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T

TheSongDogHouse

Ranger
Morning Cup Of Coffee And Weather

Any other tips on snagging last minute spots in FL?
I'll be looking for alternatives to FL State parks (which per above are known to be booked a year ahead), like
military bases, US Army Corps of Engineers, smaller County or muni parks, etc.

I dont see much dispersed camping thats legit.
I did see a LOT of temporary construction workers last trip to FL in some places and
I imagine I'll see more in areas still seeing hurricane repairs, flipping, etc.

All tips welcome.
 
Kevin said:
Morning Cup Of Coffee And Weather

Any other tips on snagging last minute spots in FL?
I'll be looking for alternatives to FL State parks (which per above are known to be booked a year ahead), like
military bases, US Army Corps of Engineers, smaller County or muni parks, etc.

I dont see much dispersed camping thats legit.
I did see a LOT of temporary construction workers last trip to FL in some places and
I imagine I'll see more in areas still seeing hurricane repairs, flipping, etc.

All tips welcome.
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I utilize the App “All Stays” to locate campgrounds in areas I have an interest. All Stays has reviews and a website link to each campground domain if one exists. County parks haven’t been discovered as much as State Parks in Florida. And county parks tend to have a shorter reservation window. For instance, Moss Park and Trimble Park near Orlando are beautiful and well maintained and the reservation window is only 45 days prior. Cedar Key was a very popular spot to visit before the last hurricane. Shell Mound County Park there is a great alternative spot to stay which many people haven’t discovered. It’s important to do your research on County Parks because each county maintains their parks to a varying degree. It can be like the Clint Eastwood Movie, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

Florida State does have a notification feature for each park if you want to be notified of a cancellation. I have found it slow compared to utilizing our resources. Florida took away the reservation system from Reserve America a couple of years ago and it has many issues, but is slowly improving.

If your schedule is flexible and you’re adventurous, most all the State Parks have an emergency site or a walk-up site which are normally made available at 1pm each day.

We’re noticing more last minute cancellations than in the past.

Another resource I utilize to find campsite availability is Facebook. For instance, I belong to a group titled “Florida Catch and Release”. The members within the group coordinate cancelling and reserving between themselves. Mostly at odd hours to keep the chance of others using bots from getting the canceled site.

Hope some of this helps?
 
I like the 'catch and release' -- that's a great idea, I need to look and see what may exist similar in Indiana or set something up.

I've seen people trying to scalp their sites --- if you want it, I'll cancel my reservation if you pay me $100...those people make me sick.
 
rmbrowder said:
For northwest Florida try Florida State Forests : Campgrounds and Camping Reservations - Florida State Forests. I live in the county with Black Water State Park and prefer Bear Lake, Hurricane Lake, Karick Lake, and even Krul Lake. (no pets). Primitive sites are available through the Munson Forestry Offices.
Click to expand...

What are the rules on 'tent' sites in Florida --- will they allow a teardrop there, or are tent-sites expected to be pack-in/hike-in and not accessible with any vehicle?
 
Kevin said:
Morning Cup Of Coffee And Weather

Any other tips on snagging last minute spots in FL?
I'll be looking for alternatives to FL State parks (which per above are known to be booked a year ahead), like
military bases, US Army Corps of Engineers, smaller County or muni parks, etc.

I dont see much dispersed camping thats legit.
I did see a LOT of temporary construction workers last trip to FL in some places and
I imagine I'll see more in areas still seeing hurricane repairs, flipping, etc.

All tips welcome.
Click to expand...

On our first extended winter trip (2015) we camped at Ft Pickens Campground on Pensacola Beach, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. We drove through a lot of rain coming out of Georgia to get there and found that we had substantial cabin leaks and a very wet bed. Discovered they had nice dryers on site. Leak issue took a long time to solve ...
Seemed like a nice place, not much if any privacy between sites but that's what you get sometimes at the beach. Pretty remote which suits us fine.
 
Ken & Peggy said:
What was the source of the leak? The roof fan cover?
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the Leak Story is pretty long but the short version is that the fan cover wasn't the source but the cause. The low pressure on the top of 550s resulting from pulling our wing-shaped trailers lifts the cover enough to cause leaks through the window vents. Also through the notch Camp Inn used to cut in the bottom of the door seals. The fix is an amazingly simple L-shaped piece of plastic that holds down the side of the vent cover that doesn't have the lift arm.
Anyone that has cabin leaks in a 550 should talk to Cary/Craig.
Kevin: sorry for the thread theft ...
 
We just experienced the same thing, so I was suspicious that yours was also the door seal gap. As part of a repair we had the opportunity to have a new fan installed that has two support arms on the cover, which eliminates the 'lift'. Both of our problems are now resolved...
 
TY, Van, RM, fern: saved and bookmarked for my next trip.I will dig into wanderinglabs and
I have also used AllStays for established parks and I-overlander which is good for smaller or "unofficial" overnite spots, boondocking...used a lot by van lifers during covid and user reported so YMMV.

Recreation.gov has an app for iphones that seems to work well- popular places are booked way ahead so the trick is finding off the beaten path and/or last minute cancellations...or walmarts and truck stops!
 
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Sweeney said:
What are the rules on 'tent' sites in Florida --- will they allow a teardrop there, or are tent-sites expected to be pack-in/hike-in and not accessible with any vehicle?
Click to expand...
Sweeney I expect you know this but for others:
my limited experience in FL (panhandle over to Forgotten Coast) is that it can be very much dependent on host discretion.

I was able to sweet talk my way into a tent area that was empty in AL, down by the boat ramp which was quiet over nite..."its basically an aluminum tent on wheels".

Another spot in PCOLA I used the NB12x12 as a screen room as separate vs verboten "tent attached to RV" in a big rig area...

I spent three days in a county park north of Cedar Keys before the hurricane, that was a hidden secret- favorite of the airboat crowd. Tucked under trees in a tent site vs out in the sun in RV spots.

Noisy at times in day but very nice at night... learned to leave galley closed after the blanket of little black mud crabs skittered off in the AM.
 
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Kevin said:
TY, Van, RM, fern: saved and bookmarked for my next trip.I will dig into wanderinglabs and
I have also used AllStays for established parks and I-overlander which is good for smaller or "unofficial" overnite spots, boondocking...used a lot by van lifers during covid and user reported so YMMV.

Recreation.gov has an app for iphones that seems to work well- popular places are booked way ahead so the trick is finding off the beaten path and/or last minute cancellations...or walmarts and truck stops!
Click to expand...
Salt Springs located in the Ocala National Forest in Central Florida is one of our favorites and has a large number of walk-up sites. It’s never an issue to get a site on the walk-up ones if you arrive during the week. Weekends are another story. This may be a good option for you. BTW, it’s a Federal Park.
 
Van_and_Terri said:
Salt Springs located in the Ocala National Forest in Central Florida is one of our favorites and has a large number of walk-up sites. It’s never an issue to get a site on the walk-up ones if you arrive during the week. Weekends are another story. This may be a good option for you. BTW, it’s a Federal Park.
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TY, I'll make that one a must see, probably first.
 
Sweeney said:
I like the 'catch and release' -- that's a great idea, I need to look and see what may exist similar in Indiana or set something up.

I've seen people trying to scalp their sites --- if you want it, I'll cancel my reservation if you pay me $100...those people make me sick.
Click to expand...

Its all all part of capitalism. You are under no obligation to buy.
 
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