We recently hired a dog sitter, loaded up the Tiki Hut (our pop-up camper), and headed up to Milton to visit Blackwater River State Park and camp with friends. For both of us, this was our first panhandle camping trip, and we loved it!
Arriving at the Park, the ranger quickly stamped our State Park Passports with several area parks, and gave us directions to our site. There are two camping loops at this park, each with similar campsites. The campsite sizes vary, and some are paved with cement and others finished with pea gravel. It looks like it’s mostly used by RVs rather than tents.
Our pea gravel campsite had been raked smooth, the fire circle had been cleaned, and the grill was spotless. We had to move the large picnic table a bit to make room for our canopy and popup, but once we got everything situated we had a perfect set-up. Our site had a clothesline, water, power, and even an opening for wastewater from an RV! After a quick trip to the bathhouse (sparkling clean every time we visited!) to get ready for bed, we set up our little portapotty, which we only use at night, and settled in.
Well. It rained. And when I say it rained, I mean it REALLY rained. We woke often, but went right back to sleep. In the morning we woke up rested and had a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs. What’s better than the smell of bacon frying on a campstove? Hmm…let’s see…absolutely nothing is better than that.
We walked down to the river beach after breakfast (the beach was flooded!) and hiked along a short trail that took us past an ox bow lake that had what we thought was about a 14 foot gator in it. We later learned that it was more like 12 feet. But seriously, when a gator is that big, two feet doesn’t make much difference. You want to avoid that thing just as hard as you can…and we did. The trail eventually led to several pavillions available to rent, and restrooms, and a boardwalk down to another river beach. The beaches on Blackwater River are quartz sand, which means lovely white sand that looks like it belongs in the Caribbean. Next to the tannic water of the Blackwater River, it looks even brighter white than it really is. A beautiful sight! We noticed no trash and no mosquitoes. We want to visit again!
The park is pet-friendly, and it was clear from the paw prints on the beaches that the “no pets on the beach” rule is not strictly enforced here. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the volunteer Camp Host did a great job of making everyone welcome and picking up the trash several times during the morning hours.
The only negative I can report is that the squirrels are quite used to being fed, and appear to expect it. People, please don’t feed the wildlife. I know, I know…the animals are cute and it’s fun to be so close, but c’mon. This is one rule it should be easy to follow. Feeding the animals is really bad for them, and for us!
