Florida info needed

“Hi I'm new here and need some info. I'm planning a trip to Florida within the next few days, down the eastcoast, and would like to know what parks support rustic camping within the state of Florida. I tried to find that info in this site, but couldn't seem to. Can anyone help me out here? I'd like to leave right around the 1st or so.
Thanks.”

“do a search on florida state parks, they have them divided into geographical sections.
fyi, florida is hot,humid, and can be buggy this time of year. drink lots of water.”

“Actually I have. They don't list which ones support rustic campsites, really. That's why I came here. It says they have campgrounds, but not which type.”

“most of the state parks have your standard 'car camping' campground - you know you pull in the car and camp just off the back bumper, 15 feet away from bubba and his kids.”

“Go to fernadina beach, fort fisher I think...

BRING BUG JUICE”

“I didn't know that's what "car camping" meant. Bug juice, check. Is fernadina beach on the east coast though?”

“Define rustic.
To everyone on this site rustic means no facilies and can't be accessed by car. In short, as wild as possible.

Just about all Florida State parks have campgrounds that support what we here call car camping. Meaning you drive up in your car and pitch a tent close to it and they usually have water, flush toilets and showers. They also accomodate RVs.

Yep Fernandina is East Coast actually it's the northernmost point on our east coast and the park there is Fort Clinch. The park is cool and is a Civil War area fort is awesome condition you can look across the water to Cumberland Island. Fernandina Beach is a nice town, lots of Victorian homes. Visit the Palace Saloon, Florida's oldest drinking establishment, it's kid friendly up to dinner time.

Further down in St. Augustine is Anastasia State Park with a very nice beach front and is close to the attractions in ST. A.

A bit more is Tomoka another great park with good canoeing.

Once you get down to the keys Bahia Honda and Long Key are great parks too. I'd go for Bahia Honda personally.

There is also a ton of nice places if you are willing to go inland a bit but the seabreeze (if you can get it) is a must for sleeping in summer here.

We have the biggest state park network (and many say the best) in the nation.
last edited: 5/28/05 10:00:49 AM”

“East coast near Actionville-Jacksonville.

Nice quite town with part of Island a civil war type state park.

Ir youre really cool, you go to clearwater springs.

Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice, Bug Juice,”

“I will be taking my kids home this year on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I will then have the entire week off until the the 2nd or 3rd. I figure I have about 6 good hiking days in there.

I would like to do some part of the Florida Trail, preferably in the panhandle or north of Ocala. Coming from the mountains where I can do 16 mile days, I figure I am good for 15 a day for the 6 days. I can get a shuttle pickup by a friend who lives in P'cola, or my sister south of Tallahassee.

Given those perameters, any suggestions as to which sections?”

“I think I have a #&%!$ load of maps I can send to you. I will have to find them first (after this MD 20/20 wears off)”

“Thanks.”

“Same for HPM CHili, except for the 20/20 part...”

“Where Florida’s peninsula meets the Panhandle, the Big Bend encompasses tens of thousands of acres of low-lying pine flatwoods and floodplain forests draining into the Gulf of Mexico. It is a region where timber is king. Between Mill Creek and San Pedro Bay WMA, you must be a Florida Trail member to traverse private timber lands managed by International Paper and Wachovia. In Taylor County, just ten miles south of where the Florida Trail crosses US 19, the city of Perry is considered Florida’s Forest Capital, celebrating their roots annually with the Florida Forest Festival every October at Forest Capital Museum State Park.

West of the Econfina River, the Florida Trail meets up with the Aucilla River, paralleling the rapids and providing excellent spots to camp along the river. The Aucilla distinguishes itself as one of Florida’s more unusual rivers by vanishing into a riversink and flowing beneath the earth for nearly 7 miles, popping up to fill a string of sinkholes that the trail skirts around on its southwesterly route, including “The Vortex,” a large sinkhole that has a whirlpool inside it when the river is running swift and high.


Crossing US 98, the Florida Trail continues into St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, where backpackers can enjoy nearly 50 miles of hiking through pine flatwoods and floodplain forests and along levees through the salt marshes. Backpacking the St. Marks is a special privilege extended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as this is the only National Wildlife Refuge in the United States to permit overnight camping for backpackers. You must be hiking the entire length of the trail through the refuge (as a “thru-hiker”) and must obtain a permit in advance from the refuge. Day hikers can hit the trail along Lighthouse Road for exploration of the salt marshes, where in October you’ll encounter clouds of monarch butterflies and related species on their last migratory stop before crossing the Gulf of Mexico. From the visitor’s center, a blue-blazed trail leads out to the remains of Port Leon, Wakulla County’s first county seat, obliterated by a storm surge in 1843. Backpackers must hail a boat across the St. Marks River to reach the popular trail town of St. Marks, with its excellent seafood restaurants and other hiker facilities. On the western side of the refuge, don’t miss The Cathedral, west of FR 200, one of the largest remaining virgin palm hammocks in Florida and home to Shepherd Spring, a stunning pool of blue hidden in the forest.
BIG BEND LOCATOR



120.7 miles

TRAILHEADS
1) Mill Creek, Twin Rivers State Forest
2) Aucilla WMA
3) St Marks NWR Visitor Center
4) Greenhouse Rd, Medart


RESOURCES

Big Bend Fact Sheet
Florida State Forests
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge




I am not sure I could knock out this whole section, but this one appeals to me.
last edited: 8/01/06 4:06:13 PM”

“Appalachicola NF is your best bet based on your criteria.

That and Ocala are the two longest stretchs of the FT that acutually feel like wilderness. The rest of the FT alternates between nice sections of woods and roadwalk.”

“That sounds good too.”

“WTF are you doing drinking MadDog WK?”

“Not to rain on your parade, but Key West might be fun. Not hiking, but fun.”

“Go take a hike, chili!”

“I am planning one right now. I have moved from being depressed to pissed off in about 30 seconds.”

“Well don't come to Florida until you clean yourself off.


It's bad enough that the hillbilly stench lasts for about a month when y'all come to visit for football.”

“I suppose the "swamp" smell is any better?”

“The Florida folks show up in Tennessee with a tan, some funky blue sports shirts, they smell like some kind of queer tanning oil, and have that unmistakable smell of day old alligator on their breath.

Hell, we do a favor to them by not charging them a "tourist tax".”

“maybe my knees will be in working order by then and we could join you for a day or two.”

“It's flat, hot, and wet. What else do you need to know?”

“Hell, we do a favor to them by not charging them a "tourist tax".”
chili


Stayed in a hotel in Knoxville lately Chili? THere's a nearly 25% tax on hotel rooms there.”

“HPM, Florida's stalwart defender of its consideration as a place to hike is moving to North Carolina. What else do you need to know?”

“ouch.”

“Sometimes the mosquitos are bad toward the evening in Winter. Maybe you should bring your juice too.”

“

"Hell, we do a favor to them by not charging them a "tourist tax"."
chili

LIKE HELL!!!

Blount tourism impact $229.5 million

Hotel/Motel Occupancy Tax

Until the last two years I could sometimes get a room at The Grand for $18.88. But by the time they quit adding the taxes, the room cost $23.+. No tourist tax! HA!
last edited: 8/02/06 10:11:41 PM”

““The Swamp” doesn't stink. It smells like roses with a hint of lemon.

Well the only way for you to be truly happy then, chili, is not to come to Florida. If; however, you can overcome your debilitating phobias, you're always welcome at my house.


But I'd make you wear orange and blue jammies.”

“Stayed in a hotel in Knoxville lately Chili? THere's a nearly 25% tax on hotel rooms there.”
treebait
8:20:35 PM
8/02/06


Actually darlin, I would have had a hell of a time explaining to Cottonsox what I was doing staying at a hotel in Knoxville.

Of course, that shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Ok, arclite, as long as the alligator jaws aren't on the fly. Somehow that would spook me a little too much.”

“I can just picture arc in UF under-roos now.”

“Of course, that shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Sounds like I'm missing something.”

“Sounds like chili's missing something.
last edited: 8/03/06 1:20:01 PM”

“Naw, I wouldn't do that to ya, chili, And I wouldn't make ya squeal like a pig either. I understand that's the special Tennessee greeting... between Tennessee fans.




What about my UF under-roos? They go really well with my fuzzy orange gator feet slippers.”

“Zup Chil?
It got down to 15 degrees in T'hassee Christmas of '83, FYI. Be prepared yo. Word.”

“
Word Up!”

“Snap!”

“My brother lives near Ft Lauderdale and wants me to come down there. He wants to go hiking a few days, so I am considering either Seminole or Okeechobee sections. Not to thrilled with that, but the last time I hike with any of my brothers was in 1967 before my oldest brother went to Vietnam. So, like the trail or not, I do want go hiking with him. Any info on this?”

“Nope, sorry.
No idea. I don't even have maps for anything south of Ocala.”

“Hike with him around these five locations. Especially, check out the 2006 Bikini Contest, including P.4, IMG 2634, at Ft. Myers.
last edited: 9/04/06 9:01:33 PM”

“Thanks, NS, but I thought we would make a real hike out of this.”

“Well, there are still plenty of good pictures. I believe you commented that they were not too hot at the Maryville/Alcoa Hooters.

I misread your post. I thought you did not want to go hiking with your brother. Sorry.”

“An X-Virginian now lives down that way and hikes and bikes those areas a lot. He dwells on Backpacker.com. His E-mail is not in his profile. Sign up there and look for a recent forum he's been on or try tp private message him. His screen name is rwtb123.”

“Thanks. I am already registred there and will check it out later.”

“when are you going chili? Get into the FL groove and have a blast. Consider paddling, too. Find the fresh water river and springs. Find the Manatees, alligators, cold spring water, sand, palmettoes.....”

“I am going between Christmas and New Years.”

“good time. few bugs, cooler. We used to have a blast cruising the creeks and swamps in N. FL when I was kid. Read Majorie Kinnan Rawling "The Yearling" and/or "Cross Creek".”

“http://lox.floridatrail.org/our-trails/the-ocean-to-lake-trail/
you may want to check this trail out.”