Tent Camping in Tallahassee, Florida

Convenient access combines with nature in Tallahassee, making it a logical place to camp in northern Florida. The city is surrounded by lakes, forests and swamps, creating the setting most tent-campers crave. Tallahassee is located on I-10, the main east-to-west highway for the Florida Panhandle. Together, these two features make the city a logical base for campers in northern Florida.

Developed Camping
Despite being surrounded by national forests, conservation areas and state parks, Tallahassee has only a few campgrounds convenient to the city, but these cover the full range of tent camping styles. Most of the RV campgrounds in the Tallahassee areas, such as Big Oak RV Park and the Tallahassee East/Monticello KOA accept tent campers. The main advantage of RV-oriented campgrounds are the amenities. Many such campgrounds feature hot showers, laundry rooms, swimming pools, game rooms, sporting courts and camp stores.

For more traditional drive-in tent camping, Lake Talquin State Forest is the main venue in the area and provides a handful of tent-only campgrounds. That might be surprising, with Apalachicola National Forest starting just outside the Tallahassee city limits, but the nearest developed campground in that forest is a 45-minute drive away. Lake Talquin's High Bluff and Fort Braden have primitive, drive-in campgrounds. High Bluff features running water and bathrooms, but Fort Braden does not. Group camping is available at Bear Creek, where the facilities are limited to campsite picnic tables. A state forest permit is required to camp at Lake Talquin.

Backcountry Camping
A unusual local twist on backcountry camping is the group campground in Lake Talquin State Forest; the campground is located on the Line's Off-Road Bicycle Trail. This is backcountry-style camping with no facilities, and is a bike-in campground limited to large groups.

Another venue for backcountry camping is Apalachicola National Forest. Campers pitch tents almost anywhere under the dispersed camping policy of the US Forest Service. Campers must adhere to "Leave No Trace" standards. Camps must be set up at a distance from hiking trails, roads and parking lots.