Best Tent Camping near Sanderson, FL

**Campground Review: **

Bayard Conservation Area is located in Green Cove Springs Florida and is maintained by the St. Johns River Water Management District. It is a track of land that has many hiking trails that traverse through shaded pine forests, hammocks, marsh, and river areas. 

We have day hiked here many times, but this trip we were going to do some primitive camping at one of the campsites. There are several areas to park and then hike in. The campsites are a few miles from the parking area. They include a fire ring and a picnic table. The campsites have several different settings, but we chose the river view. On our way to our campsite we were able to spot many animals including: deer, otter, turkey, and wild pigs. 

The area is kept clean and is quiet with the exception of a bit of noise pollution from the surrounding area. However, this does not distract from the experience. We enjoyed our overnight backcountry trip and highly recommend Bayard.

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**Product Review: **

As a Dyrt Ranger I receive products from time-to-time and this time I am testing out the Pureland 30L Guard Backpack sold by Outdoor Element. 

There are so many things to love about this backpack. The extensive cording and hooks on the outside made attaching extra items a breeze. I was able to store my trekking poles and Jetboil on the back with no problem. The hip pockets were an added plus and fit my cellphone inside of it easily. The room inside of the backpack was able to hold everything I needed for an overnight trip– including my bulky sleeping bag. The only two things that took away from the backpack was the inside zipper and the water pouch. The zipper on the inside of the bag came off the track with only a light pull while the bag was empty. It did not have the integrity that the zippers on the outside had. My 3.0L reservoir would not fit all the way in the provided pouch and hung out the top a bit. After the whole trip, I sincerely love this pack and will be using it for all of my hiking and primitive camping needs!!

We found this fun family friendly location from a facebook post about Tree house camping and had to check it out. Making reservations was pretty easy on the county website. There are a number of forms you will be emailed to print and fill out(will save you a lot of time if you plan to use the pool that is run by YMCA) 

Check in was easy. The office is closed form 12– 1 so no chance of checking in early. There is a Girl Scout Museum near the main office where you check is– but is rarely open. This was an old girl scout camp and now id open to the public. There are many different types of cabins available for rent, tent sites and 9 tree houses. Each area set up as a grouping with a bathhouse and kitchen pavilion. 

The tree houses were so fun to stay in and being higher up gave us chances of a breeze– many in our group brought battery operated fans. Though there was a threat of rain all weekend we stayed high and dry in the tree houses(2 sides are only screened) 

There was a very large lighted screened kitchen pavilion with fireplace, stove, fridge, sinks and covered outdoor grill. There were other campers in the tree house area we shared this community area with. It was great to have a place to hang out during the rainy evenings. Bath house was centrally located and clean. 

Pool was very nice and very strictly run by the local“Y”. It was closed a lot due to distant rumbles of thunder but we did get a few minutes to enjoy. 

Trails were well kept and took you through the property and past many of the grouped cabin areas. One boardwalk took you out to the river and fishing dock another out through the area by the tree houses. 

It was a good 10 minute hike with our gear to get to the tree houses from parking area near pool. Wagons are provided but pack light to save the trouble. 

Summertime this place is a kids paradise. There were lots of families, parties and groups on the property when we went. Fall and Winter we are told is the best time to camp here but we were advised to book early! 

Remember to Leave No Trace and enjoy this one of a kind experience!

Florida has many many different camping options.  I was looking for something unique and different from what I'd done before and this place popped up on my radar.  Definitely Different and Unique for Florida. And the perfect place to review my icemulecoolers.com 

Campground Review:

Camp Chowenwaw is located in Green Cove Springs, FL adjacent to the St. John's River and on Black Creek.  It was a Girl Scout Camp for 70 years and is now owned and operated by Clay County, FL (https://www.claycountygov.com/departments/parks-and-recreation/camp-chowenwaw-park).  There are many different styles of camping available here with lots of privacy between the different sections.  

I chose to camp in the Treehouse Point for a weekend where there are 9 Treehouses available for camping.  A group of us went and had Treehouse #4 and #5.  Each screened in non electric Treehouse slept 4 in bunk beds.  There were several central fire rings with a picnic table/benches throughout the unit.  A shared bathhouse with toilets, sinks, lights, and hot showers was available in the unit also.  There was a central dining hall for all of Treehouse Point with electric, lights, fans, inside fireplace, stove, refrigerator, sink area, and porch with outside charcoal grill and picnic table.  

Even with sharing the dinning hall with other campers it was great since it was big enough and everyone was friendly.  The Treehouses are spread out with some trees in between so they are semi private.  The pool is available but doesn't open til 10 am where as we were all ready to go earlier since it was HOT.  It was very enjoyable but HOT in July with no electric in the Treehouses.  We had no issues with mosquitoes or yellow flies and the frogs serenaded us every night loudly, so that was a cool experience.  We had decided not to take kayaks since there was a bit of a walk into our area and we didn't want to leave them in the parking area on our vehicles, which turned out to be a good decision because the kayak launch was under repairs.  They are planning on upgrading a lot so it should be great soon.  They recently upgraded and replaced the fishing pier and its awesome.  We are planning to go again in the Fall when its cooler.  I would recommend this place for a unique experience.  On a side note:  Green Cove Springs has a pool also in a community park on the St. John's River that is spring fed and would be a cool stop.

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products.  A Camp Chowenwaw I tested the icemulecoolers.com.  I got the ICEMULE Pro XL (33L which equals 24 cans plus ice) in Camo.

1.  What I loved about the ICEMULE was that I could wear it like a backpack and be comfortable and free my hands for something else.

2.  I loved that the straps were wide and comfortable.

3.  I also loved that the chest cross strap could be moved up and down to make it more comfortable for women to use the chest cross strap.

4.  The straps had lots of room to make smaller or larger so it will be great fit  for a variety of people and body styles.

5.  It kept my ice solid for three days in the FL heat.

6.  It has a port to add air to enhance the coolers insulation.

7.  It holds A LOT!!  I had 9 bottles of Propel water and 2 bags of grapes and 1 whole bag of ice.  It wasn't too heavy and there was room for much more.

Only draw back I had was that the camo style is fabric and tends to sweat a lot.  The other colors are vinyl and don't seem to sweat.

I'm ready to use my ICEMULE Cooler again.  I even want to take it kayaking and get some more accessories for it from their site like a dry bag and a waterproof box.

One of 5 river camps along the Suwanee River and one of the nicest. This system of river camps currently is first come first served with no fee - but that could change soon and screened sleeping platforms may require reservations. Reservations can be made for groups and are suggested. Our outfitter American Canoe Adventures makes our reservations for us. We stay here at least 2 times a year as the Suwannee River river camps are spaced a days paddle apart and are wonderfully convenient (especially in summer when afternoon rains come daily and bugs are everywhere).

Outfitters have road access to help with deliveries of gear and supplies - Road access not open to the public. Most of the time you will have a camp host on the property.

River camp has bath house with water and electric, grills, fire pits, tent camping area and screened sleeping platforms with electric, lighting and ceiling fans. Many units also have hooks to hang you hammocks. Sleeping pavilions typically will hold 6-8 persons and have small corner tables with small bench. Each has picnic table and fire ring. You will find a broom in each shelter - please sweep out and leave clean for next group. Camp host oftentimes has firewood available for sale. There are trails to explore and if you look closely you will find remains and signs of old turpentine harvesting in the area close to the camp in the forest. Chuck-will's-widow, owls and frogs will serenade you at night.

Tent camping area has fire pit and picnic table to share with others

There are canoe racks off platform visible at lower water levels or you can tie boat up under ramp. At high water you will be able to paddle up walkway to get out. - please turn boat to side of railing and secure as far up ramp as possible to leave room for others coming in to get their vessels up. There are also canoe racks at top of walkway. Always take paddles, PFD's, fishing equipment, food items and valuables to your camping area - do not leave in boats. There are raccoons and other nocturnal creatures and an occasional bear passing through.

This hike-in only campground is but one of two such campgrounds that you’ll find here at Phillips Branch Crossing in Jennings State Forest. To reach Mule Landing Campground, you’ll have to first park in the Phillips Branch Crossing parking lot and from there, you’ll just want to follow the Dunns Farm Trail, passing the first campground (Dunn Farms) after about 1/3 of a mile in, where you’ll need to keep hiking for another mile until you reach the banks of the slow-moving Black Creek. You’ll wind around and ascend a slight incline before reaching Mule Landing, but trust me, if you are looking for one of the best private hike-in campgrounds, you’ve just arrived.

Like every primitive campground I’ve ever experienced, this one is no different and offers very little in the way of amenities, but what this place lacks in accoutrement, it more than makes up for by the simply pristine slice of nature that you’ll find yourself surrounded by. There’s enough room here for 2, maybe 3 small-to-medium sized tents with fairly level ground that is softened by all the downed leaves. There’s a single fire ring with a fold-over grill grate and a handful of logs to use for firewood. You’ll discover that there’s also this really cool bartop table with a matching bench that is perfect for whipping up a cocktail or eating dinner from. You’ll discover what looks to be like a trail heading west and away from the campground, but when I took it, this deadends, which might make me think this was created as a latrine of sorts. There was also a large 10 gallon blue Lowe’s plastic bucket that had been strategically left behind in case you wanted to bring some water from the nearby creek up to cook with or even drink (providing of course that you treat the water first). Oh, and there’s this simply sterling wooden bench (that I think our friends at TheDyrt planted here) overlooking the Black Creek at a place called Osteen Overlook that offers a great vantage point, which reads: “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few are Dirt.”

Insider’s tips? There’s just a few here:(1) You really want to stay on the trails at all times as there are both deer ticks and rattlesnakes in these parts that, trust me, you don’t want to come into contact with; (2) While you might be thinking about biking on this long trail to make quicker time getting to Mule Campground, you can’t bike on any of the hiking trails here – but even if you could, take my word for it, you wouldn’t want to as the terrain is tough with decent inclines and declines, on top of what can be some rough footing on account of the tree roots; and (3) From this CG to Black Creek is only about 60 or so yards that you’ll have to navigate a set of handcrafted stairs and while we couldn’t find a decent place for a kayak or canoe to land here, I’m sure that there’s a spot nearby if you looked close enough – so rather than hiking in, you might be able to simply float your way here, but I would definitely call the FL State Ranger and inquire about this.

Happy Camping!

Campground Review

Woods Ferry River Camp is the first in a series of river camps available about a day’s paddle apart on the Suwannee River From White Springs (River mile 159.3 GPS Location: N 30 21.22, W 82 51.37 ) to Adams Track (River mile 85.5 GPS Location: N 30 2.10, W 83 1.14). On our recent visit River Level was at 52 making it easy to get out of kayak on a small sandy area under ramp. One of the storage racks had been damaged in recent storm/flooding but one still remained and held our 6 boats easily. There are carts to help you get your gear up the high 200 yard, winding ramp to get to the camp. Recent weather has taken a toll on this favorite camp of ours. We stayed in screened pavilion # 3 and found the railing to be loose and many of the installed hammock hooks bent down and unusable. Shower in the men’s room was scheduled for repair so we “stood guard” for our male camping companion to shower in ladies room. Camp hosts were wonderful and had ice as well as firewood available “for donation”. Fire pits were all clean as well as the rest of the facility! There is a large pavilion with picnic tables and electricity available for use with a large fire pit and grills. Other than routine maintenance needing done this place is holding up well. It is still free to stay at the river camps. There is a very nice tent camping area also! Screened pavilions need a reservation during busy time of year (which I would suggest always try to get). Our outfitter offers a service to shuttle gear to site for a fee. This trip there was a terrible storm front that came through and we did not get to finish our trip and outfitter was able to pick us up at this location. As we were aware of the trouble we could have with the weather we were able to get a call out luckily( limited cell service here) and arranged for our outfitter American Canoe Adventures – to pick us up. The hard part was moving all our boats from the river up to where the van could get to. Long ramp in the pouring rain – not fun. You cannot drive into Woods Ferry, this is a river access location only, except for camp hosts and permitted outfitters.

Product Review

On this kayak camping trip I had the opportunity to test out the Primus Lite XL . This stove comes with a 1 liter pot (good to feed 2 persons) that actually connects to the stove to prevent spills! This connection between burner and pot made for a secure unit making it much easier to stir the pot! The heat flows through the specially designed bottom of the pot which had fins built in, this heats the pot and items you are cooking very efficiently! This new feature also aids in keeping wind from carrying away your heat! Another bonus feature is the igniter button – no need to carry extra lighter for this stove. The clear lid with strainer, footrest, and folding stove handles make this a complete package. Well built, seems like with will hold up well in the back country and light/compact enough for backpacking. Primus did a great job with this set!. As a rebel I also had to test burner without the included pot and unit provided stable support and cooked evenly. Great gas saving stove! Thank you #PrimusAmerica !

Get yours today at https://primus.us/products/lite-xl-4?variant=17262671429

Located in the in the rolling sandhills of north central Florida, Mike Roess SP is one of the oldest in the sunshine state’s amazing collection of well-maintained state parks, built back in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC), inspired by one of my personal heroes, Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt’s ‘The New Deal.’ Here, you’ll discover sanctuaries of old-growth longleaf pines amidst a golden sea of grasses providing a shady oasis from an otherwise sunny, humid and unrelenting Florida sunshine, which offers up as a treasure the cold spring water of the Gold Head Branch. The crystalline clear water from the steep lead ravine forms a natural spring here that allows for Gold Head Brand to bisect the park. Nearly 6 miles of Florida’s National Scenic Trail run through this treasured patch of land, where you’ll be able to easily catch a glimpse of white-tailed deer, turkey, gopher tortoise, fox squirrels, pocket gophers, bald eagles and a few black(and even rarer in these parts, brown) bears. 

Fancy swimming, boating, kayaking, canoeing and/ or fishing in a beautiful lagoon (a.k.a. Little Lake Johnson) while camping in some of the best maintained state park facilities? Then look no further than here at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park. But a quick head’s up: this state park has multiple campgrounds to choose from. In all, there are 6 (yes, that’s right, count them, 6!) campgrounds that you will have to select between, but all are a little bit different, so for this particular review, I will be focused on just the Sandhill Camping Area. This spot is one of two that are closest to the Park Ranger office that you would have entered at the front of the State Park, having arrived either northbound or southbound on State Road #21. 

You will pass the Equestrian Trail Head (that connects you to the Florida National Scenic Trail), following a well-paved lane that passes by Sheeler Lake (no fishing or swimming here BTW) on the right and a Ravine Stairway (you’ll easily see by road signs), where you will take the very first left that you come to. Follow this lane until you reach a fork in the road, where you can either turn right (to Turkey Oak camping area – which I detail in another review) or left to Sandhill Camping Area. Once at this spot, there are exactly 18 sites (#1 - #18) ordered in low to high with alternating sites on either side. It’s a simple, singular loop that posits a fairly well-maintained restroom and shower facility in the middle of the loop, with a trash dumpster offered at the end. There’s decent shrubbery between campsites and a fairly fantastic tree line that encircles Sandhill. 

For a state park, there’s a ton of amenities in addition to primitive, group, regular tent, RV and trailer camping, including, but not limited to the following amenities: geo-seeking, paddling, star-gazing, wedding pavilions, hiking trails, BBQ’s, fire rings, swimming, canoe and kayak launch with beachhead, wildlife viewing, birding, picnic tables, fishing, horseback riding, reunions and group gatherings, walking and running trails, restored historic sites (e.g. Old Mill), meeting & retreats, laundry facilities, restrooms, bathhouses, playgrounds with swings and slides, shower stations, parking, equestrian trails, cabins and a mini-mart at the Ranger’s Station where you can buy ice, kindle and a number of other sundry items. All this and the entire place is pet-friendly. 

Insider’s Tips? Here’s a few: (1) I believe that the best spots are on the external side of the single loop at the corners, providing for maximum privacy, so look at campsites #4 and#6 (seemingly the most amount of space) or #13 and #15; (2) If you would like to get a decent hike in, follow the sign to the Mill Site and when there, follow the Loblolly Loop for a shorter, less arduous hike and Ridge Trail for a longer, more difficult trek (note: both of these loops follow the Gold Head Branch, with the Ridge Trail heading north to the Ravine, where there’s an overlook and picnic area); (3) If you have horses, bring ‘em! This entire park is completely circumnavigated by an outer ring of perfect horse hiking terrain; (4) Tired of hitting SP’s only to realize that there aren’t many picnic tables or places to throw your spread for a nice meal or afternoon of leisure? You won’t have that problem here at Mike Roess – there’s about 50 or so individual picnic tables spread throughout the entire park; and (5) When you get tired of firing up franks & beans or foraging for your next meal in your Cordova roto-molded cooler, head on over to Brooklyn Boy’s (a.k.a. THE PIG) for some solid Italian staples (think pasta and pizza) – where I recommend the fried ravioli, sausage & peppers hero, but the item that steals the show is the seafood Possillipo with a nice Pinot Grigio (BYOB) to wash it all down with. 

Happy Camping!

One of 5 river camps along the Suwanee River and the 2nd camp from White Springs. This system of river camps currently is first come first served with no fee - but that could change soon and screened sleeping platforms may require reservations. Reservations can be made for groups and are suggested. Our outfitter American Canoe Adventures makes our reservations for us. The Suwannee River river camps are spaced a days paddle apart and are wonderfully convenient (especially in summer when afternoon rains come daily and bugs are everywhere).

Most of the time you will have a camp host on the property and MAY have firewood for sale. Their site is hte last site past the bathrooms(and they are past all the sleeping pavilions.

This river camp has lots of tent camping space, a small bath house with water and electric, grills, fire pits, and screened sleeping platforms with electric, lighting and ceiling fans. Many units also have hooks to hang you hammocks. Sleeping pavilions typically will hold 6-8 persons and have small corner tables with small bench. Each has picnic table and fire ring. You will find a broom in each shelter - please sweep out and leave clean for next group.

There is a nice beach at lower water levels to pull up your vessel or you can tie boat up under ramp. At high water this ramp can be tricky to unload from in a strong current (we have seen it with no beach visible) Always take paddles, PFD's, fishing equipment, food items and valuables to your camping area - do not leave in boats. There are raccoons and other nocturnal creatures and an occasional bear passing through.

Swimming and fishing are nice here. Lots of places to explore. Make sure you have some bug spray for evenings in summer months

Overall: Excellent campground with close access to the Suwannee River, not far off I-75 near White Springs. The sites are, for the most part, nicely private with a good bit in intentional foliage between them. Most of the sites are well shaded. The river access and trail are beautiful. The water level was quite high when I was there compared to prior visits so it was not possible to walk along the waterline. 

Getting there: Get off I-75 at the White Springs exit, go East on NW thunder Street, left on State Rd 100 and follow the signs. 

Check in and staff: I was there on a Saturday night, having easily made reservations online using the Florida State Park website: https://www.floridastateparks.org/camping. My ticket with site number and map was there in the little booth for pick up. I did not see any staff the entire time that I was there. 

Amenities: Most of the attractions like the carillon tower, craft center etc were closed when I was there. The canoe launch and the river access were easy to get to and beautiful in the early morning light. It seemed that a wedding was recently done or going to be done down by the river in the little pavilion there. Fresh water and electricity at sites with them worked well. 

Bathrooms: clean, well kept. Laundry machines available. I did not try taking a shower so I cannot comment on that but they looked clean. 

Site: I had site 33. Very nice, private and relatively close to the bathroom.   Flat and well drained.  Bugs not too bad this time of year.  Fire ring, BBQ and wooden picnic table were clean.  The only negative that I experienced while there is that one neighbor or the other seemed to have the entire population of the campground at the site, having a very raucous noisy party. I finally had to yell for quiet about 10 pm to try to get some sleep. Fortunately the folks responded by quieting down, even though “quiet time” starts at 11pm per park rules.