Best Equestrian Camping near Tampa, FL

Well we didn't like the tent and RV sites. They're in an open area on gravel with no shade and hardly no divisions. There are other areas for special groups that are much nicer. But for individual campers. The equestrian area was the nicest to us. But you must have a horse to stay there.

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.

What an amazing State Park - they have multiple camping options. Equestrian, Car/RV camping and there is a back country site on a 7 mile loop trail that runs part of the way along the river.

The Car/RV camping spots are roomy, somewhat private. bathrooms are clean, almost always have camp hosts available.

Access to the back country loop trail and camping is just down the road. Reservations are required and you check in at main gate. camp is about 4 miles in on trail if hiking counter clockwise. There is a space for fire and picnic table at site. This is a nice place for beginner backpackers to try out. Sadly just through the tree line is a golf course and housing community. Note: resident raccoon is very large - you must hang your secure food and trash! You can see lights through the trees at night and hear the lawn equipment in the mornings. This can be comforting to first timers though. The hike along the river is just beautiful.

Equestrian camping group camping area offers 4 sites has stalls and other amenities for horse camping. fire pits and picnic tables. There are 12 miles of trails in the state park

There is also a primitive group camping site for scouts and other similar organizations.

There are many ranger and local outfitter activities and seasonally there are offered full moon horseback and kayak trips that allow you to see the area in a "different light"

Fishing is available also on the river, The "lake" is man made and has little to offer for those wanting a catch.

Make sure you book your reservation early as this park fills up fast!

The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve is one of the largest contiguous recreation areas in Hillsborough County.

There are lots of different parks and areas all contained within the Preserve with all park sites managed by the Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department.

You can only camp within 2 of these areas, the Oak Ridge Equestrian Area and at Dead River Park.

Other parks and trails are located at the Wilderness Park Off Road Loop Trail System, Flatwoods Park, and the Jefferson Equestrian Area. The Morris Bridge Park, Trout Creek Park, and John B. Sargeant Park, offer day use areas and boat/canoe launch ramps.

The multiple purposes of the LHWP are easily overlooked while enjoying the natural beauty of this suburban woodland. Here one can paddle waters of the Hillsborough River amongst wading birds, turtles, alligators, lilies and cypress swamps; explore over 60 miles of forest trails; fish from riverside boardwalks; or enjoy a relaxing picnic or cookout.

Adjoining the Wilderness Preserve is the 3,000-acre Hillsborough River State Park, which in itself is an area of beauty and tranquility known as the Seventeen Runs of the Hillsborough River. This park also has wonderful camping.

Camping

Dead River Park

· Camping fee.

· Campsite available to youth groups by reservation only. Minimum of 6 and maximum of 30 campers allowed. Groups must have their own insurance.

· A 0.25-mile hiking trail for use by campers located adjacent to campground.

· Bathhouse and picnic facilities provided.

The Oak Ridge Equestrian Area has 2 different campgrounds.

The Oak Ridge Primitive Campgrounds and the Washburn Primitive Campground

· Camping free.

· Campsite available by reservation only and is required and must be displayed or available at campground

· Over 16-miles of equestrian/hiking trail for use by campers located throughout the campground.

· Sites have picnic tables, fire rings and/or grills and there are ADA portapotty and non-potable water available.

· The Oak Ridge Campground also has a pavilion

This campground is part of the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve within the Oak Ridge Equestrian Area. You’re a little closer to the road (about ¼ to ½ miles away) than if you stay at the Oak Ridge Campgrounds about 2.5 miles north on SR 597 “Morris Bridge Road”. Although this isn’t a terribly busy road so you shouldn’t hear too much traffic sounds, especially at night. You do need to get a freepermit to camp from the South West Water Management District here. The campground here is also huge as you can use it either as a primitive site or an equestrian site. Although it's nice and open you have a ton of tree coverage. Within the campgrounds themselves you do get a nice mixture of oak and pine tree coverage, so if you want to hang anything from the trees you’ll have plenty of options.

This campground is also a lot harder to find as there is no signage from the road and Google Maps is currently trying to take you to the main entrance which is where the sister Campground “Oak Ridge” and main entrance to the equestrian area is located. The GPS location for the entrance is: 28.1189, -82.2975 or the address is 14501 Morris Bridge Road Thonotosassa, FL 33592. I also have a photo of the street number sign you can see from the road. It’s basically right across the road from the Flatwoods Wilderness Park. I was all alone, and if you camp in the summer you probably will be to as it gets hot, really hot and humid. You need to make sure and bring lots of cold water to drink, because the pump isn’t portable and I doubt you’ll be feeling great after boiling it off. You can also filter it, which isn’t as bad as the water is relatively cool.

Facilities include:

Picnic tables, fire rings, a non-potable water well, and a clean (actually smelled clean) ADA portapot. No trash cans or drinking water.

Over 18 miles of Equestrian/Hiking trails

Very nice facilities. Miles of horseback trails to ride. Very nice horse stalls to put horses in overnight. Perfect place for equine vacation!

The biggest draw with this place is the price - it's pretty cheap for a Florida State park. But it's basically a large field with a small lake in the middle, and campsites scattered around it. No hiking or activities or anything. That said, it was well kept and made for a fine overnight stop for us on our way to Tampa.

Great place to take horses camping

3.2 mile hike through mostly open Florida pine forest with the occasional swamp. Perfect time of year to come. Site has great shade and opens up at the fire pit for great star gazing. Only downside is that you are under the flight path for Tampa Intl. so you get the occasional jets above. We had a small spike buck come into our camp at night and he didn’t even flinch at us from 20 yards. Awesome experience for my son. Weather was absolutely perfect. For being generally surrounded by urban areas this place is a win for ease of access. Good cell service with T-Mobile as well. We will definitely be doing this again!

Nice new state park a bit NE of Tampa. Small lakes and trails in former lime rock quarry. Restrooms were very clean and we enjoyed seeing lots of birds, a snake and a bunny.

This is a nice pleasant location with nothing around but nature. This totally primitive site can be found 12 miles out from the McNeil Trailhead near Colt Creek State Park on Hwy 471. Choose your hiking dates well, the warmer and more humid the more difficult the hike. Trails can get pretty wet in the rainy season also.

Site was clear and open, which was good because there is an abundance of ticks to be found in the brush. There are places for tents and hammocks using tree safe straps. benches, fire ring and even a picnic table. Insect repellent is a must have!

The insects and frogs put on an amazing chorus after a rain. You will need to hang food and trash at night to keep critters away. 

There are 65 miles of trails here, 37350 acres, and you really need to pay attention to the trail signs. there are separate equestrian sites in the area and separate trails as well.

A free reservation is required and must be displayed or available at campground.

Trails can also be access from 13347 Ranch Road in Dade City, Florida

There were not a lot of things to do here beyond hiking and boating. The campground was small with about 30 sites, dispersed. Three pavilions for when people can have gatherings again. Tampa is not too far away, but the park is kind of removed.

Really enjoyed our stay here, good size lot, #10, with electric, water, picnic table and fire ring. Clean dump station. Natural trees providing privacy between lots. A lot of walking trails for people and horses. A surprise was the amphitheater. Washers and dryers are located outside the bathrooms. Friendly hosts and other campers. Would came again.

I absolutely love this park! There are so many trails and places to ride our bikes. It was really nice just relaxing on the dock to watch the birds in the lake. Bathhouse was always clean. Our site was really nice. We had a really long driveway. Campers around us were very friendly. I would absolutely go back! We loved riding down to see the horses.

This has been our first park Campground and couldn’t ask for a better one to start with. We arrived an hour sooner then the check in time and it was already available so no need to wait. The fire ring was clean as well as the RV spot. Rangers were very helpful getting us around and renting the canoes. Very private and spacious spot for Big Rigs as well as the medium size.. The equestrian rentals were very nice also. The bathrooms and showers are under construction and are located at spots from 1 thru 4 so if wanting more privacy 6 and up are for me much better. Our spot was 10 and we loved the privacy of the nature between every campsite along those areas for bigger rigs. The River is really nice for canoeing as well as for fishing and nature views. Hopefully we find again a spot to come again this year. Clean, well organized and well kept facilities and staff

We arrived to check in only to fine we were to get the last remaining campsite available. After checking in we drove to our campsite. The campsites are large and well spaced. With a lot of room in between them. A gravel back in drive area that contained a fire pit a grill, electric and water. A short walk to the bathrooms that were well laid out, large and exceptionally clean. After dinner we walked the camp road and enjoyed the night sky. Every star was out and clearly visible. Withe night turning cool and the skeeters emerging we headed into our cozy van camper to read and sleep the night away.

I was up early to see the rain clouds forming, the air was chilled and the liquid sunshine was starting to drip. Quickly making the coffee and tea on the Coleman camp stove proved to be a good decision. Packing up and taking down the pop-up shade awning went smoothly and we ate our breakfast in the van.

Time to explore the whole camp. The Youth camp are was beautiful and large. The Equestrian camp area was well laid out and well kept. On to a very large screened room with toilet facilities at the fishing and boating area. The ramp for putting in your kayak or canoe was great and the dock area was a joy to be on and use.

Colt Creek State Park - 16000 State Road 471 - Lakeland, FL - 33809 (863)815-6761

Ranger Review: Midland – GXT1000VP4 TWO-WAY GMRS RADIO at Upper Hillsborough Preserve — Alston Tract

Campsite:

A free reservation is required and must be displayed or available at campground.

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. All nicely nestled into a set of large open areas under an abundance of shade producing oaks and some random pines. There is a portable ADA toilet and a non-potable water pump source available. So, campers will need to bring their own water or filtration system…

You’re situated right off to the side of some immediate access to 16 miles of partially wooded roads (“trails”) marked for multiuse, Biking, Hiking, or Horseback riding.

These “trails” at the Alston Tract of the Upper Hillsborough Preserve meander through pine flatwoods, consisting of both slash and longleaf pine overstory and floodplain swamp along the river.

On the eastern edge of Zephyrhills, the nearly ten thousand acres of the Upper Hillsborough Preserve protect the Hillsborough River as it drains out of the Green Swamp towards its destination in Tampa Bay. This preserve is divided into the Upper Hillsborough Tract and the Alston Tract. The Alston Tract is a gorgeous portion of the Upper Hillsborough tract. Protecting the upper reaches of the Hillsborough River, the river’s floodplain provides natural storage of floodwaters and acts as a filtration system for runoff. The property also serves as an important link in protecting wildlife habitat in the Hillsborough River greenway corridor. Thus, there is an abundant amount of wildlife and many nice views. The property’s roads and trails meander through pine flatwoods, consisting of both slash and longleaf pine overstory, palmetto/gallberry understory and hydric hammock and floodplain swamp along the river. An interesting note is that on a short hike, one can travel through three different counties.

The Alston Tract's hiking trails are nothing more than a series of roads within a labyrinth of other old roads, although because this land is a preserve dedicated to protect runoff from the Hillsborough River portions of the trails may be flooded seasonally. (For more information on this tract, visit Southwest Florida Water Management District's web page) Alston Tract also has dozens of geocache locations

Things to note:

• Depending on where you go you can be in the sun for most of the hike.
• Parts of these trails can be filled with water (large puddles).
• The map has numbers that match small signs posted at trail junctions, making for easy navigation
• The campground and associated trails are closed during different hunting dates. Take note…

Gear Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing the Midland - GXT1000VP4 TWO-WAY GMRS RADIO

With 50 channels, this NOAA weather alert two-way radio gives you maximum output power with Xtreme Range Technology.

• 50 Channels with Up to 36-Mile range communication in open areas with little or no obstruction,120V Charger.
• NOAA/All Hazard Weather Channels with Alert and Weather Scan
• 142 Privacy Codes,Frequency Band: 462.550 - 467.7125MHz
• Vibrate Alert. 9 Levels of VOX for Hands Free Operation
• SOS Siren allows you to send out distress/locator signals in an emergency situation, 10 different call alerts tones to notify you of incoming calls from your group

These “walkie talkie” and their headsets are wonderful. I got over 8 hours of use on a full charge, and they seemed to charge pretty fast on the desk charger.

Once you figure out how to set the radios to VOX then using either the built-in mike or the supplied headset for hands free talking is nice and easy.

The snug fitting earpiece is decent, if you can get it properly placed in your ear. It takes a little bit of wiggling to get right, and that's the only thing I'm not absolutely thrilled about regarding these walkies. Of course, it would be easy to just get a different ear piece, as these support standard earpiece inputs. Could be just me, but from what I experienced, I initially just got a little confusing on the menu when I first started playing around with them. Once you get used to them, they are fine. Remember, a full-featured radio must have some complications.

My main (minor) complaint is that you have to use the charging base with the proprietary adapter plugs, either the wall or car. It would be nice if you could charge the radios directly with a micro USB so there is one less charger to pack.

Some glaring advantages over other brands: (1) They cost less; and (2) Once you figure them out they are an absolute no-brainer to use. They have the simplest buttons and menu/interface plus the nicest large display characters of any of the inexpensive radios I know of. Mastering these units takes maybe 15 minutes reading the manual. Read the manual

The transmit audio was robust and loud, in my video I barely have the volume turned up at all. Whisper mode was interesting, as it really amplified quiet "whispered"….

Overall during several of my different tests audio reproduction was good and accurate, and they didn't clip anyone's speech. Use of whisper mode with a headset dramatically improved reception, as it increased microphone sensitivity as well as gain. When I tested in on the water with my friend the receive volume was good, except in the noisier areas (as we’re going full bore out to our fishing location), like one would expect. However, with the headset, this problem is eliminated.

The radios are durable and well built. Not surprising, since Midland has some great commercial equipment. Battery life is good as well. Easy to use and carry. Weather radio is a plus, very easy to set up. I liked all the features, including the "lock" on the buttons. Overall you will really enjoy using these radios because they are light weight, easy to use, have incredible features and have great reception compared to any other brand I’ve used.

I give the Midland – GXT1000VP4 TWO-WAY GMRS RADIO 4.25/5 Stars!

PROS

• Clear Strong Signal
• Easy To Use: After Learning Buttons
• Great Audio
• Lightweight
• Rugged
• NOAA Weather

CONS

• Dual-function buttons can cause mistaken actions
• Too many features complicate programming
• Lack of a universal charging connector

BEST USES

· Boating / Sailing

· Camping

· Families

· Hiking

· Hunting

· Ski Slopes

This campsite is right outside of Little Manatee River State Park. I even missed the entrance and went to Little Manatee because I missed the turn. However, even though this camp is tiny, there is a lot to do. There is an area for tents, hammocks, campers and cabins are also available. One area of tents sites is a group site, which has a platform, tables with a pavilion, and a large campfire area, so if you have a group you want go with, this is great place to do so!

One of the highlights of this site is the canoeing. You can come in for day canoeing and the employees will pick you and the canoe up at a stop and bring you back to the site. You can also bring your own canoe while you stay and they will do the same thing for you at the pick up site down the river. One activity that I did not have a chance to do is the Moonlight Canoeing. This looked like so much fun because you go out canoeing at midnight and have snacks, drinks, s'mores, and listen to music around a campfire.

One last thing is the owners. They are super friendly and take care of the campers and the campsite. They also have peacocks that run around, so its fun to see them. I would definitely recommend this site to anyone looking for a place to camp in the Tampa area.