Best Dispersed Camping in Florida

Recent Dispersed Reviews in Florida

43 Reviews of 36 Florida Campgrounds

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Dec. 25, 2024

  Davenport Landing

  Magnolia-Shaded Cul-de-Sac Primitive Camping

  Located a hefty trek down a winding gravel road west of Route 19, you’ll have to maneuver around divots and potholes along this narrow gravel, dusty roadway for the better part of 2 miles before arriving to a small sign on the left-hand side of the road that indicates you’ve arrived at Davenport Recreational Area – so finding this place is relatively easy. Unless you make the unwise decision to turn into one of the small handful of options beforehand that would have you drive down a patch of road that likely you are not authorized to, my only advice would be not to exceed 15 MPH on this road as the poor condition of the road could do damage to a lower-lying vehicle. Once you come across the Davenport Recreational Area sign, take a right and slowly (as the road conditions worsen as you get off the main road) follow the narrow tire-rutted pathway to a fork, where on the right you’ll see TRAILHEAD marked on a tree to your right– here you want to turn left instead and follow the pathway to its conclusion, which is a round-about that you will have no other alternative but to stop and park your vehicle.

  Here at literally ‘the end of the road,’ you’ll be greeted by a dozen or so medium-sized Magnolias that blot out the sun’s rays and cast an unusually spooky shadow on this area, made even more dramatic by all of the Spanish moss falling from the tree limbs of these magnificent trees. While the ground here is flat – welcome to Florida, where for the most part, that’s par for the course – but barren and comprised of a combination of dirt and sand silt, which isn’t so bad when it’s dry, but when there’s rain, we’re talking some pretty messy mud-like conditions. As for what you’ll find here at this natural cul-de-sac, there isn’t anything. Literally. No picnic tables. No fire ring. No stand-up grill. No potable(or for that matter, non-potable) water spigot. Nothing. There is what looks to be a small wooden sign that likely was filled with information at some point in time that might have educated you about your stay here, but even that had nothing on it, apart from a single hand-made sign above it, indicating: “You are trash, if you leave trash,” which I wholeheartedly agree with. In all, perhaps there’s 5-6 individual spots that you could make a campsite from.

  If you are a true primitive camper who really wants NOTHING to complement or aid their outdoor survivalist experiment, then you have hit the primitive camping jackpot! Apart from the solid peace & quiet you’ll experience here, there’s an amazing little access point here to the Ocklawaha river that runs through this neck of the woods – which used to be a riverboat stop where steamboats would stop to fuel or disembark enroute to Silver Springs via the St. Johns which this tributary eventually connects to. Apart from being a scenic access point to the river, if you are looking to catch and eat your meals, then this will certainly be an added bonus. The steps down the ravine to the river basin are somewhat steep, but for anyone towing a light-weight kayak or paddleboard, me thinks you could likely manage to bring your watercraft down here and easily access emerald-green waters shouldered with an abundance of spade-shaped lily pads to grab some great oaring.

  When we stopped by, there was a team of fisherman there – not camping, mind you – but having a great afternoon nonetheless of ‘hooking‘ em’ and according to these local anglers, the fishing was great. Apart from this and the shade that the mighty Magnolias provide, the only other amenity that exists out here are the few trails that you can jump on to get a bit of hiking in. One word of caution, from my fishermen friends, is to be on the look-out for ‘Coyo-Dogs’ (a cross between canine species where a dog mates with a coyote) and black bear, both of which have been known to frequent this area, especially at night.

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) There’s a 1.2 mile interpretive hiking trail called Davenport Landing Trail that will take to you to the former steamboat landing, which makes for a medium-grade hike with some interesting history; (2) If you have an explorer’s mindset, you’ll be richly rewarded here as there is a small gravesite from the Civil War that you can find along with middens along the Ocklawaha River hiding traces of the Timucuan Indians that once populated this area; (3) For fellow arborists, in addition to finding these amazing Magnolias that seem to be especially planted here for you, additionally there’s sweetgum and red maple trees; and (4) You definitely want to keep your eyes peeled for alligators in this area, where while we didn’t see any right at the ravine’s base, we were told that plenty were sunbathing right around the bend in the river from where we were.

  Happy Camping!

• D

  Dan B.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 21, 2024

  West Tower Hunt Camp

  Quiet night camping

  My first night here was fantastic. I can stay up to two weeks here. It’s December and there was only two other people camping here my site. I couldn’t even see anybody.

• c

  christin G.

  Scout

  

  Dec. 11, 2024

  Porter Lake Dispersed Camp

  Quick getaway

  Nice spot for a quick getaway from city life. It’s near hunting and lots of road noise from the nearby bridge but overall it’s a nice overnight getaway from the daily grind. There’s toilets and a non potable spigot to clean off personal items.

• S

  Scott O.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 11, 2024

  Upper Hillsborough Water Management Area

  Primitive, easy pull through sites

  Large open area with great shade trees, no water, privy. Easy pull through for RV. Tent spots. Fire rings. Harley-Davidson approved . Golden Coral buffet in town.

• J

  J A.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 11, 2024

  West Tower Hunt Camp

  Beautiful no Verizon service

  Nice spots with a bathroom book exchange and power at the bathroom if you need it.

• B

  Braden B.

  Traveler

  

  Feb. 8, 2024

  bull creek WMA

  Hunt camp

  This is camp for hunters it's free and has pit toilets open area park anywhere in the camp. Lots of land to explore, hiking very close to Florida scenic trail.

• E

  Entropical Breeze E.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 26, 2024

  Trout Lake Primitive Sites

  Nice secluded sites

  Set of primitive spots near lake. Main road entry is packed dirt; smaller access road to sites is two-track about 1/4 mile through woods — very narrow tree clearance. 4WD recommended. Just barely scraped a FWD Promaster through the trees, into a pullout just before sand started. Poor cell service even with booster. Plan on returning after antenna upgrade. Not the cleanest but passable.

• 

  Chris D.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 16, 2024

  Cobb Hunt Camp

  Actual campground is closed

  Cobb Camp Osceola is closed though the website makes no mention of the closure. There are people camping just beyond the campground without issue. Nice and quiet spot with 0 amenities. There was a portapoty and trash cans during hunting season. Good verizon and tmobile cell coverage.

• 

  Allison Rae C.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 15, 2023

  Blackwater River Boat Ramp Camp

  Very crowded

  This campground is closed indefinitely. If you drive past it, there's a new area people are using where a port a potty has been placed, but I don't reccomend staying there. It's right on the road and was very crowded.

• B

  Brian

  Guide

  

  Nov. 14, 2023

  West Tower Hunt Camp

  Great spot

  This place was very clean and most spots were very well spaced out. Porta potties and trash bins. Camp host was nice and they have a 14 day stay limit. Verizon service was pretty spotty. Having a host with no charge threw me for a bit of a loop. I only did an overnight, but it was a great place and had a nice feeling of seclusion without being too far from civilization. Also very clean.

• M

  Michael S.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 13, 2023

  Lake Dorr

  Area Unsafe and Had to Leave. Please avoid.

  Attempted to stay at this campground but left because it felt unsafe. Spoke to a local that warned of violence, robbery, and killings in this area of the national forest.

  Got stuck in sand on the way out and had to wait for a tow truck. Tow truck driver carried a gun because of how unsafe the area is and warned us not to stay.

  Please avoid the Ocala NF!

  If you do decide to come to this campground, avoid north part of Ron Paul Drive. You’ll either get stuck in sand or have issues to low/tight trees. Drive further south of the other side of Ron Paul Drive.

• M

  Michael S.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 9, 2023

  Cobb Hunt Camp

  Campground Closed But Camping Allowed Just Past Entrance

  We arrived late and saw the campground was taped off and a sign read closed indefinitely. However, we drove just past the campground and found many others camped on the side of the road. Trash and porta potty’s provided by National Forest.

• B

  Brian

  Guide

  

  Nov. 2, 2023

  17 Mile Hunt Camp

  Nice spot

  Sites are spread out and the road is rough getting in. No water or electric. Porta potty on site. No Verizon cell service.

• B

  Brian

  Guide

  

  Nov. 2, 2023

  Cobb Hunt Camp

  Currently closed

  Currently closed, for maintenance, so could not stay there. Sites were level and Verizon service was good. As of 1 Nov closed with no date to reopen. State campground just down the road

• J

  Juan-Carlo C.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 4, 2023

  Davenport Landing

  Sketchy

  There are some permanent party there seemed like 2 dudes in a truck with a big tent mad sketchy looking I wouldn’t recommend straight out of a horror movie

• 

  paul W.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 23, 2023

  Backcountry Crooked Creek Chickee — Everglades National Park

  Platform

  This chickee was just as described. I will warn all that this can be a tough adventure if paddling. Make sure you go with the tide, it was moving 3-4 during my paddle. Fishing is epic, even from the chickee. Stay quiet and look under the platform, tarpon, snook and drum were always around. Bugs were tough sunset and sunrise. Perfect overnight if you’re doing the water trail. Also, this is actually 2 bookable sites. Both nights I stayed, another group showed up late afternoon.

• 

  Destiny R.

  Scout

  

  May. 4, 2022

  Blue Sink

  Blue Sink

  Most beautiful place to stumble upon. You may need ATV or creative backpacking to get there now. The Forestry Service recently chopped down trees and covered the easy access roads.

• H

  Heather F.

  Scout

  

  May. 2, 2022

  Cobb Hunt Camp

  Primitive camping

  This place is very beautiful way out in the woods there’s no bathrooms or electricity.

• 

  Melanis&Rafael _.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 28, 2022

  Anclote Key Preserve State Park Campground

  Amazing experience!!

  One of our fav place to go camping

• M

  Moe B.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 7, 2022

  17 Mile Hunt Camp

  Barely any service, shots heard, but sick view

  It’s a hunt camp. But it wasn’t hunting season necessarily. Heard many shots during the late afternoon when we got there, around 4p. Off and on until it got dark at 6:30p. We got an amazing spot with a view of the pond. Ground can be soft, but luckily it had been dry for a few days, but you could get stuck in some spots. Minimal, if any, cell service, so you will be disconnected pretty much.

• 

  Sam S.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 14, 2022

  Davenport Landing

  Yes, this is a place to sleep if you need it

  I would not come back here again. There were obviously some long term residents that had set up shack here, and while they did not make the campground feel unsafe, they were trashing up the place. For example, at our site there was a literal burning pit of garbage that we had to set up next to. We had to douse the fire just to not feel nauseous. Suffice to say, we left very early the next morning and never looked back.

• 

  DeziRay M.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 9, 2022

  Cobb Hunt Camp

  Awesome

  Free no water or electricity, porta-potties . Most campers stay to themselves and there's room for privacy

• 

  DeziRay M.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 9, 2022

  West Tower Hunt Camp

  Very nice

  Host was very nice. Bathroom and shower but no hot water

• D

  Dylan D.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 1, 2022

  Davenport Landing

  Nice….but.

  Really nice area unfortunately there’s a homeless commune.  we set up camp earlier in the day when there was only a few people hanging out wasn’t until a few hours later when I realized that they were living there. Then the rest of them showed up. It got super rowdy. Not to mention the whole area smells like burning plastic.

• 

  mandy P.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 1, 2021

  Anclote Key Preserve State Park Campground

  Serene and Natural

  Short boat ride out to what felt like a secluded island, back when florida was all natural. We had the whole place to ourselves. Camping is definitely pack in pack out. It's worth every minute to see the sun rise and set in the same day, and the stars at night were endless

• M

  Mike D.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 28, 2021

  St. Johns River Dispersed Spot - Ocala NF

  Hidden Gem

  The roads to get here are bumpy. Right next to the river and the trees open up so you get a great view of the stars.

• N

  Nate D.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 2, 2021

  Cobb Hunt Camp

  Easily accessible

  Depends on what you’re into. Great if you’re here as a hunt base camp maybe, but Cobb is not the idyllic peaceful personal campsite. I camped there with my boys in a tent, and they had a blast just playing in the dirt, but I had to figure out how to explain to them why someone had been there for the last 11 months and why we had to sleep through a running generator all night.

  We hiked in a few miles on the Florida Trail, so we had all our water supplies on our person. There’s a little pond there that we were purifying water out of with no issue, but if you drive in and car camp you can easily bring water with you.

  Not great for the backpacker, but probably pretty great if you’re driving in and hunting out of your tent or camper.