How to Find FREE Camping in Florida
Free Camping in Florida! Say what now?
Free, dry-camping, otherwise known as boondocking, does actually exist in Florida.
First, what is boondocking?
Boondocking, or dry camping, is where you are not connected to power, water, or sewer. It’s just you, your RV or camper, and whatever land you’re parked on. In most cases, boondocking is FREE! That certainly beats any price you would pay at an RV park, right?
We had our 3000w solar setup installed in November, and planned to boondock as much as possible after that. When we considered heading to Florida for the winter, I was a little disheartened because I was under the impression that finding boondocking locations in Florida were scarce. Not easily accessible like it is out west on BLM lands. I couldn’t find much information about dry camping sites in Florida at all! We actually considered doing a camping membership just so we could travel around Florida in a budget friendly way.
But then I dug a little deeper, did a lot of research and planning, and figured out that boondocking in Florida is actually fairly easy and accessible! Yes, even with our 43’ “Big Rig.”
Staying in these free, dry-camping sites does take some careful planning and being flexible with dates, but I’ve written this blog as a guide to help you plan your travels. I hope this helps you explore the free, dry-camping options in Florida that will allow you to enjoy the beauty of Florida while camping on a budget!
My Number One Planning Tool: Campendium
My favorite way to find boondocking locations in a specific area of Florida is by using Campendium. We generally have an idea of what area we are traveling to, so I’ll use this resource to look and see what free camping options are around the area we want to stay. Look specifically for camping options in Wildlife or Water Management areas, as well National Forests, as they are usually the free boondocking locations.
I use Campendium to cross reference the areas for location, amenities, view user photos and to read reviews. Reviews are important to find out whether a location can handle large rigs like ours. (Our RV is 43’ and a little over 13’ tall) Reviews can also let you know about road conditions leading up to the campground, low tree branches, etc that would be hard to navigate with a larger rig.
Some of these boondocking locations that have bathrooms, showers, water spigots, and dump stations…which are great resources to have while dry camping!
The areas with a * below are verified (by us or other RVers) as big rig friendly areas. Not all locations can accommodate RVs, some are suitable only for camper vans or small travel trailers, please do your research to see what boondocking locations will fit your set up. Each listing contains a direct link to book the camping reservation, or a link to see more information if no reservation is required.
Florida Panhandle
–Williams Lake Recreation Area
–Mystic Springs Recreation Area
–Keyser Landing Recreation Area
–Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area (Bayside Campground)
–Dead River Landing Recreation Area
–Bloody Bluff Landing Campground
–Butcher Pen Landing Campground
Apalachicola National Forest – No reservations needed. (Porter Lake Campground and Pope Still Hunt Camp)
North Florida
Osceola National Forest– No reservations needed. (Big Camp Hunt Camp, 17 Mile Hunt Camp, East Tower Hunt Camp)
Ocala National Forest – No reservations needed. (Davenport Landing)
Caravelle Ranch Wildlife Management Area – No reservations needed.
Central Florida
Ocala National Forest – No reservations needed. (Lake Dorr Dispersed Camping, Trout Lake)
Cypress Creek Preserve *Equestrian
Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area* (Must purchase a Wildlife Management Area Permit here)
KICCO Chuck Wagon Campground / KICCO Spoil Area Campground* /Town of KICCO Campground*
Istokpoga Canal Boat Ramp Area*
South Florida
Please note that each location may have different rules for booking a reservation. Some places allow you to only book 14 days in advance, others are 30 days. There may be a limit on the length of days you can reserve depending on the season. Check with each location to read the specific guidelines and rules.
See for yourself!
Want to hear about our experience at some of these boondocking locations? We have a video that highlights all of the details for our stays at Dupuis Campground, Alston Tract, and Lake Panosoffkee. Please visit our YouTube Channel, and be sure to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications to follow along on our journey!
Additional Resources:
If you need a place to stay between reservations, we highly recommend memberships to Harvest Hosts and Boondockers Welcome. We used these a few times while traveling throughout Florida.
Harvest Hosts is a membership that provides access to over 1,600 locations where self-contained RVers can camp, overnight for free. These unique locations include wineries, breweries, farms and museums (and more!) across the country! A yearly membership is only $79, but will be increasing to $99 in April 2021. You can purchase a membership before April 1st 2021, at the $79 rate, plus 15% off, using the link here.
Boondockers Welcome is also a favorite resource often on our travels. Boondockers Welcome has 2700 locations where you can park on private property for free. Usually, you can stay 1-5 nights at a time, and many hosts offer water and or electric. Some even have a dump! (*A small donation is usually requested for hookups.) We love Boondockers Welcome because it allows us to meet new people on the road, exchange stories, experience their hospitality. A Boondockers Welcome yearly membership is only $50, you can get yours here.
Please visit our Amazon Store to see what products we love and use for dry camping. Stay tuned, we will be releasing more blogs and YouTube videos about boondocking, including information on how we use and get water, power, and other things we need for dry camping.
Leave a Reply
Get in touch with us!