Everglades and Big Cypress camping in Feb. - availability?

[solismaris]

Hi, just starting to make plans - very late I know. I'm a tent camper and wondering should I even think about going to the Everglades, Big Cypress, and Fakahatchee area in 2nd-3rd weeks of February? I would need sites with car access - not hike-in.

What if any availability should I expect? I am completely flexible as to developed or primitive campgrounds. Would reservations be absolutely required? Recommended? Don't worry there will be plenty of room? Forget about it and start planning for next year? Any thoughts?

[Central_Lake_RV]

Check the Reserve America site for Collier Seminole State Park, which is in the Big Cypress but not far from Marco Island/Naples. I'm sure they have availability for tents. I know there's a washer and dryer there, I think showers, too. Good luck.

[solismaris]

agesilaus wrote:
Flamingo is anything but a swamp, more like a very large grass parking lot.

But it is surrounded by 10s of 1000s of acres of mostly wet - if not technically swamp then still not the beaches and sun and sand that most people seek. Only reason these sites were still available on 10 days notice.

[agesilaus]

Flamingo is anything but a swamp, more like a very large grass parking lot.

[solismaris]

Now that I made my reservations (got one of the last 2 tent sites at Burns Lake in Big Cypress for those dates, and also got a site at Flamingo in Everglades (the website didn't tell me how many were left) I'm set. Not everybody loves swamps I guess!

Now I get to obsess about the foolishness of sleeping in a thin tent just a few feet from gator-infested Burns Lake! Wish me luck!

[GDS-3950BH]

Guy Roan wrote:

GDS-3950BH wrote:

JoeH wrote:
I just looked at Midway ( Big Cypress) in recreation.gov and see that pretty much all the tent sites are available for all of Feb.

And for good reason. Just think about staying in a tent next to 26 Octogenarians in RV's, who move to a different site every 10 days skirting around the max stay policy.

Sounds to me like your jealous!

Guy

Jealous? Not hardly.

[Guy_Roan]

GDS-3950BH wrote:

JoeH wrote:
I just looked at Midway ( Big Cypress) in recreation.gov and see that pretty much all the tent sites are available for all of Feb.

And for good reason. Just think about staying in a tent next to 26 Octogenarians in RV's, who move to a different site every 10 days skirting around the max stay policy.

Sounds to me like your jealous!

Guy

[solismaris]

I can handle the Octogenarians lol it is the mosquitoes you've got me worried about now! I'm a big DEET fan and that will help. At least it's the dry season - could be worse!

Availability looks good for the tenters in the interior. I think I'll make it work!

[GDS-3950BH]

agesilaus wrote:


Is that a joke? Because it didn't seem to be funny.

Joke? Not really, closer to reality.

[agesilaus]

GDS-3950BH wrote:

JoeH wrote:
I just looked at Midway ( Big Cypress) in recreation.gov and see that pretty much all the tent sites are available for all of Feb.

And for good reason. Just think about staying in a tent next to 26 Octogenarians in RV's, who move to a different site every 10 days skirting around the max stay policy.

Is that a joke? Because it didn't seem to be funny.

[GDS-3950BH]

JoeH wrote:
I just looked at Midway ( Big Cypress) in recreation.gov and see that pretty much all the tent sites are available for all of Feb.

And for good reason. Just think about staying in a tent next to 26 Octogenarians in RV's, who move to a different site every 10 days skirting around the max stay policy.

[JoeH]

I just looked at Midway ( Big Cypress) in recreation.gov and see that pretty much all the tent sites are available for all of Feb.

[DFord]

They never leave Flamingo. One of the things mosquitoes key in on is CO2 from our breath. Clean burning cars of today also emit CO2. Park Rangers say after making their rounds in the evening and getting out of their car, the whole back end is black after being covered with mosquitoes! I tried to sit through a Ranger talk the last time I was there over the winter. It was mid-day but I only lasted a couple of minutes. I was being eaten alive! I'm not going back empty handed!

[agesilaus]

Well yeah, but not so bad in the winter. But still bring the DEET. My wife's family is from there, that tiny post office in Ochopee was run by her grandmother. We were there in the summer one year inside their house. I held my hand up to the window screen and when I took it down a few seconds later there was a solid black hand on the other side of the screen: mosquitoes.

[DFord]

Whatever you do, bring plenty of insect repellent. The mosquitoes are very hungry! You may need to bathe in it.