winter camping in the carolinas/florida?

[barchetta1]

My wife and I just bought a 5th wheel and are excited to camp. Is camping in the carolinas (north or south) feasible in the winter?

What about florida? We could maybe do a 5 day trip.. we are typically weekend warriors though because Im a young 51 and have to work.. ugh.


Is there a safe water antifreeze if we dont drink it? In other words, we only do dishes and shower etc? Ours is an older 5th and the floor is not all enclosed in and insulated...

Our favorite campsite thus far us jellystone in Marion nc. We've been camping 4 times in total.

[Chuck_thehammer]

last winter.. We camped in a 11 year old trailer for 30 days each.

December in Myrtle Beach state park
January in Huntington Beach state park
February in Edisto Beach state park

January we had frost a few times..
and I rode the motorcycle for a total of 4,000 miles in that time.

[agesilaus]

In North Florida any CG within 20 miles or so of either coast will likely be booked solid until April. You may be able to find a site in the interior part of the state. When a cold front comes thru the temps will usually drop down into the thirties for a few days but daytime temps usually are in the 60's or 70's.

We don't see as many snowbirds as they do south of Orlando but we still get many of them. Check out the state parks with springs like Manatee Springs or Rainbow Springs.

FSP

And there are many commercial CG.

[Dick_B]

You can go to www.weather.com and get the average temperatures for any city in the U.S. to determine if that location is suitable for you in the winter.

[pulsar]

In you home state, we like Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet. During the winter months, the average lows are near 40º and the average highs are near 60º.

We also like James Island County Park in Charleston. The average are a couple of degrees higher than those in Murrelles Inlet.

In both places, it can get below freezing. If you watch the forecasts, that shouldn't be a problem.

Tom

[valhalla360]

Sure you can camp in either place in the winter. (heck, we're in Michigan at the moment).

Typical RV's should be good down to the mid 20F's without any special consideration. We've spent time with temps in the teens and one time down to -5F (not recommended but can be done).

As long as the heat is on, you are generally OK with not winterizing, though if you can keep the waste tanks empty before a cold evening that's a good idea.

The pink RV antifreeze is safe for the water system and if you get a sip of it, it won't kill ya but it does taste nasty. You don't generally put until you are done using the water system.

If the Carolinas or northern Florida is OK, depends what you are looking for. We love 50-60F days as it's nice to get out and go for long walks with just a windbreaker. If you are expecting 70-80F, you need to head for south Florida...of course so is every other snowbird so places are full and prices are high.

The other thing to consider is if the parks are open. The further north you go, the more likely they close in the winter (example: the place we are in Michigan closes at the end of Nov and there is only one other park that is open in southern Michigan...which was already full)

[wildtoad]

We camp in SC all year long. Yes it can get cold, freeze, and even snow but the latter two are either rare or short in duration, especially along the coast. So pack up and come on.

[Bears_Den]

I can't say for North Carolina but Florida is a possibility if you stay in the northern part of the state. South of I-4 seems to be the dividing line for winter snowbirds. They want to be south of I-4 because they want the warmer weather. I live in SWFL and I usually go to the northern part of the state in the winter for two reasons. Campground availability and cooler temps. By cooler I don't mean frigid but maybe 40s at night and highs in the 50s or 60s. Like I always say, temps in the 40s at night and 50s and 60s during the day is still better than zero wherever the snowbirds are coming from. Good luck finding a spot.