Has anyone done any tent camping from Suwannee north to Perry area along the coast? Looking to do a last minute trip with the skiff but cannot for the life of me seem to find much other than RV parks.
Believe there is primitive camping at the Suwanee Wildlife Refuge. There may also be a site in Keaton Beach. Not sure anymore since I moved and after the storms.
Should be plenty of options from Chiefland on up to Perry. You may not be able to get right on the water though. For instance fanning springs has a few places you could camp. Perry also some rv parks on 19/98. Several folks rent private spots in The hatch and Keaton. I think cedar key, dekle and horseshoe all have small campgrounds as well. I dont have contact info, but a google map search should net you some results. Further north up here in Wakulla, we’ve got several places as well. Those I could give you direct contact info for.
That’s a tough area for tent camping. Lots of blood thirsty bugs, and the ground is wet.
You ain’t lying. If the breeze even thinks about easing up it no see um hell.
Shell mound had a campground as well. Been a few years but it was a decent spot.
Check out the Big Bend Saltwater Paddling trail.. primitive campsites from Suwanee to the Aucilla there’s 8 of them.. not that you have to paddle it but the map will show you the designated camping areas!
Planning to look into the paddle trail more. I initially wrote it off thinking it was paddle only/back water.
Technically it is for paddle craft only and also technically requires a permit. The permit is free and available online. All that being said, I don’t think enforcement is a thing, as I’ve camped a few times on them and had boaters present. Also pay attention to tides, as neg lows will leave some of these sites high an dry.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to the RV parks and ask if they allow tent camping on their sites. I once camped at Presnell’s Marina in Port St. Joe just because we called and asked. They didn’t advertise tent camping, but they said they didn’t mind if we paid for the spot.