RE: EverGlades

[Joe Gleason]

 
Never Camped down this way!
 
 Looking for good Quality Camping and Recommendations!
 
 Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! - Thanks
 
 Found this on the National Park system...
 http://www.nps.gov/ever/pphtml/camping.html
 

[Tim5055]

 Joe Gleason
Having lived in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale for over 30 years I think I can chime in here.  Unless you like the swamp, the campgrounds in Everglades National Park will get old quickly.
 
 Plus, during certain seasons the flying bugs are big enough to show up on the Miami approach radar.
 
 Depending on what you are looking for I might suggest stoping a little further north in the state, or go all the way into the Keys where the breeze off the ocean cools things down and moves the bugs away.

[Joe Gleason]

 Joe Gleason
Well the current Plan is Fort Desoto, then Port Joe.... Everglades as a backup..
 
 From Fort Desoto - Pending weather, we ll either had North (port joe) or South (ever glades)
 
 Everglades would be mid march timeframe?  Is it " tough"  then?  Or basically just a spot to skip?  I have heard wonderful things about the EverGlades... But hear what you are saying ... Cold and Buggy - a hotel and a day trip could often be better!
 
 Keys are booked that time of year - at least Long key!
 

[SheBantam]

 Joe Gleason
My parents escorted a boy scout troop down there one Christmas Break. I opted to go home with a scouts mom and sister and stay with my grandfather...Tim is right about the bugs.
 
 My dad used to say , if the gators don t get you, the skeetes will.
 
 They took the power boat ahead and set up camp for the boys canoeing through the mangrove swamps out of Everglades City.  One night, the popped their tent (literally, as it was a Coleman pop tent) over some holes, they did not know what the holes were until the tide started rising and there was angry rattleing under the tent.  The ratlesnakes could not get out if their holes and they holes were filling with water...
 
 Joe, when you get to Ft. Desoto, ask for the campground manager, his name eludes me right now, but he is a county employee.  He and I graduated from the same HS midterm almost 31 years ago (you see why names are foggy) in St. Pete FLA.
 Tell him that Paula Dunaway (my maiden name) says hi !.

[Joe Gleason]

 Joe Gleason
Hi Paula,
 
 I will Tell him - thanks... I love Fort Desoto... We feel like we won the Lotto when we go there... What a great place!  It s just like when I was a kid!...
 
 We will be brinng a projector (I use for tradeshows) and a screen to show disney movies and such... Figure Tuesday/Thursday ... we ll invite all the kids ... Much like they do @ fort Wilderness.. Makes it kinda fun... And surprisingly little room -
 
 Question on Everglades... What time of year are the bugs bad?  All year?

[SheBantam]

 Joe Gleason

I love Fort Desoto... We feel like we won the Lotto when we go there... What a great place! It s just like when I was a kid!...

 You must be lot younger than me.  It was a wonderful place back then, it was the only beach we would go to. We always went to the one past the old fort.  We went back a few years ago and it is now a proected cove. The life guard said that a hurricane had come through and pushed sand towards the beach. What we remember the most fom childhood was that the sandbar went on and on. I also did not remember so many sand spurs (ouch).
 
 Back in the 60 s and 70 s when this was our park, there was no camp ground and we used to go clamming in the back bay near the Port-o-Call.  Wish I was going with you.
 
 The trip I did to the everglades in the late 60 s was at Christmas and the misquitos were bad, but that was 35ish years ago and we were in the mangrove swamps, not the sawgrass.  We went back about 10 years ago when we were at Deerfield beach FL and though everglades city ahd not changed much is 25ish years, I do not remember bugs.