Yesterday I took my girlfriend with me on a random 40 minute ride to stop on the side of the road to stargaze near a farm. It was a lot of fun being away from the suburbs. I've never been camping before but I'd like to get away just her and I as far as I can from civilization. Also information about equipment would be helpful.
4
-
Other than two visits to a friend in Boca Raton, I don't know Florida at all, so I can't be helpful about where in Florida you should go. However, I suggest you think in terms of where you can go fairly close to home to learn how to camp. There is a lot to learn, and many mistakes to make before getting as far away from civilization as you can, and it is better to make those mistakes fairly close to civilization. Take a look at Florida Beach Camping Guide if you like beaches.– ab2Commented Mar 26, 2018 at 1:24
-
5Doesn't Florida have a bunch of "Bear Grills and every other survival show taped an episode here" swamps, with potentially deadly water moccasin snakes and gators and stuff? If your wildest experiences so far are things like parking on the side of the road, "furthest from civilization in Florida" may be something you want to build up to. The good news is: the building up is the fun part. Maybe start with a normal camping trip by car, and when you know your tent and such work find a place to hike out to, away from the road, but not "middle of a swamp, 4 days from civilization" away from it?– MonsterCommented Mar 26, 2018 at 3:22
-
2The question is really broad though. Probably too broad. In the end it comes down to "how do I outdoor". Anyone good suggestions for narrowing this down into a few overseeable topics?– MonsterCommented Mar 26, 2018 at 9:01
-
3To those of you who are answering in comments, please think about expanding them into answers rather than cluttering up the comments. To the OP, please read other answers on the site - that may help you define your question a bit.– Rory Alsop ♦Commented Mar 28, 2018 at 8:50
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
In the southern part of the state, a section of the Florida Trail passes through Big Cypress. From what I remember, it's about a 20 mile stretch of trail where you won't see many others. Though it has been a while since I've been (12 years?), it was very remote (as FL goes) and I cannot imagine that it has changed much.
Camping in this area is seasonal, with much of it being flooded during parts of the year. During other parts of the year, it can be difficult to find water. There is a ranger station on the trail at the Oasis Visitor Center (on US41) at south end of the preserve which can provide detailed information on trail conditions and hazards:
Address: 52105 Tamiami Trail, East Ochopee, Florida 34141
Phone: 239-695-120
Map: https://www.nps.gov/bicy/planyourvisit/maps.htm
If you've not done much camping, you should consider sticking to established campgrounds. Otherwise, you can easily get yourself into trouble and find that you do not have cell phone coverage. There are numerous campgrounds (some primitive, but still car accessible) in the area:
https://www.nps.gov/bicy/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
Since you also mention star-gazing, this area gets bonus points since the north end of Big Cypress is frequented by both the Palm Beach and Broward County astronomy groups as a "dark sky" site:
-
Thank you this is fantastic :) I'll be checking all of this stuff out. Commented Mar 30, 2018 at 23:02
-
Thank you so much man! I decided to take my girlfriend to Kissimmee Prairie State Park for the weekend for her birthday. It's the darkest place in florida outside the coastlines. I just bought a tent, lantern, an air mattress, and a cooler. It's gonna be great! Commented Apr 3, 2018 at 3:07