Seminole State Forest

I’ve been through the Seminole State Forest on several occasions as it’s only fifteen minutes from my house. My first trip through the forest was in May of 2010. My buddy and I decided to hike the Florida Trail from just outside my house for a few days North before turning around and returning home. The first day we made it along the bike paths, stopping for lunch at Papa Joe’s, a local pizza place, and down a two-lane road before crossing over 46 and heading into the forest. Soon after that, we were back out of the forest and walking along 46 and over a bridge in a pouring thunderstorm with cars whizzing by. Shortly after the bridge was the turn off for Seminole State Forest.

We entered the park and I paid our fees before we ventured off into the woods. The first campsite is less than a mile into the park and has a shelter there. We got there around three in the afternoon and decided to stop there for the night. There was a bicycle in the shelter, but no one to be found. Eventually the owner of the bike returned and explained that he had been out geocaching. He stuck around for a short while and then left. When the sun was ready to sink, we tried to hang our food in a bear bag, but got our anchor bag stuck in the tree and had to abort that plan.

The bugs were coming out and we had no dry wood to start a fire. We set up a tent inside the shelter and camped in there for the night, as no one else had come to the campsite. The next morning, being low on water, we headed out early without breakfast to try and make it to the next water source. My buddy had to stop frequently, slowing us down and eventually we ran out of water. We eventually came across the second campsite right next to the river, but it was covered in bugs and we had no filter so we moved on.

We eventually passed the third campsite, which is right on the trail, but has nothing special about it. My buddy stopped at a horse trough to drink the water there while I tried to get him to push forward. Once we reached the Northern terminus of the park, we called a ride and headed home.

The next time I headed into the park was earlier this year to camp out for the night. I went with a different friend this time and we were undecided on where to camp. We stopped at the shelter for a few minutes before pushing on to the second campsite. Upon reaching the second campsite, we were spotted by the local insects and so I used my water purifier to refill my water bottle – I do learn from my mistakes. We headed back to the shelter and decided to camp out there. I quickly stored away some dry wood before the rain came and got a fire going – again I do learn from previous experiences.

The bugs weren’t too bad, so we laid out on the two raised platforms that are in the shelter.  The next morning we left early and headed to the local IHOP for breakfast.

The third time I went to Seminole State Forest was after being unable to obtain a campsite at Hillsborough River State Park. We stopped by the forest late in the night and I quickly squirrelled away some burnable items and got a fire going. This time we set up a tent in the shelter because of the bugs. The next morning, again we left early and made our way to IHOP for breakfast.

One day before work, I decided to stop by the forest and go for a run from the entrance to the shelter and back. On the run, I saw a deer as I ran past and startled it into running into the forest, which in turn startled me. That was the only other time I’ve been to the Seminole State Forest. It’s a great place to hike and camp, though it does have quite a few spider webs and ticks.

Hillsborough River State Park

On one of my trips to Tampa, I stopped by Hillsborough River State Park hoping to camp there for the night. I was informed by the ranger that the primitive campsites were flooded and that I couldn’t camp there. I went into the park and followed the pathway around, taking in the sights of the river and forest. I went out on the hiking path to the primitive campsites to check them out and found that half of the campsites were high and dry.

I finished hiking the trail and stopped by the restaurant to grab something to eat. The pool was nearby, filled with kids playing as they do at a pool. I wasn’t interested in dealing with screaming children, so I avoided the pool. I walked back to my car which was parked at the first parking area and moved it closer to the store and pool area. I continued exploring the park for a bit before deciding to head to the ranger station and see if I’d be able to camp at one of the dry campsites.

I went in and talked to the ranger, but he blew me off, so I decided to leave the park and hop on the Interstate back to Seminole County and camp at the Seminole State Forest instead. I wasn’t overly impressed with Hillsborough River State Park in any respect and I don’t see myself going back unless someone else wants to go there.