Dead River Landing Recreation Area

This was a hidden gem for us. We only stayed one night because we were on our way east but we'll be back for sure. Lovely location and well maintained sites tucked way back in the woods on the Dead River. Great for paddling through cypress. Boat ramp. Porta potty. You have to register/reserve your site online even though it's free. Some sites are larger and on the water, we'll know to get one of those next time. We were the only ones here while we were there. Dark and quiet. It's a couple miles back on a dirt road. Check condition before venturing back- it was fine for us in 2 wheel drive truck pulling trailer, but not sure how it is after rains.

Just left this free camping spot after 4 days. We had a great time and made some new friends! The road that you turn onto has no signs that you're on the right track and has a lot of no trespassing signs along it so we weren't sure if we were in the right area. Luckily we ran into a couple on the road and they assured us we were on the correct road. Road going in is narrow and winding. Lots of hunters and fishermen use the boat launch throughout the day but we didn't even hear them coming in. Camping sites must be reserved. Reception was spotty. We were in site 1 and all of them looked fairly level. Pet friendly.

This place is awesome. The setting is beautiful. There’s a boat ramp. Sites are clean and level and not cramped. 16 RV sites and many tent sites. Fire rings. Children’s playground. Ample parking. What’s not to love. If you like to boondock, this place should definitely be on your list!

Arrived on Thursday 04/05/2018 and found a great campsite. I had number 7 and each campsite was partitioned off by a nice fence which gave me a sense of ownership where others could not encroach. Lovely surroundings and a Kayak trip on the Dead River was really different, great cypress forests. Mosquitoes were a minor annoyance but otherwise had a good time. I was tent camping and the only amenities were porta-potties. No water or electric but I didn't need it. The birds and trees were awesome. There is a boat ramp there and it was fairly busy but not annoying. The road in was a long way but that made it that much better, There was a 40 foot fifth wheel there but I'd hesitate to bring a big rig into there. Overall it was great and I will certainly be back.

Deliberately reserved tent site 9, the only one on the water according to the reservation website, but when I got there, site 9 is actually the one on the end, lots of sun, no privacy because the street is on three sides. The waterfront site is actually #10, and was occupied. Thought about moving to an empty site with far more shade, but didn’t want to screw up someone else’s reservation. If it hadn’t been free, I would’ve been ticked off. Nice and quiet campground at night though.

For being a free place to stay, this place was great. Quiet most of the day except around 7am when all the trucks roll in with their fishing boats and again in the late afternoon once they leave. We were in spot 8 - had plenty of room for our 36’ RV, tow dolly and vehicle. If I were to stay again, I’d reserve spot 1, 3, or 5, as they are a bit more tucked away from the entrance road. There is a LONG and bumpy dirt road to get back here - just be aware in case you are towing a vehicle and unable to back up. We didn’t have any issues while passing other vehicles, but did see how it could be a problem. Overall, a good spot with an unbeatable price!

Nice spot, it was raining and they had an awning that made it easier to pack up. Just a really nice site for free. Cell service was pretty good as well.

This is a really nice park. Boat launch, nice sites with fire rings, and even split rail fence between the sites - nice touch. Lots of trees for shade, great playground if you have little kids along. The road in was a very well-maintained gravel road, although a bit narrow - I wouldn't want to try to pass another RV in most places. It was more like one and a half lanes, but it was never a problem. No water or dump stations, so be prepared with full and empty tanks. Very relaxing location. I wish we could have stayed longer. FWIW, I am in a class-C motorhome, towing a Subaru Forester.

It was easy to get to. No big sign of the main road but there is a cemetery on the corner for a landmark. We were here in mid-March and the weather was perfect that weekend. The bugs weren't bothersome. It smelled nice, like campfire, not swamp. The nights were relatively quiet (barred owls and duck calls). The playground was small for small children. Boat ramp was in good repair. It has about half a dozen sites that will accommodate large RVs, they all looked pretty level. It was not busy at all the entire weekend. Mostly empty. I walked through them for our YouTube channel.

Major Con:
The road in and out is a two mile one way and if two big rigs were to come down opposite directions that would be potentially pretty bad. The road is in slight disrepair and something between paved and dirt and gravel. A poor guy hauling a small boat out meet our smaller rig coming in at the worst spot and had to back up until we could get by each other. Between the limbs and the water it's tight.

Also, we had about ten minutes total of at &t coverage.

Nice campground with a boat ramp and playground but we were pestered by numerous flies. We had site 2 which was next to a small playground. We only had spotty cell reception here. Just a few campers here in January.