Anyone bookdocked south of Miami? Even possible?

[IGBT]

I made the mistake of looking at the Florida keys on Google Earth...Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go...<br /><br />That place looks gorgeous.&nbsp; What is it like?&nbsp; I know there isn't much land down there, but mmmm...<br /><br />Maybe live cheap in a tent for 6 months of the year in the midwest, then rent a 2bd house in the keys for $1400 a month the other 6 months.&nbsp; Maybe could still stay under our budget...<br /><br />I still want to do Alaska for a few years, but the idea of surf, sand, sunshine is really calling me.&nbsp; Perhaps spending 15 years in the Pacific Northwest I have gotten a bit mildewy.

 

[rvwandering]

&nbsp;Florida is the hardest state to find free camping , boondocking or even big box store blacktop camping spots. The keys are especially bad but renting a house could work.<br /><br />&nbsp;About the only place to boondock in Florida is in Ocala National Forest. If you haven't already done it ,check out this site -<a href="http://freecampsites.net/usa/"> http://freecampsites.net/usa/</a><br />It's a good site but many of the places marked as free in Florida are wildlife management areas and they have so many rules and regulations that we never found any where we could actually stay.<br /><br />&nbsp;If you want cheap camping right on the beach try Padre Island National Seashore in Texas. We've never camped there but it looks nice.

 

[Guest]

there are some neat things to see in the keys, like hemmingways home. every island pretty much has buffets. but its true about the free camping. there are things i did not like about the keys but won't post them. i did camp out there one weekend, but had to pay at a big yard like place, just really an empty field with others doing same. it wasn't expensive, but that was some years ago.

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

As of about 25 years ago, there were lots of boodocking areas even in the Keys. I have wonderful memories from Ocala all the way down to the Keys. Was newly married and we just threw a mosquito net over my little old Ford truck and slept on sleeping bags. Mosquitos were a bad problem. One place we stayed at was outside of an old run down military base. I don't even remember the key but we parked next to the decaying blacktop road and looked out at the surf. The snorkling was great.<br />Went back about 10 years ago and it was an improved park-day use&nbsp;and packed with people.<br />Another place we frequented was beside a&nbsp;deep clear lake/hole about 1/2 acre or so in diameter. We snorkled it too but it was a bit spooky in spite of being clear and land locked. The sea creatures grew big in it, no sharks, just a few rays and those big horseshoe crabs and decent size&nbsp;barracuda that seemed to smile at me.&nbsp;Lots of pretty fish.&nbsp;I think the hole was fed by salt springs or rain and probably species changed during floods.<br />As to the first place by the old base, ex had lived there in '73 and lots of people lived there, even small families in tents.<br />Thinking back, my boondocking would have been in '84 and '85.

 

[hitekhomeless]

<p>Not the keys, but related to the post about camping in Florida... There is another resource that I haven't put on the freecampsites.net website -&gt; Water Management Districts. I haven't added them because they recently forbid RVs. Car campers, bicyclists and backpackers should be fine. You do have to get a free permit to use them and you must get it ahead of time.</p><p><br />Here are a couple of them:</p><p>http://floridaswater.com/recreationguide/activities.html<br /><br />http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/po...or&amp;p_id=13,11,14,&amp;p_submit=Find+Sites</p><p><br />http://www.livestrong.com/article/183669-southwest-florida-water-management-district-camping/</p><p>http://www.nwfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/econfinacreek.html</p>

 

[Journeyman]

There are tons of boondocking sites and parks south of Tallahassee in the panhandle.<br /><br />

 

[ParadiseParrot]

Hmmmm....some mis-information floating around here. Florida is loaded with public land. Many parks only charge during high season Camp all u want other times. Walmarts and RV centers and Truck stops abound. This is like RV central around here.<br /><br />There is only one small boondock spot in the keys i found for free.<br />Bahia honda park is great but call as they are booked heavily.<br />There are some pay sites but they are not cheap. Finding a Stealth spot in key west might take some work but there is a lot of street parking so there will be someplace but u will have to keep moving. I would not count on just pulling over the side of the road and setting up a perma camp for the season.