Dark Wolf ..

St. Petersburg, FL

Joined April 2020

Great for hiking and cave exploring

The area is amazing. The roads are open and long and winding. Right in the middle of the woods, the campground is awesome and very clean. There are trails directly off of the site and even caves. Underground caves. I couldn’t believe it but such a great experience. Only downside is there is no showers.

Google trail 22 and peace caves to find them.

Home away from home

I have been a regular here for some time. It is definitely more glamping than anything but always a fun stay and the staff is always kind.

Everything you could ever need to be comfortable camping and easygoing including a convenience store to free wi-fi. There’s a massive pool and two hot tubs. One is fenced off in the back for adults only which can be nice when there are a lot of loud kids.

The sites are very well kept and have very nice views of the water way. A couple of the sites are not up against the water but you still get a nice look at it all.

If you’re traveling around, it would be a great place to stay and be comfortable. Walmart/Publix/Wawa all within a 10 minute drive. The beach is maybe 15 minutes away also. 

There are two tent sites. One considered primitive because there is no water and electricity hook up but there’s a phone charging station at the site. 6 sites. Then there is 2 sites available with water and electricity in between a section on RVs by the waterfront.

Beach camping

This is a great place to stay if you’re not local. It felt like I was sleeping in my own backyard for the most part.

I made reservations for a waterfront site just to end up far back from the water and the view being mostly blocked by trees and bushes.

The site was slightly flooded from rain days prior but thankfully not many people were there and I was able to call and move sites to a better one.

The best part was the historical fort a few miles down the road and seeing many dolphins up close on the pier.

Sensory deprivation experience

The hike out to this spot was down a long dirt road. Potholes scattered everywhere but then pulling into the campground was perfect. Almost too perfect. Each site was spread apart with water and electricity. The grassy areas were so clean it seemed as if someone picked up each twig or branch that fell from the trees moments after it happened. Although there were other campers not too far, it was oddly silent and at times eerie because you couldn’t hear anything. It slightly messed with me when I was laying in bed because I could basically hear my blood flowing.

The bathhouse was decent. No curtains on the shower and there was a lot of openings that caused wind flow. In the summer I can imagine it being nice but winter was no fun showering. They provided hand sanitizer in the restrooms and were very spacious.

It is a good stay for someone looking to escape the noise of the city and could hear owls and coyotes or wolves howling through the night.

Look up trail 22 or the peace caves if you’re looking for places to hike and explore. Thank me later.

A hidden gem

The site is probably one of the most interesting and unique places I could have hoped to find. The campground is scattered with tons of statues and random buildings built up with dinosaurs and even a real helicopter. The front desk and every other staff person I met was very kind and wanted to make sure my stay was going well.

They offer RV and tent camping year around and most have a decent amount of space in between. There are multiple bathhouse locations and I honestly felt like I was walking into some type of luxury hotel in their restrooms. Each time I went it was like it had just been cleaned before I walked in which blew my mind.

There is a community pool with two more bathrooms connected to it. Chicken coops and a hurricane shelter built like a castle. They have a common area room that reminded me of a man cave mixed with a she-cave. There was taxidermy and old pianos, small library of books, pool table, a big screen TV surround by couches and recliners and a kitchen with full appliances.

The neighbors and other campers were extremely welcoming and friendly and said hello each time I passed by someone. They have a pond and offer free use of kayaks with life vests provided. A little underwhelming but still fun to get out on the water.

The site I stayed on was in the very back of the park. Very quiet and had electricity and water hook ups. They delivered a generous amount of firewood for only $10.

All and all, the place is quirky and has a personality of its own and worth the visit. My ONLY disliking was the single ply toilet paper in the luxury restrooms…

Give them a stay for sure.

Not a campground

Unfortunately, the phone number that was online and website information that I found was incorrect. I drove 40 minutes to this park just to find a different number to call and spoke with the owner that informed me they haven’t had camping for about 8 years when he purchased it. It was a really nice looking spot but looked like a ghost town on a lake. A few random RVs and some type of brick shelter looking buildings scattered throughout.

More for RV camping

The place is very nice and well put together if you have an RV. I do primitive camping mostly and can say that there is a lack of care for the placement for the sites. There’s a few lots for tent camping with one “cabin” which is just two bunk beds in a shed with a mini fridge and microwave. The coolest part about that is it has a screened porch. The camping sites are directly in the sun the entire day until sundown. There is no real parking for the sites and the restroom is a walk to get to tucked behind the office in between two rental units. There’s water views if you walk around the site and a nice deck with a view of the swamps. My biggest complaint is having any problems and then 3 different people coming up to me and my girlfriend asking if we had checked in and had a reservation after 10pm at night. The first guy came up waving his arms in the air asking if we knew what bird was chirping and then said his family owns the place and wanted to make sure we paid. Then two others later on asked if we were able to get checked in. Mind you, this is after 10pm at night and there is literally no lighting where the site was. Overall, it’s definitely worth a stay and not far from walmart and other places to eat. Phone service was almost non existent and their wi-fi they offered doesn’t reach near the camp sites.

Perfect mix of primitive/ luxury

This was one of the best places I could have found for this trip. I’ve been here for days and I have enjoyed everything. The primitive camping is tucked back away from most of the RVs and has a bathhouse with very hot water/ toilets and hot hand dryers. Each site is spaced properly so not each person is too close. I didn’t realize it until the second day of my stay that we actually have water and electric hook ups on site too. There’s a short walk to Rainbow river with access to swim and a kayak launch. They rent kayaks for $16/hr and $5 and hour after but have to be back by 3pm. They have a small market that you can get coffee and small food and snacks/ice from along with forgotten necessities. I bought a few bags of firewood and it was definitely wet and burned horribly. It dropped all the way to 35 degrees for my stay. You are not allowed to collect firewood in state parks also so make sure you bring some in. There’s a publix/walmart 12 minutes away. You also get free access to the state park swimming and hiking access on the other side of the park. The address on here wasn’t correct and took me an extra 30 minutes to find it. The correct address is 18185 SW 94th St Dunnellon, FL 34432.