Forum Discussion

steelhunter's avatar
steelhunter
Explorer
Sep 14, 2019

Florida in January

I'm hoping to visit Florida in January...down one side and up the other.

I like to take back roads and avoid the interstates.

Am I going to have trouble finding camp spots? Not looking for long term just overnight or a day or two....boondocking OK.

I'll be in a 32' motorhome with my Labrador.

Thanks for your tips and suggestions.
  • South of I-4 you will have difficulty. Most of Florida boondocking is away from the coast. Even north of I-4 you'll have to look hard for camping spots. Florida State Parks and the National Forests contain most dry camping.

    January is the dead center of the snowbird season, campgrounds are often reserved a year in advance. NF Map

    FL SF Camping

    The Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) are another possibility.
  • Florida State Parks are reserved thru Reserveamerica. I’d start right now to nail down some dates. Not contiguously but here and there

    Almost all state parks have electric and water and many have FHUs.

    Check county parks. Many are on manual system and are under the radar.

    John Prince in Palm Beach. Larry Penny Thompson near Miami. Hart Springs County Park has full hookups 50a and cheap.

    Lots of private campgrounds around Okeechobee.
  • You'll have extreme difficulty finding camping spots, and there's no such thing as boondocking. You have to start right this minute, and expand your search to south Georgia, south Alabama, Missisippi and Louisiana. All wll be far warmer than Dakota.
  • Some of the Florida Water Management Districts allow camping on their conservation lands. Most sites do not have hookups. We have been to the Southwest District Serenova Tract near Land O'Lakes.
  • I went to Florida in February on short notice (tried to book ~2 months ahead of time) and had a lot of difficulty finding spots. I am sure January would be even worse. I was told everything was pretty much booked south of Orlando, especially on the coasts. I was able to secure spots for short stops (1 to 4 days), but it took some calling around and planning my itinerary around the availability of sites. Apparently, it really starts clearing up after the first of March.
  • Thanksgiving to sometime in Spring. When in Spring depends on the weather up in snowbird land. It can drag on well into April with a hard winter up there.