was a couple miles in. The trail was nice and paved though, suitable for bicycling in."
"This centrally located primitive camping spot is centrally located near the Odessa area near Tampa."
"Lake Rodgers trail and campsites are beautiful and well kept up. The 3 trails( upper, mid, and lower) make it nice to walk thru different terrains."
"Other parks and trails are located at the Wilderness Park Off Road Loop Trail System, [Flatwoods Park](https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us"
"No hookups or dumpsites. There is a pump well for non potable water and a port a potty on site. Miles of trails and plenty of space to explore."
$24 / night
"Stayed over mother's day weekend at Lithia Springs."
"Stayed over mother's day weekend at Lithia Springs."
"Crooked River Campground is located within the Croom Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest (Hernando County), and a short 5-mile drive from I-75."
"Tent camping only, with a picnic table, fire ring and water faucet. You have a bath house you can get to by walking and it has hot water in the fall and winter months."
"Awesome park with well maintained trail. There are a lot of other small trails that lead off into the woods. If you wander, bring a compass and throw some az. Fun times"
"Love this place so many trails"
"These (this) equestrian and primitive campsite(s) have several of your standard picnic tables under a nice large covered pavilion, fire rings and multiple grills."
"Lovely space for dispersed camping with a picnic table, fire pit, an outhouse and hiking trails. We'll definitely visit again when we're in Florida."
LegendPart 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!
LegendThis 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.
ScoutThe camp sites are hike in only. I LOVE this. Bring a manageable pack with everything you need. There is no water, power, or restrooms at the sites. There is a restroom facility about a 1/2 mile down the trail. There was firewood for use when I went. Sites were equipped with hammock posts, picnic table, and a fire pit. There was also a trash can. I had a great time, the whole park to myself for the night. Strongly recommend if you enjoy primitive camping.
GuideOkay, 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.
ScoutReservations months in advance required. Nice dog beach. No alcohol allowed so keep it inside along with music. No hookups.
GuideWe 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.
TravelerWe 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!!
LegendStayed 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.
LegendCrooked 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
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.
Tent camping near Lutz, Florida offers a variety of scenic locations where nature enthusiasts can enjoy the great outdoors while being close to urban amenities.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Lutz, FL is Hillsborough River State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 65 reviews.
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