Jump to Places we visited and Places we Stayed

Well, I finally convinced Gary to head JUST A WEE bit into Florida! My mom was actually coming down to help my sister who just moved to Florida. And Gary can’t say no to visiting with my mom! 😂

So, we make our way slowly down by first staying at O’Leno State Park in High Springs, Florida.

O’Leno State Park

Our first stop was at O’Leno State park in High Springs, FL. We were only planning on staying one night but we got there early enough to take a short trail before sunset. We chose the most popular trail –River Sink Trail. This trail is easily accessible from the campground and has a beautiful suspension bridge as part of the walk. The trail is 1.5 miles round-trip and is pretty flat.

The campground itself was quite reasonable. The bathrooms were not that great but we were not planning on using them anyway. We were staying over the weekend and it’s clear that the locals enjoy this place as well. There was a lively family next to us that brought out their banjos and guitars and were singing – it added a fun more home-y vibe. We enjoyed a comfortable night there and headed on to Homosassa to visit my mom.

Crystal Isles RV Resort

Our next destination was at Crystal Isles RV Resort for 2 nights but were not really there to take in any of the amenities. The place looked well-maintained and had many long-time residents there. We were a bit surprised by some of the extra buildings for storing boats, but then again we don’t normally stay in places like this. We can certainly see the appeal especially if you wanted to settle down to one location. Monthly rates seemed quite reasonable and there seems to be a good amount of activities as well. But not our cup of tea at this point in our travels. We stayed there simply because it was the closest park from where my mom was staying.

Newport Campground

We slowly made our way back up Florida and found an eclectic place called Newport Campground. We weren’t quite sure when we initially drove up – it’s obvious there are folks that have been staying here for quite some time. But after chatting with the camp host we decided to stay a night. The campground had cheaper dry camping sites all the way to full hookups. We chose water and electric hookups for $22/night. It was a great jumping spot to bike to St. Mark’s Lighthouse.

We ended up staying 3 days here since Gary was still struggling with the effects of Shingles. While the marks on his face and in his mouth were now gone, the pain was not. Gary has a high pain tolerance but was still struggling with sleeping through the night and could not sleep on his left side of his face. We ended up calling our doctor and we’re currently trying a nerve blocker. Hoping that will help.

St. George Island State Park

Our next stop was to St. George Island State Park for 3 nights. The first morning, I took a walk on the Gap Point Trail and then Gary and I took a short walk on the Interpretive Trail located just off the campground loop. I was surprised that I needed to actually get out my winter coat due to the wind. It was in the 40s most of the time but the humidity made it seem much colder!

The park itself was well-maintained but pretty full. The bathroom and showers looked great though we didn’t really use them. Beyond the trails we took the 1st day, there didn’t seem like there’s a lot to do. The beach is a hefty walk away (would recommend to bike there) and obviously we were there at the time where you’re really not laying out in the sun too much!

Luckily, we stumbled upon this great biking/hiking trail called East Gulf Beach Drive. We didn’t fully prepare for this trek since we were thinking we were just going to bike by the beach and back. Our bikes (more mine, though) were simply not meant for a trail like this but we had a good time. It was a lot more strenuous than we anticipated but we pushed on to the end.

We honestly didn’t see a lot of birds or other wildlife, but think that’s expected at this time of year. I’m happy to say that we made it to the end and back – based upon the tire marks, most stopped well short of the goal. Had we been more prepared, we could have had a beautiful lunch out on the beach and enjoyed the moment a little more. But ah well!

PLACES WE STAYED:

O’Leno State Park

• High Springs, FL (1 night)
• $27/night ($18 + $6.70 web booking + $2.16 tax)
• https://goo.gl/maps/WiEkbC1aQMEP2Rr68

Crystal Isles RV Resort

• Crystal River, FL (2 nights)
• $101 /NIGHT ($87/night + $19.25 TOT (transient occupancy tax))
• https://goo.gl/maps/ogZM81kdQWktkebL6
• (we don’t talk about this location since we didn’t stay there enough to comment on it)

Newport Campground

• Newport, FL (2 nights)
• $22/night (no online booking, don’t get there late)
• https://goo.gl/maps/bMZRGWhW3XJTyfAF7

Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park

• St George Island, FL (3 nights)
• $29/night ($24/night + $2.40/night tax +$6.70 web booking)
• https://goo.gl/maps/xzQ5Y8kys7euqYA87

PLACES WE VISITED:

• River Sink Trail (O’Leno State Park)
• Bike trail to St. Mark’s Lighthouse (near Newport Campground)
• Gap Point Trail Hike (St. George Island State Park)
• Short Interpretive Trail Hike (St. George Island State Park)
• Biking on East Gulf Beach Drive (St. George Island State Park)

Camping Locations

If you’re interested in seeing all of the places we’ve stayed in 2022, I’m keeping a (mostly) updated list on Google Maps by Month. Enjoy!