Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park Campground

This is our 9th or 10th year coming here. It is in the middle of nowhere. Very limited cell service, but better this year than in the past. Only a few television stations. It is the darkest part of pennisular Florida. It is the real Florida. Birds, gators, deer, raccoons galore. It has everything we go camping for. It was incredibly relaxing. We took long naps in the reclining chairs in the afternoon breeze and shade. We rode our bikes and took a hike across the prairie. We were amazed and delighted by 4 swallow tail kites who circled above us during a hike for more than 5 minutes. No stargazers this trip as the moon was waxing, but the nite sky at Kissimmee Prairie is always special. The restrooms are immaculate, and on weekends they have a great swamp buggy tour. (Be sure to call ahead for reservations). This is the real Florida and it is part of our recent past. We are so grateful that this beautiful, secluded slice of heaven has been preserved for those who appreciate nature and its unspoiled beauty.

A small state park just north of Okeechobee with 20 campsites. Without a doubt, the quietest campground we have ever stayed at. We saw turkey, deer, hogs and tons of birds. The road leading into the park is dirt and can get extremely rough after a rain. Restrooms are clean. The sites are fairly large and level. If you forget something, Okeechobee is a 30 minute drive.

This was my 4th trip to Kissemmee Prairie park, and I'll keep coming back. The weather was decent (cold the first night and rain the 2nd night) with the days being warm and sunny. The bath house was in good order with hot showers, a full ADA shower/toilet, washer and dryer and a place to wash your dishes. Dont wash them in camp as the critter will be there at night looking for things left behind. There is always a lot of wildlife to see and this trip was no exception. We saw some falcons, turkeys, a gator nesting area and we even heard coyotes....of course there are deer and raccoons! The best tent sites are 3,4,5,6,7,28,29. Make reservations well in advance as this place fills up and try to avoid dates around the "no moon" time as the astronomers are out by the dozens.

This campground is out there which isn’t a bad thing, but if you don’t like driving on dirt roads probably not the camp ground for you. I went there to see the stars unfortunately it was a bit too cloudy. I got greeted by a wild hog in the middle of the night and saw a bunch of deer and turkey all over the camp ground in the morning. Bathrooms were clean, the only thing is if your camping in sites 21 & up it’s a bit of a walk. It was a great camping experience hopefully next time I’ll get to see the Milky Way.

Remote relaxing location with great cellular service. Verizon clocked in at 29.6 Mbps download speed and 9.49 Mbps upload speed. AT&T clocked in at 42.2 download speed and 1.09 upload speed.

Hiked the Prairie Loop Trail during our stay. It was well worth the hike. The trail goes through two hardwood hammocks with sweeping views of the prairie.

The dark sky info interested me. It's dark, but not that dark. Good amount of stars visible, but not quite dark enough for good milky way gazing
The office staff were very friendly and helpful. The restrooms were modern and well kept. Good separation between sites allowing for good privacy. Like all camping in Florida, take and use bug repellent. They offer swamp buggy rides on the weekends, but if you are interested, better get that booked ahead of time.
Lots of wildlife, especially birds. Some of the other reviews mention washboarding on the gravel roads. There was some, but not bad.

We come here for the night sky, wildlife, solitude and relaxing atmosphere, we were not disappointed. We stayed May 17th - 20th and the weather was surprisingly comfortable with a nice breeze. The trails are well established and comfortable to walk or ride a bike (watch out for areas with soft sand). The camp sites are well maintained, mostly level, with close proximity to water and electric hookups. The office sells ice and there is firewood for sale at the 1st camp site loop (sites 1-20). Make sure you bring everything else you need, the drive into town will take a good portion of your day. Bikes can be rented at the office as well. If you are looking to slow down and relax with nature, this is the place for you.

Like a lot of places in southern Florida, this is out in the middle of NOWHERE so bring everything with you. You're a good 17 miles from a major highway. As others mentioned the last 4 or 5 miles of your journey thru no man's land is on crushed shell & sand (I wouldn't call it dirt) but dust & wash boarding could be an issue. It wasn't during our stay & the 25mph speed limit keeps the dust to a minimum. We were lucky to snag the only pull-thru site in the loop. I didn't swing wide enough entering the site with my class A & flat tow so I had to back up a smidge several times to avoid a confrontation with a palm tree, but all worked well. The loops look snug but I had no problems with a 37' class A with a tow. The pedestal is at the beginning of the pull-thru so check your hook up lengths before you park. My 50' power cord made it, but I needed an extra water hose, it depends on your setup. The back-in sites look straight forward but do have a post & sign to keep you from backing onto the grass. The site was level & spacious on the corner of the loop with views of the prairie. The fire ring is sunk into the ground & the picnic table isn't where I would put it but I've seen others move them. The right side of your rig will be toward the road if that's an issue for you (Privacy wise). Plenty of wildlife, hiking, biking & stargazing to be had. Didn't get to do the swamp buggy tour due to covid but will return at a later date. The bathhouse was clean but with only 2 showers I imagine a backup. Cell service on our Verison MIFI was 15.65dl & 4.3up speeds. Dump station & trash dumpster at loop entrance. No playground or water park for the kids or dog park for fido (both are welcome) JUST NATURE. Didn't try our satellite TV because we received 20 channels on the antenna. I'm sure reception is decent depending on the trees at your site.

Date of Visit = 11/30 - 12/9/2020

Site #34 was in the Equestrian Loop, which we highly recommend over the Family Loop due to less crowding and quietness. Showers were clean & had great hot water, though weak spray. OATV = shopping channels, ION+ Most of the trails were waterlogged due to recent rains but main roads were dry and made for good walking/running/biking. There will be gators!

Critters Spotted = so many birds!
Crested Caracara,
ibis, egrets, turkeys, Carolina wrens, red-shouldered hawks, sandhill cranes (flying)
Alligators (big ones!)
white-tailed deer,
Eastern rat snake

Campgrounds are open as usual.