Osceola National Forest Landing Group Area

The Landing Group Area sits along Ocean Pond within Osceola National Forest, offering a group camp experience with a brilliant lakefront view and direct water access, where for the unbelievable price of $100 / night, you can easily pack at least a dozen (if not 20) tents along with room to roll-up 3-4 RVs with water & electric hook-ups. Like seriously, this feels like a camping tailgate party destination if ever there was one! First impressions: tall pines and cypress draped in Spanish moss line the sandy loops. You’ll see a modest private beach head, excellent sized pavilion with half a dozen picnic tables, picnic shelters and a wide-open access to the water with enough room for a half dozen fold-up chairs, 2-3 kayaks and a dozen fishing poles.

The amenities are generous for a group area. You’ll find electric and water hookups for a few RVs (up to ~40 ft), potable water, bathhouse facilities with hot showers and flush toilets, picnic tables, fire pits, a proper large group-sized grill and a pavilion large enough for gatherings like a men’s group or a small reunion. The site accommodates up to 50 overnight guests and 75 day-users. The lodge is meant for group outings, family reunions, church retreats, or company events. The best part? You will have this place all to yourself (well, your entire group) with no other nearby sites or fellow campers to deal with.

One of the strong draws is Ocean Pond itself (which, let's be clear, is neither a pond nor the ocean). It offers boating, canoeing, kayaking and fishing where you can cast your lines for bluegill, crappie, catfish and more from the shore or via boat launch. The private beach is a relaxing spot to wade or chill in the shallows. The surrounding forest hosts wildlife sightings where you can expect to see wading birds like herons and egrets, turtles, maybe an otter or two, and plenty of swamp and marsh edge life.

Insider Tips? Here’s a few: (1) Reserve well ahead as this group site books quickly for weekends and special events; (2) Use the pavilion early for meals or shade as your group dinners will go smoother there versus in the wide-open where, because it’s Florida, you could encounter tropical rains at anytime; (3) Bring lots of extension cords as there’s only a few outlets in the pavilion and your hookup site, which likely is one of the 4 RV slots, may be some distance from the pavilion or where you set up your tent; (4) Launch your canoe or kayak from the sandy beach area for calm paddling early in the morning as the current picks up with small, but still formidable waves to contend with later in the day; (5) Plan meals to use the large grill and fire pits as they’re built to serve crowds and the largesse of these cooking amenities should be used to full effect and are perfect sized, considering the large group you have gathered around you; (6) Pack bug spray as mosquitoes love dusk near the pond edges; and (7) Consider arriving by daylight so you can assign your group to the best spots before dark.

Happy Camping!