Best Glamping near Tampa, FL

We stayed here to glamp in their new glamping yurts. First time glamping in FL and it was a great experience. The yurt was chic and smelt really good like essential oils. Everything was very clean and they put in a lot of effort to customize the stay for you. Best way to “camp” while staying clean and comfy. The bathrooms were nearby and immaculate at well.

Owls and alligators! What a neat park :) This park is only a ½ hour from Tampa and I checked it out while in town on business. Biked a few of the trails, which were nice and rented a kayak to see some of the park from the water, both fun activities. I saw there was a pool as well! Campground covered a lot of area with large sites and some trees/vegetation growing between many sites giving more seclusion. A short trip here made me realize that more time would have been nice! Putting it on the list to return to ;)

Fantastic Campground not far from Tampa. This could be a good park to stay at if you want to do Busch Gardens which is just 16 miles away. The park offers over 13 miles of hiking in and near the park, 2.2 mile multi purpose trails, exercise stations and one of the few Florida state parks that have a 1/2 acre pool (which is ADA accessible). There is a separate fee for this but my husband did lap swimming everyday we were there and loved it. There is a poolside cafe and a store with camping items and souvenirs. The park even offers kayaking/canoeing and pool related rentals. The hillsborough River has great kayaking/canoeing and even some Class 2 rapids. It was fun to kayak downriver to the now abandoned Dead River County Park.
The 112 Campsites have 30/50 amp and water, most sites were large and shaded. Bathrooms are older but clean. You can tour the historic Fort Foster only the third Saturday of each month at 10am....(watch the video and you will see some additional info on this...wink wink) The trails are really good here but rain can flood them- I hiked thru calf deep water but I like overcoming obstacles - however- you might not think that is fun. Our video here on the Dyrt shares more hiking info. The stationary bridge was closed when we visited and a quick look at state park website indicates it is still being repaired. PS. there is a another video on our YouTube channel that highlights some additional hiking trails. Happy Camping- you can visit our website to get our Facebook/instagram and YouTube channel. www.travylcouple.com

I love this park, this section of the Hillsborough River has some of the only class 2 rapids in Florida! This park has every amenity you can imagine for camping from a giant swimming pool, kayak/canoe rental, bike rentals, fishing, hiking, so much to do. Its honestly a kind of hidden gem so close to Tampa!

Nice trails, great river canoeing. Close to Tampa and Busch Gardens. Small tight spaces in the campground. Most with no coverage between sites.

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!

The best thing about this park is the reasonable rates with its proximity to Tampa. Unfortunately, the sites did not have sewer connections so we had to bring the portable tank. It is very shaded. Bugs do get very bad though so come prepared.

The campground here is very nice! The bathrooms are well kept and clean. The park itself is very nice, with some hikes and kayak rentals! You can kayak in the river, which is really neat to do. The campground is also not far from some big cities, such as Tampa and st pete, which is convenient.

We needed a campsite near Tampa FL for a few days to meet friends visiting the area from up north. Being a Floridian, we’ve experienced FL’s state parks and found them to offer privacy between sites. We weren’t disappointed with Hillsboro River State Park. Weather was cool in February that allowed for comfortable hiking and biking. Good Verizon signal to allow for plenty of streaming.

This is a big state park on the Hillsborough River. Our church camped here years ago and there was a scavenger hunt which almost got me lost. There were lots of sites with water and electric. There are many activities like Hiking, biking, Swimming, canoeing and kayaking too. The loops have restrooms with showers and laundry facilities. This is a great park and don't have to travel far to get to it if you live in Tampa bay. Cost about $24 per night for hookups.

We loved how close this was to Tampa yet it felt like you were miles away from it all . I can see how summer would be tough here as mentioned in other reviews.. wet would be my guess , so a winter visit is favorable. Tye hiking trails were amazing and we saw tons of wildlife. Gators on the trail next to the water. Night was filled with songs from the owls and calls from the coyote .. Make sure you cache all your food in bear proof containers because the raccoons are talented.. Bathroom is nice with great hot water .. good laundry machines too.. Only CON—- sites are too small and you’re right next to your neighborhoods.. very little privacy..

This is a beautiful park close to the Tampa area. The campsites are separated into 2 areas. Most are small and open. On our visit, there were NO friendly people here. Some good hikes in the park. There are a few places to launch kayaks and I went from campground up to rapids and back down. Good paddle, lots of birds. Roads are paved in park and its a big circle so great for bike riding. There are large day use areas and a beautiful huge pool. Concessions were closed not sure if seasonal or covid? There is a neat suspension bridge and class 2 rapids along hike. Also a CCC museum (closed). Don't arrive before check in time because you have to wait in day use area until "it's time" for you to check in. Great park but not a great vibe.

We were down for a funeral so we, unfortunately, didn’t spend any time in the park or campground. The park is absolutely gorgeous and we can’t wait to return in November for a week long stay. The roads in the campground are a little narrow so maneuvering a larger rig might take some time backing into sites but there were plenty of big rigs there so it is doable. The sites have picnic tables and a fire ring. As far as we could tell, all sites are sandy so I’m sure it would be a little messy after a rain with possible flooding. Our site was perfectly level with no side to side adjustments needed. Our loop was very shaded with gorgeous trees. The rangers were amazing and patrolled the campground on a regular basis. There is a huge pool but it was closed for renovations, opening sometime this summer. There is a small cafe with ice cream and you can rent kayaks or canoes to take a trip down a wonderfully, peaceful river. It was so clear that we could see fish swimming around. No swimming is allowed in the river because of gators but experienced paddle boarders would love the easy paddle. Lots of trails to hike as well.

Definitely a great place to stay right outside the Tampa area. Recommend highly.

We have stayed here many times the last time we had site # 65 on the water with water and electric hook up & there is a dump station onsite. This is a nice campground with a beach, little island you can wade to we always see Manatees there and. lots of great areas to Kayak or paddle board. They rent kayaks here. When you kayak down the channel into Tamp Bay what a great view of Tampa, St. Petersburg and the Skyway bridge.  Beautiful sunsets from the beach and boat ramp or out in the kayak. Good fishing back in the canals and Cockroach Bay is up the road good kayaking and fishing there. 

The bath house's are nice & kept very clean. There are 2 loops we like the East campground the best sites in this loop are #72 then #70. All the sites along the water on this side are nice. The bugs can be bad this time they were bad last year no problem. We had a screened room that has a no see um mesh on it and we blast a big fan in there so we do stay semi bug free. So glad we had this screened room. During the week its very quiet there yet on Fridays it packs in and Sunday it clears out again. 

There's some great day use areas, nice park

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

Some sights are waterfront. Beaches nearby. West coast of Florida.