LegendPellicer Campground - Princess Place Preserve
Pristine, Secluded Nature Getaway Hidden Away @ Princess Place Preserve
What you will enjoy most about the Pellicer Campground is that it is the tiniest of all the camping areas here at Princess Place Preserve, offering up just 2 campsites. That said, IMHO Pellicer is the best of all the camping options here, for a few reasons. First of all, it’s size alone gives it a real sense of privacy along with that comes next to no noise (unless you count the constant drumming of the choir from the cicadas noise). If you don’t keep your eyes peeled, you will drive right by Pellicer Campground, so once you’ve entered Princess Place Preserve proper, meaning that you will have passed through an actual gate (likely open if during day hours) and you’ll go around the bend past the horse staging area on your left and just when you see the covered bridge, you will want to hang a left (if you cross the covered bridge, you’ve gone too far).
Camping here is fairly basic and primitive with just water spigots, fire ring and designated trash receptacles as well as a duo port-O-potty. Also, there is an eerie feeling of desolation when we visited as this part of the preserve had recently undergone a controlled burn, which simply adds to the mystique and uniqueness to the place in my mind. What I absolutely loved about Pellicer Campground is that either site#1 or #2 comes with its very own kayak / canoe launch and offers a really exclusive access point to the waterways you’ll discover here – whereas the main kayak / canoe launch across the bridge and closer to Moody CG will dump you out in the largeness of the Matanzas River, But here at Pellicer, you’ll slowly slip into one of the many small tributaries that zig zag throughout Princess Place Preserve like a water snake. The other upside locating yourself here at Pellicer Campground is that you will be centrally located to everything that Princess Place Preserve has to offer, so nothing is too far out of reach.
As far as Princess Place Preserve itself is concerned, there are more than 1,500 square acres to explore that will offer the best of both surf (with 3 conjoining rivers) & turf (which is simply fantastic marsh). On the surf front, you’ll have the trifecta of salt marshes from the Matanzas River, slow-moving currents of the Moody Creek and abundant fishing of the Pellicer Creek to contend with – all three of which make for perfect kayak, canoe and paddleboard exploration (just be on the watch for alligators!). Back on land, there’s plenty of hiking trails that provide a bevy of well-cleared fully-functioning foot paths … while on the other hand, you will discover trails that are in dire need of some decent pruning as well as those, due to recent rainfall, will be either flooded or too muddy to trudge through.
History sidebar: the name Princess Preserve comes from the widow Angela Cutting who remarried a Russian prince and assumed the title of princess (although there was no coronation). The entire park is managed by Flagler County Parks & Recreation, which I have to say (apart from the bathroom / shower facilities) have done an outstanding job at not just preserving this amazing nature destination, but the county is in overdrive in its restoration efforts of the place, as you will see with the main lodge and nearby buildings and horse stable that have recently received a very nice refurbishment.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a smattering: (1) Here at Pellicer Campground, you will not be impressed by the port-O-potty bathroom options, but if you cross the covered bridge, you can either head towards the main lodge where to the left is a fairly decent restroom facility, but if you’re looking for a nice hot shower, you will have to make your way over to the Equestrian Campground, so this is the one (fairly massive) downside to Princess Place Preserve – just one shower facility in the entirety of the Preserve, which I score just a 5 out of 10; (2) Everywhere you go the water is non-potable, so be sure to bring your own fresh water to drink; (3) Interested in taking advantage of the historic tours that are offered here? Just note that they are first-come, first-served, so upon arriving here, be sure to ask a Park Ranger for first availability – typically, the tours are offered each day around 2pm; (4) If you are a biker, like I am, you will definitely want to bring your wheels here, where all of the main roads and even most of the trails are simply perfect for riding on and the expansive nature of Princess Place Preserve will give you miles and miles to explore without biking on the same trail twice!; (5) When you want to get cleaned up and venture out to visit some of the nearby haunts, be sure to check out Rodie’s Place in Hammock Beach, which is a funky local cooking institution that has an amazing upscale menu of which I highly recommend the skillet baked brie, Nashville hot chicken sandwich and the homemade coleslaw; and (6) My pro-tip for Pellicer CG is this - call ahead to verify that the road into this CG or the surrounding roadways aren't flooded - I've been here half a dozen times and at least half the time, the roads are inundated with water from the rivers, so tread carefully (or wear boots!).
Happy Camping!
