Tawanda's Tracks: National Park CG

Showing posts with label National Park CG. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Midway Campground (Big Cypress National Preserve), Ochopee, FL

Date of Stay: Sunday December 9, 2013 (1 night)

Rate: $15/night (Access Pass discount)

Website: Midway Campground Big Cypress National Preserve (FL)
   US 41 (mile marker 52)
   Ochopee, FL 34141
   239-695-1201

Description: Reviewed earlier here. Great stopover but many more rvs now than it was in October. We got site 14 again but they take reservations now so it may be hit and miss now even for one night during the busy season. Camp hosts greet you as you pull in to the cg.

Activities: Just an overnight stop for us on our way back to Tampa. When we stopped here in October, we noticed a leak in our newly replaced jacks. Gin tightened a fitting but we wanted Lazy Days to double check it and top off the fluid. Our toilet was once again not holding water so we wanted that replaced also.

Trash and Recycle: Dumpsters were in place now for the winter season.

Site 14

Monday, October 28, 2013

Midway Campground (Big Cypress National Preserve), Ochopee, FL

Date of Stay: Thursday October 24 - Monday October 28, 2013 (4 nights)

Rate: $15/night (Access Pass discount)

Website: Midway Campground Big Cypress National Preserve (FL)
   US 41 (mile marker 52)
   Ochopee, FL 34141
   239-695-1201

Description: Paved road and pad with 50A. Potable water at the dump station if needed. We started with a full tank so we did just fine. We were on site 14 which is as far from Hwy 41 as possible. No one else was here when we first parked and then, we only had one or two other campers join us for the week end. Great stopover on the way to the Keys or a day at Shark Valley. Had to swing out onto the grass to back in since the road and sites are narrow. Volunteers work here for about three months starting in December. All sites face a pond which does have a resident alligator.

Activities: Very quiet here but thankful for the 50A service. One day trip was to the Oasis Visitor Center where we saw lots of alligators, fish and migratory birds. Another day was spent driving Loop Road which is not paved so the Suki got quite dusty.

Trash and Recycle: Dumpsters and recycle cans available during the winter season but not at this time of year.

Midway Campground site 14

Our view and us across the pond

Alligator at Oasis Visitor Center

Sunning on Loop Road

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Flamingo Campground (Everglades National Park), Flamingo, FL

Date of Stay: Tuesday February 12 - Sunday 24, 2013 (12 nights)

Rate: $19/night (Access Pass discount)

Website: Flamingo Campground Everglades National Park (FL)
   1 Flamingo Lodge Highway
   Flamingo, FL 33034
   239-695-0124

Description: This is truly the end of the world as we know it. The campground is 40 miles from the entry to the Everglades but there is a marina and visitor’s center at this end of the road. No reception on Verizon so no phone or internet for us. We stayed on site T27. The T Loop has 50A electric but no water or sewer at the site. There is a dump with water fill at the bathhouse. The bathhouse does not have hot water although the other loops do have solar panels to heat the water in theirs. Paved roads and pads on large sites without much shade. Bugs are not bad this time of year during the day but evening can be annoying. Forget about the summer. Nice place to ride bikes, paddle, hike the nature trails and enjoy ranger-led activities and talks. Lots of birds and mangroves. Alligators and crocodiles co-exist here.

Activities: Great place to unwind and disconnect from the world for a while. Our satellite dish worked just fine for television although Verizon didn’t work at all (no phone or internet). We were here with Dan, Tricia, Bill and Nancy and were lucky to get sites together. Sherry and David were also here for a couple of days so it was good to see them again. Ranger-led activities are great here and you really get to appreciate the impact of the Everglades on the Earth’s ecosystems. We all rode together to the Anhinga Trail closer to the entry to the park on a cool windy day to enjoy some wildlife viewing. We also all went to Shark Valley with our bikes and pedaled out to the Observation Tower there to get a grasp of the vastness of the Everglades. Bill, Nancy, Tricia and myself went on a ranger-led canoe ride through the mangroves in very shallow water. After our friends left, we realized that we missed civilization so we left a couple of days early.

Trash and Recycle: Dumpster at the bathhouse. Recycle bins at the entry to the loop.