A quite little campground hidden in Orange County, FL.
I should begin by stating our trip to Moss Park was not planned. A family friend was celebrating his birthday, so Little Man and I joined them camping for an evening. While we had a blast, it was definitely a lesson in planning. I am a planner by nature and was taught to be ready for anything. And planning for camping is actually quite easy. All you need is a good check list. Something I promise to add soon. Subscribe and you'll be the first to see it ;). Because I hadn't planned, I forgot lots of things. Including bug spray and suntan lotion. We left a little red and a little eaten. But we are believers that we came to have a good time and we made due.
Exploring the camp
The campground was something of a hidden gem... all be it one that could use some polishing. It can be found online, but they only take reservations via phone and no more than 45 days in advance.
All the campsites are rather deep allowing for larger trailers. Most of the sites were sand, but there were a few full concrete pads labeled as handicapped. They all had water and electric, but there was a separate dumping station for RV's. The restrooms were easy to access and were very clean. The campground has a boat dock in a beautiful section of the lake, and we got to do some fishing in the morning. The dock was spread out well, allowing us to spread out and not worry about tangled lines. Some of the posts even had pole rests. In addition there were several picnic shelters and a playground. The park is a wildlife sanctuary so they have strict rules about no alcohol and no pets.
Some of the wildlife we got to enjoy included a mother and baby deer. Around lunch time, a pair of cranes came strolling through. We did see one gator, but only from the boat docks. According to the park ranger on duty, they have never had a report of gators near campsites, but because they do get them in the lakes, they don't allow swimming.
The real troublesome wildlife was the raccoons. An unfortunate problem, promoted by the park. If you have ever been to a park in Florida you have seen the wildlife proof trashcans. They are everywhere. Well, everywhere except Moss Park. There were standard metal trash bins, the kind Oscar the Grouch would call home, spaced around the campsites. One location was directly across from our campsite. I didn't need to look out the window to tell you that the raccoons were out there all night. And in the morning, there was trash everywhere.
While the kids were off at the playground, I took a stroll around. The area is covered with pine trees so there was great sun coverage, while still allowing through a lot of natural light. The roads however, are sand. It had rained hard the day before so puddles and mud were everywhere.
Final Thoughts...
Ups: It was peaceful. The light through the trees, the ripples in the water, the visiting wildlife. This is a true nature stop.
Downs: Since everything was sand... sand was everywhere. I couldn't keep the tent clean and Little Man was covered in it. The trash problem also needs to be resolved. Raccoons can be dangerous if they feel threatened, so they shouldn't be fostering an environment like that.
Mom's Stay: I would come back here... after reporting the trash can problem.
Little Man's Stay: He would come back... with friends. This isn't an adventurous campground, so he found it was easy to get board. Having friends with us solved that problem and it made for some great bonding time.
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