Embrace The Great Outdoors At Lake Kissimmee State Park

You might be wondering, How do you decide where to go camping with the camper?

And I’m glad you asked, because it depends on a few things.

Namely, the length of time we can stay, the campsite location and the general look of the area from its website.

But really, in most cases, it just boils down to plain old availability, since the cooler months here in Florida means it’s peak camping season and generally harder to find spots without making advance reservations.

And when it’s summer and hotter than all get-out, campsites tend to be easier to come by.

That was the case this summer when we happened to check out a park in central Florida, Lake Kissimmee State Park, off State Road 60, about 15 miles east of Lake Wales, and found that we had our pick of several sites.

When the park website mentioned its 1876-era Cow Camp, where cowboys or “cow hunters” as they were called, corralled and caught “lean, rangy scrub cattle,” my imagination raced with visions of the great American frontier.

That, and visions of Marty Stouffer’s Wild America, where there’s nothing but wide open spaces.

So of course we went ahead and reserved a spot.

It proved to be a great camping experience for several reasons, including the well-maintained camp facilities, miles of bike and nature trails, shady campsites nestled in oak hammocks, climbing to the top of an observation tower, taking in the awesome night sky, and exploring the Cow Camp, which was quiet when we visited, but will come alive again this October when weekend living history demonstrations start up.

When To Visit

The trees provided a lot of shade when we went in July, but it was still hot. The ideal time to visit is during the cooler months but then it gets packed, a park employee told us. That’s why we had the place almost all to ourselves.

Sites provide water and electric only, so depending on how long you stay, you’ll either have to pass by the dump station when you’re leaving, use the nearby bathroom facilities or bring a portable waste container like we did, when we stayed five nights.

Also, know that cell service is spotty at best or as the park manager indicates on the website: “Cell service is hit or miss but you usually have to find it and it doesn’t find you.”

We found that to be the case but didn’t mind unplugging. We were glad the kids’ tablets were sidelined so they could ride their bikes, take walks with us and explore all that the park has to offer.

Audubon Moments Abound

After a two-hour journey, we arrived at the 5,930-acre park, checked in, and drove along a remote, meandering road for about 10 minutes until we reached our campsite, a long, narrow site covered with a dense canopy of towering oak trees.

We found ourselves deep in the woods with no immediate camping neighbors, and the folks we did happen to run into were really friendly.

Stand still and we could hear the quiet rustle of trees, cicadas buzzing and birds calling. We’re so used to constant urban background noise that it was weird to just hear nature.

As we rode our bikes around we saw several deer along the side of the road. They stared at us and continued eating when we stopped to look at them. We also saw wild turkeys, armadillos, rabbits and lots of birds.

If you go, look up at the night sky. It was amazing to see all the stars, set off against the inky-black darkness, with no city lights on the horizon to dim the view.

And if you’re into fishing, the park has some of the best fishing sites in the state with access to Lake Kissimmee, Lake Rosalie, and Lake Tiger.

On one of the days during our visit, we took a break from our remote campsite and headed into town and spent an afternoon checking out the beautiful 250-acre Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, about 30 minutes away.

The Cow Camp

We cycled over to the Cow Camp, where living history demonstrations of the early Florida cow hunters are held during weekends and holidays from Oct. 1 through May 1.

It was quiet when we visited in mid-July, but the sense of history was palpable.

A large sign at the camp painted a vivid picture of a long-forgotten Florida.

It reads:

“Imagine now that you are stepping into the past. The year is 1876. This is a frontier region of Florida, remote from towns, railroads, or any of the comforts of civilization. This is a ‘cow camp’ where Florida cow hunters corral and catch the lean, rangy, scrub cattle for cutting and branding.”

And it’s still remote. That’s for sure.

The park website gives a little more history about the camp:

“Year round, there were long cattle drives to Punta Rassa, on the west coast of Florida near Fort Myers. There, the cows were loaded aboard ships and sent to Cuba. The cow hunters were paid in Spanish gold Doubloons. This became common currency of the South Florida frontier. Sit down by the camp fire, have a cup of the cow hunter special made coffee.”

Fast Facts About The Park

• The park has 60 campsites with electric and water hookups. There’s is a dump station on site.
• There’s a boat ramp and marina with a canoe and kayak launch area out to Lake Kissimmee.

• Most of the campsites are really spacious and provide a great buffer of oak trees.
• Park bathrooms and shower areas are really clean.
• The park has a three-story, 30-foot observation deck, called Dunk’s Tower. We climbed to the top and saw this beautiful view of Lake Kissimmee and the surrounding marsh plain.

• There’s a playground beside the observation tower. The park also has many picnic areas.

• There are six miles of equestrian trails on Buster Island, within the park.
• A small store at the boat launch sells ice, snacks and fire wood.
• The park provides primitive camping, where everything must be backpacked in.

As of September 2019, campsites cost $20 a night, plus tax and a non-refundable reservation fee of $6.70.