With a 17’ travel trailer, we can go most any where, which is why we purchased the Casita and no longer travel with our 33’ ft fifth wheel. Tired of being limited to large campsites and big rig campgrounds, that change has opened up another world of road travel. Consequently, we have big goals for the Casita, already meeting one of them by going to Newfoundland and Labrador last summer. Putting those big plans aside for a moment, one thing we have always wanted to do is travel around Florida and stay in several of its beautiful state parks and forests, many of which were unattainable with our fifth wheel.
In December, we left our winter home on Chokoloskee Island to wander Florida for a month. As a Florida resident, why would I wander around Florida in an RV? Simple – the state is beautiful and despite its over-development, has almost 10 million acres of managed public land designated as state park, state forest, national park, national forest, wildlife refuge or wilderness area. With 175 State Parks (57 RV campgrounds), Florida ranks fifth among states with the most state parks.
Having camped at 25 of these parks, I can attest that each one has something unique to offer. If you want to see the real natural Florida, that which makes Florida natives most proud – come stay at a state park. To help you decide on which park to visit, I’ve compiled a top ten list with these criteria – quietness, wilderness experience and natural setting, and condition of campground sites and facilities. The caveat is that this list comes from only those we’ve camped in with the fifth wheel or Casita (17 total).
10. Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center – The origin of this state park makes it special – originally developed as a memorial to composer Stephen Foster and where the Florida Folk festival is held each year over Memorial weekend. Near the beautiful Suwannee River, the campground has 45 campsites shaded by towering oak trees; each site fairly private and spacious. It is a lovely park and not far from the interchange of I-10 & I-75 highways. I most enjoyed hiking along the river.
9. Florida Caverns – yes, Florida caves are real and they are spectacular. Located on the Chipola River, this park offers a beautiful setting where you can bicycle, hike or paddle. In addition, guided cave tours are available and this is something you don’t want to miss. The campground was recently renovated after Hurricane Michael in 2018, so facilities and utilities are in very good shape. It is relatively small, with 38 sites, 35 of which offer full hook up. Sites are well kept but limited to 32-ft RVs. Because of tree loss from the hurricane, the campground is fairly open but with comfortable space between sites It’s a beautiful and quiet setting and in the evening, you can watch the bats fly off. I most enjoyed the cave tour and the beautiful scenery.
8. Silver Springs – Florida has several state parks where you can visit springs, all famous for manatees in the winter months. But for us, Silver Springs makes the top ten list because of its campground. It’s modern with some full hook up sites, all spacious and well groomed. It’s in a lovely forested setting and very peaceful. A short bike ride from the campground gets you to the museum that is well worth visiting and hiking trails that lead to Silver River. However, if the glass bottom boat or paddling the springs to see manatee or monkeys is what draws you here, you will find it odd that you must drive from the campground out of the park 3 miles to the glass bottom boat concession. This is the busiest portion of the park with crowds of day visitors. Also, you must reserve a place on the glass bottom boat well in advance during peak season, which we did. Unfortunately, our tour was cancelled due to high winds. We’ll be back because I really want to see those monkeys and do some paddling. I enjoyed walking the trails near the concession through lovely gardens and with views of Silver River.
7. Manatee Springs – Manatee Springs connects to the Suwannee River about 45 miles from where the river enters the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to the springs (where cave diving is popular) and the river, there are lots of hiking trails that wind through hardwood forests. The campground is relatively old but is one of a small number of Florida state parks that offers several full hook-up sites. Not all sites can accommodate rigs > 35 ft and some are designated tent-only, so choose your site wisely. I most enjoyed hiking the trails and seeing so many deer. The spring water levels were unusually low when we were there, so no manatees were seen. By the way, I ranked Manatee Springs higher than Silver Springs because the springs are a short walk from the campground and much less crowded.
6. Mike Roess Gold Ranch – this is a new discovery for us and we love it. It’s a big park with lots of hiking trails and lakes. The Florida Trail runs through it as well. It’s also a wonderful park to bicycle on its paved roads. There are three campgrounds for RVs, although the Turkey Oak campground has small sites suitable for tents, vans, and small trailers. Lakeview has some sites overlooking a lake. We stayed in Sandhill loop, forested with well spaced sites that are fairly private. We love the remoteness of this state park and its hiking trails offer diverse scenery and terrain. We enjoyed seeing a variety of birds – red-headed woodpecker, eagle, sandhill crane to name a few.
5. Anastasia – among the most popular state parks in Florida are those on the Atlantic or Gulf coasts. You can’t go wrong with the pristine white sand beaches and dunes. Although near a city (St Augustine), you don’t feel crowded here. The dunes and beach go on forever it seems. The campground is far enough from the beach that you need a bicycle or vehicle to get there. It’s a large campground with 139 sites within several loops. The largest rig acceptable is 38 feet although most sites are quite wide and roomy. While the beach is the draw, we loved the ancient dune trail. Also on Saturdays, you can walk a short distance to the farmers’ market from the campground.
4. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve – if you want remoteness and a dark sky, this is your park. It’s a hidden gem and worth the 4-mile drive on gravel road to get here. As an internationally recognized dark sky park, the park is perfect for star gazing to your heart’s content. In fact, you can reserve an astronomy pad site to spend the night (dry camping) observing the stars. Otherwise, you can stay in the 35-site family campground that offers good sized sites, comfortably spaced and fairly private. Hiking trails throughout and a beautiful old Florida setting.
3. Paynes Prairie Preserve – who would have thought there are bison in Florida? There are, and you can see them in this park. And you will see wild horses as well and plenty of birds. The history of the bison and horse herds are interesting and the park offers a wonderful interpretive center where you can learn about the region and its animals. Lots of hiking and bicycling, and a fishing lake. The north section of the park is a 13- mile drive from the campground but well worth going to for the wildlife. The campground has 30 RV sites and several tent-only sites. Sites are private and spacious, but as with most state parks, choose your site wisely if you are in a big rig. We love the great space in this park and seeing horse and bison in the wild. Such a unique experience here in Florida!
2. St George Island – Located on the far east side of St George Island, you must drive through a developed beach area before entering the park, giving you the impression it will be a crowded place. But once you enter the park, it becomes a remote Florida beach. As I write this, the park’s campground is closed for renovation. I am not sure how this will change the experience of the park, but the fact that the campground is within walking distance of the beach and dunes makes this one of our favorites. We stayed in April during the Pompano run – fresh fish for dinner. I don’t fish, so hiking the trails along the dunes was my favorite activity.
1. Colt Creek – among the parks we’ve camped at, I still can’t believe Colt Creek remains are favorite. Maybe its because every time we come here we feel the stress of life fall away, and always experience silence in the campground only to be interrupted by the call of the barred owl. Or maybe it is because the campground is remote and small, and one of the most peaceful park experiences we’ve ever had. And it is the newest state park campground in Florida since 2018. The park has lots of beautiful hiking trails and lakes within hardwood forests and open prairies. I can take morning walks and not see another human being, only the wildlife including many birds and the alligators living in the lake. I love the campground with its spacious and well maintained sites.
Three more on the honors list:
Blue Spring – We’ve stayed here several times, with the fifth wheel (only once and never again!) and the Casita. But I do not recommend it for rigs longer than 30-ft. 30-35 ft is doable, but choose your site wisely as none of these sites are longer than 40 feet. The springs are so lovely and during winter, you are guaranteed to see hundreds of manatee. But this park gets very crowded and the campground is among the most popular, which is why it doesn’t make the top ten for us.
Falling Waters – not only does Florida have caves but it has a 70-ft water fall, thanks to Florida’s karst topography. A 70-ft deep sink hole that enters a cave provides a place for water to fall. From the campground, you can hike to a boardwalk that winds through the forest and comes to a platform overlooking the falls. With only 24 sites, the campground is not a big one. Most sites can accommodate 30-35 ft rigs. Only 25 miles from Florida Caverns State Park, this park is near I-10, and like Florida Caverns is a convenient stopover if you are traveling through the panhandle. I loved the hike to the falls. Not much else to do here, but it is a lovely setting.
Lake Louisa – I love this park and its campground sandwiched between two beautiful lakes. It gives you a remote wilderness experience despite being so close to one of Florida’s busiest highways and an area that has become over-developed. It’s a wonderful get-away park and centrally located. Sites vary in size with some pull-throughs.
To summarize, every Florida state park campground offers at least electric 30 AMP (most have 50 AMP) and water at each RV site. Several have full hook up but most do not. Hurricane damage plays a role but it seems Florida is attempting to upgrade many of its parks (several are closed for renovation as I write this). Bath facilities for the most part are well maintained (some are kind of old), and the park volunteers do a great job in these parks. Dump stations have always been easy in and out. And we have found laundry machines in many of the parks. While there are some parks I have no reason to go back to, there are several I intend to visit again. Moreso, there are many parks we have yet to stay in and hopefully can add to our list as we continue to travel with the Casita.
If interested in learning more about traveling around Florida, Vivian and I have several previous blogs. Check them out!
On our way to Newfoundland, May 2025
Introducing the Casita to Florida parks, March 2025
Our final romp through Florida with the fifth wheel, October 2024
Art and Nature Florida Style, June 2022
The panhandle and some old Florida, Oct 2020
Changing Views From Our RV 