Lake Panasoffkee — Attraction in Wildwood

This place is a hidden gem! Camping is free but you need to make a reservation online at least 24 hours in advance of arrival. There are restrooms with flush toilets and cold water hand washing, but no showers. Most campsites have a picnic table and fire-ring, but not all. Spots are first come, so show up right at check-in time (3pm) on the first day of your reservation for the most options to choose from. There are stables for horses, and a large pavilion. There are some nonpotable water spikets in the campground and on the outside of the restrooms and pavilion, but no potable water. There are TWO seperate campgrounds here, so pay close attention when making your reservation. The Equestrian Campground is best for big rigs (you don't have to have horses to camp there). It's basically a large open field with a only a few trees. It's very accessible and great for solar and starlink. The Primitive Campground is mainly shaded and has lots of low hanging branches. It offers more privacy and shade than the Equestrian Campground, but is not great for big rigs/solar/starlink. This location closes for hunts regularly. The dates of the hunts are on the same website you make your reservation on. During the hunt there's no camping! During some hunts day use is still allowed, but during other hunts the entire place is closed to everyone but the hunters. There are miles and miles of trails to explore and lots of wildlife to be seen. The trails are wide and flat and make for very easy walking. Dog friendly, but watch out for...

I'm giving it a 3 because it is free and Ive camped water management areas that are much worse. At least this one has a real bathroom. It appears that no one is regularly maintaining the area as the grass was very tall. I'm used to wildlife but not snakes in my campsite! The bugs are atrocious so brings gallons of bug spray folks. There wasn't any firewood to burn that we found so that didn't help. The grills are unusable so bring your camp stove to cook on. We stayed several nights and no one ever came to check our permit and there is no lock on the gate. It's primitive sites for sure but again it's free and it's very likely you ll get a site. Keep in mind you must create an account with FL Southwest Water Management and reserve your site 24 hours in advance. You can not camp on the same day it must be in advance though I doubt anyone would come...

A lot of history happened here. But you can sense the land talking. Good ole boys keep any history a secret. Except the "Story of dade battle field". Believe that if you want. Panasoffkee was the slaughter grounds of a unknown number of Indians 5k. Both women and children included. There are areas the state will not excavate to document history. And they make sure no one else does either. Two archaeological sites are registered with the state and read unknown significance. The area will show you that it is cursed. If it can go wrong, it will. We owe the Indians recognition for the in humane retaliation of the armed forces of the white man on the Black Foot Seminoles and their family members. Not a cover up by three counties. That's lake Panasoffkee, ...