A hike at Paynes Prairie State Preserve–Chacala Trail

Location: Gainesville, Fl
GPS Coordinates: 29.526762, -82.287387
Date: 01/28/13

We wanted to find a hike somewhere near our home that we had not done before. Looking at Google maps, I noticed a Wikiloc icon within the Paynes Prairie park showing a hike that looked interesting. We did the 20 minute drive to the park and found the trail head at the horse trail area about a mile down the main park road. The Chacala trail is about a 6 mile loop that takes you through “several distinct biological communities including pine flatwoods, hardwood forest or hammock, baygall, open ponds and old fields” (borrowed from the park website!!).  We found this trail to be very enjoyable as it was wide enough for two to walk side by side and the trail had many different looks to it as it made its’ way around many ponds. Around these wet areas, the bird population definitely picked up in activity. At a little more than half way on the hike there is a short side spur that takes you to Chacala Lake (pond). This was a nice quiet lake with what looks like one house on the far side. There was not other signs of development. Whoever owned that one piece of property sure had a great location!!

A sign at the trail head showing the track of the hike

The hike was well marked and easy to follow


Chacala Pond

Chacala Pond with the one house on the far bank





Here is the GPS track of the hike







Paynes Prairie - Chacala Trail at EveryTrail

Another camping trip to Ocean Pond Campground

Date: 1/18/13 – 1/20/13
Location: Osceola National Forest (Near Lake City, Florida)
GPS Coordinates: 30.239501, -82.436620
Campsite number: 31
This has been our third trip to Ocean Pond campground in the Osceola Nation Forest since we’ve bought our trailer. We arrived Friday evening after leaving work and driving the 90 minute trip to the campground. We were lucky enough to find an open spot on the water, but all the electrical spots were taken, This was ok as we like the sites without electricity better than the ones with power. On Saturday we drove around the Big Gum Swap wilderness area and came across the West Tower campground. This is one of the trailheads to the Florida Trail, so we decided to do a hike, In the afternoon, after resting at camp awhile, we did some kayaking on Ocean Pond. The weather was amazing, cool and clear. Not too cold and not too hot!!
Sunday we did another short hike on the Florida trail starting at the Turkey Run trailhead which is a short drive from the campground. Even though it was a three day weekend, we decided to only camp for two days. Before we packed up and left, we did some more kayaking on Ocean Pond heading down to Hog Pen campground and then back. Nothing too strenuous!! 
Since I’ve reviewed this campground previously, I won’t bother doing it again. Here’s the link to the previous review.
 
Yep, we are in the boonies. A sign we saw as we were driving around the the Gum Swamp Wilderness area

West Tower Campground

Florida Hiking Trail trailhead

Boardwalk along the Florida Trail

Florida Trail through the pine forest

Spot # 31 at Ocean Pond


Kayaking by ocean Ponds beach and playground area




Julie kayaking in the weeds!

Julie at a Florida Trail Shelter

Some wild animal we encountered while walking the trail!!

Our hike on the Florida Trail starting at West Tower trailhead
Florida Trail starting at West Tower Campground trailhead at EveryTrail
Our hike on the Florida Trail starting at the Turkey Run trailhead
Florida Trail starting at Turkey Run trailhead at EveryTrail
Kayaking Ocean Pond
Kayaking Ocean Pond at EveryTrail

New Years Camping at St. Joseph’s Peninsula State Park

Date: 12/29/2012 - 1/2/2013
Location: St. Joe, Florida
GPS Coordinates: 29.774579, -85.406412
Julie and I wanted to have a quiet New Year Eve and decided that a camping trip was the best option. We had been wanting to try some of the campgrounds in the panhandle of Florida. Many have very few openings at this time of year, but we were able to find some still available at St. Joseph’s Peninsula State Park. Driving to St. Joe from Gainesville took a little over 4 hours. There’s not a whole lot of development as you drive up that way working our way through many, many miles of pine forests.
St. Josephs Peninsula is a very nice area of the panhandle. The very southern section is an Air Force base, followed by a few miles of beach houses and then you come to the campground. The park takes up all of the central and northern part of the peninsula.
There are two campground loops, Gulf Breeze is the closest to the beach as its’ right behind two rows of sand dunes. Some of the sites are a little close with not much vegetation between them. There are some (especially the lowest numbers) that have decent privacy. We spent 2 nights in site 31 and then moved to site 5 as it was larger and more secluded. The second loop is Shady Pines. As the name suggests, it is a more wooded than Gulf Breeze and the sites are a little larger also.
There’s a lot of activities available at this park. We did a lot of bike riding and hiked the main trail that runs up through the park towards the north point. The trail is very nice, but a little tiring as it is loose sand.
We also did some kayaking in the bay. The water is very clear and also very shallow!! Be sure to check out the tide charts before heading out!
The time we were at this campground, the weather was a little cool and windy. But this would be an awesome place to spend some beach time during warmer weather. There’s miles of beach and you can sure to find an area that is away from the crowds.
Here is our Review of this campground:
Campground: St. Joseph’s Peninsula State park
Website: http://www.floridastateparks.org/stjoseph/default.cfm
Site Number: 31 & 5
Date visited: 12/29/2012 - 1/2/2013
Rating (1 = low, 5 = high)
Campsite size: 2 (average site on the small side. Some in the Shady Pines loop are a little larger)
Campsite space between sites: 2 (Most a little close, but some are ok)
Campsite privacy between sites: 2.5 (Gulf Breeze loop is fairly open and the Shady Pines has more foliage between sites)
Campsite level: 3 (a few sites are not very level, but most are ok)
Campsite parking: dirt
Campfire permitted: yes in fire ring
Campsite picnic table: Wood
Campground Facilities: 3.5
Campground access to hiking: 4
Campground access to water (kayaking, fishing, swimming, etc): 5
Campground access to biking: 3.5
Overall Campground rating: 3.5
 
Site #5

The salt marsh behind the campground




Many deer running around


Some bike riding:
St. Joseph's Park Biking at EveryTrail
Hiking the main trail though the park
St. Joseph's Park Hiking Trail at EveryTrail


And this is where we did some kayaking
St. Joseph's Bay Kayaking at EveryTrail

Anastasia State Park Camping

Date: 11/10/12 – 11/12/12
Location: St. Augustine, Fl
GPS Coordinates: 29.866680, –81.275344

This is out second trip to Anastasia State Park. I guess we must like it!! Not going to write another review of this campsite, but to see the previous trip report click here.

Campground: Anastasia Beach
Campground Website: http://www.floridastateparks.org/anastasia/
Site Number: 111
Price: $28 night
Date visited: 11/10/2012 - 11/12/2012

Camping at Santeetlah Lake

Date: 10/2/12 – 10/5/12
Location: Santeetlah, NC
GPS Coordinates: 35.370826, –83.911037
After spending a few days camping in Tennessee, we moved on to North Carolina. Around the shore of Lake Santeetlah are many dispersed (boondocking) spots. We were lucky enough to secure one of the sites that I had found while surfing the web. This site (J9) is amazing as it sites on a point on the lake. You are surrounded by water on (almost) three sides and there is a stream coming out of the mountains that empties into the lake right at the site. The spot for the camper is right next to the road, but there is so little traffic that this is not a problem. We did a lot of kayaking on this lake and the is almost no other boats on the lake. It may be different during the summer, but during the fall you almost have the huge lake to yourself. There are many coves to explore and we could have spend a lot more time exploring this lake.
Near by is the Joyce Kilmer Forest where there are some huge trees and great hiking. Joyce Kilmer is the poet who wrote the poem
I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree….
Also, close by is the Cherohala Skyway drive. I would highly recommend this drive as it lends itself to some great views and more hiking trails.
Here is our Review of this campground:
Campground: Santeetlah Lake Dispersed Camping
Campground Website: http://townoflakesanteetlah.org/index.htm
Site Number: J9
Price: $0 night
Date visited: 10/02/2012 - 10/5/2012
Rating (1 = low, 5 = high)
Campsite size: 5
Campsite space between sites: 5
Campsite privacy between sites: 4.5
Campsite level: 3
Campsite parking: dirt
Campfire permitted: yes.
Fire ring on each site
Campsite picnic table: Yes
Campground Facilities: No hookups
Campground access to hiking: 4. Lots of hiking close by
Campground access to water (kayaking, fishing, swimming, etc): 5
Overall Campground rating: 5

Our boondocking camping site

Lake side site good for water sports

Some great kayaking

Relaxing at the camp site

Beautiful lake to paddle


Here’s a like to some more pics on Picassa

One of the longer paddles that we did
Lake Santleetlah Paddle at EveryTrail


Hiking Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
Joyce Kilmer Upper Loop Trail at EveryTrail


A shorted paddle on the lake
Horse Cover Creek Paddle at EveryTrail

Camping at Chilhowee Campground

Date: 9/30/12 – 10/2/12
Location: Ocoee, TN
GPS Coordinates: 35.152011, -84.601587
This is a campground that Julie and I camped at back when we were in high school. Oh, about 30+ years ago!  So, after some research I was able to locate this campground again and made it the first stop on our fall camping trip. This location sits atop a mountain which requires a 5 – 6 mile trek up a mountain road with several semi-steep climbs. Keep this in mind if you are pulling a large trailer.
There are two separate camping loops with a small pond/lake between the two. This lake has a swimming beach and can be used for fishing and kayaking, but again it’s pretty small in size. Both loops have many very nice campsites, large in size and with good privacy.
Being on the edge of the Great Smokey Mountains, there’s plenty to do in this area. There’s may white water rafting companies on the main road that leads towards the campground. Also, at the campground there are many very good hiking trails. One of the longer trails leads partway down the mountains to a nice waterfall.
Here is our Review of this campground:
Campground: Chilhowee Campground
Campground Website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/cherokee/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=35078&actid=29
Site Number: ?
Price: $20 night
Date visited: 9/30/12 - 10/2/12
Rating (1 = low, 5 = high)
Campsite size: 4
Campsite space between sites: 4
Campsite privacy between sites: 4
Campsite parking: dirt
Campfire permitted: yes. Fire ring on each site
Campsite picnic table: Yes
Campground Facilities: 4.5
Campground access to hiking:3.5
Campground access to water: Kayaking 3.5 (bottom of mountain). Nice small lake/pond for swimming near campground
Overall Campground rating: 4

Fall leaves in the stream by the waterfall

Waterfall on one of the hikes

A rainy day on the mountain

An evening by the campfire

Our hike on the Huckleberry Knob Trail
Huckleberry Knob Trail at EveryTrail

Gazebo Overlook Trail at EveryTrail

Chilhowee Campground Hike at EveryTrail

Benton Falls Trail at EveryTrail

Biking the Nature Coast Bike Trail

Location: Fanning Springs, Fl
GPS Coordinates: 29.591828, -82.930342
Date: 8/26/2012

We rode the Nature Coast State Trail starting at the Fanning Springs trail head. We traveled through Old Town and continued on to Cross City which is northwest of the starting location. At around three miles from the start the trail crosses the Suwannee River using an old railway bridge. This location gives you a very good view of the river, both upriver and downstream.
Since the bike trail was built on an old railroad bed, there’s just about no elevation change along the trail (no hills!!). The trail is wide and well maintained and they have covered benches at about every 2 miles along the trail. All trail heads have parking and bathrooms. Many sections of the trail run through areas with many trees which give good shade, however both ends of this section of the trail are fairly open and sunny.
As a note, there is a hole in the wall BBQ place right next to the Fanning Springs train head. This makes a good place to visit after a long, tiring bike ride. Also, in Cross City there was a Dairy Queen right next to the trail. We didn’t stop, but sure crossed my mind!
Information on this trail can be found at: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/state/nat/default.htm
Old railroad bridge crossing over the Suwannee River

 
Looking north upriver at the Suwannee

 
Julie taking a water break and checking out the view,

This is the hole in the wall BBQ place that is right next to the trail head. It’s got some pretty tasty BBQ and sure hit the spot after riding 27 miles.

 
Here is the GPS track of our bike ride.
Nature Coast Bike Trail at EveryTrail

Camping weekend at Lithia Springs

Date: 8/3/12 – 8/5/12
Location: Lithia, Fl
GPS Coordinates: 27.869287, –82.224526

We found this campground that is real close to our oldest daughters new home. Lithia Springs is a Hillsborough County park. The campground is nice with a few of the sites sitting next to the Alafia River. The main draw to this park is the large spring with a beach area surrounding it. We were there in early August, so the weather was still warm and as a result the springs were packed with day visitors. If you want to claim a spot near the spring for the day, then get there early. I’ve read other blogs about this park during the cooler weather and it sounds like things are much calmer during the cool months.
There’s not much hiking at this park, but there is a canoe and kayak launch if you want to do some paddling on the Alafia River. This is a quirky campground in some of the site layouts. Some of the sites are very unlevel and many  have their water and power on the wrong sides or far away from where you would park your camper.
Here is our Review of this campground:
Campground: Lithia Springs Campground
Website: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/facilities.aspx
Site Number: 25
Price: $24 night
Date visited: 8/03/2012 - 8/05/2012
Rating (1 = low, 5 = high)
Campsite size: 3 (varies by campground loop chosen)
Campsite space between sites: 3 (varies by site)
Campsite privacy between sites: 3 (varies by site)
Campsite level: 2. Most sites not very level. Also, some of the water and power hookups are not well placed
Campsite parking: dirt
Campfire permitted: yes. Fire ring on each site
Campsite picnic table: Yes
Campground Facilities: 3.5
Campground access to hiking: 1. No defined hiking trails
Campground access to water (kayaking, fishing, swimming, etc): 4. A large spring for swimming and a river for canoe/kayaking
Campground access to biking: 3
Overall Campground rating: 3. A nice park, but a little quirky in places!

Our site, #25, was very large and nobody close by!

Hanging out at the camp site

Looking at our site from the road

Camping near the beach at Anastasia State Park

Date: 5/17/2012 – 5/20/12
Location: St. Augustine, Fl
GPS Coordinates: 29.8730651, –81.277546

If you are looking for a campground near a uncrowded beach, then Anastasia State Park could be one to try. Although the campground loops are a lengthy walk from the beach, it’s well worth the effort. There’s also a large parking area near the beach access if you want to take the car. This campground has many loops off a main road. Some of the loops are for tents and very small RV’s only. Other can accommodate larger RVs with no problem.
There a few short hiking trails that make their way through the park and there’s plenty of bike trails to explore. My daughter and I did some fishing in the bay. We caught a few small fish , but nothing worth writing home about!  I’m sure it was the lack of fish and not the questionable ability of the “fisherman”.
Here is our review of the campground:
Campground: Anastasia Beach
Campground Website: http://www.floridastateparks.org/anastasia/
Site Number: 62
Price: $26 night
Date visited: 5/17/2012 - 5/20/2012
Rating (1 = low, 5 = high)
Campsite size: 3 (varies by campground loop chosen)
Campsite space between sites: 3 (varies by site)
Campsite privacy between sites: 3 (varies by site)
Campsite level: 4
Campsite parking: dirt
Campfire permitted: yes. Fire ring on each site
Campsite picnic table: Yes
Campground Facilities: 3.5
Campground access to hiking: 2
Campground access to water (kayaking, fishing, swimming, etc): 5
Campground access to biking: 4
Overall Campground rating: 4 Notes: If you like the beach, then this is the place to go

The boardwalk leading over the dunes to the beach


One view of our camping spot


The salt marsh between the beach and the campground

Of course there has to be at least one beach picture!


Lots of turtles (tortoise?) around

Another trip to Ocean Pond Campground

Date: 4/13/12 – 4/15/12
Location: Osceola National Forest (Near Lake City, Florida)
GPS Coordinates: 30.239501, -82.436620

This is out second trip to Ocean Pond Campground. Not going to write another review of this campsite, but to see the previous trip report click here.
 
Fresh bear print we found on a hike through the forest

A hike down an old dirt road

Our site right next to the lake

Nice relaxing spot for the day

 
 
 

Another huge site at Ocean Pond

A nice Cypress Tree on the edge of the lake

Another nice pic of the lake shore


Here is one of the kayak paddles that we took:
Ocean Pond Kayak at EveryTrail

Took a hike on the Osceola Nature trail. Is is here that we came across a very fresh bear track
Florida Trail - Osceola National Forest at EveryTrail