Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park

My favorite spot to camp in Central Florida.
Great campsites for tent camping, free firewood at the coral, shower room and restrooms were kept very clean.
Great staff, $15 a night tent camping, worth every penny

This park was really clean and has lots of wildlife to observe. Great bike trail that was 6.5 miles long and paved.

Very nice trails throughout the park. Went for a on the 7 mile loop trail, overall it was in good shape. There was one section that was a bit grown up, but not so much that it was a bother to cover. Definitely long portions of the trail have light to no shade, so be prepared. But overall the trails were very pretty.

Let’s first start with the downside of my experience and save the best for last. Cabins are rustic, I had to thoroughly sweep, scrub and disinfect (Cabin #3). Bathrooms are filled with cobwebs and dead bugs, shower drains has cigarette butts and hair in there too. The place needs a good power wash and clean up crew.

Also I had an emergency and left for couple hours, upon returning I was locked out of my cabin, it wasn’t even near my check out time nor did I CHECKED OUT. It’s not fair that I lost a few hours of my stay.

Besides that, my kids and I had a great experience. Visiting this park was to take my mind away from my up coming heart surgery. Staying at this park did just that. The park is beautiful! Lots of birds, great for bird watching. Lots of bikers and joggers during the day time. We made the best of it. Will I return? Of course I will! Will I recommend this park? Indeed I will! However, I would love to see improvements whenever I do return.

We are lucky to have a place like this for there aren't many wild places left as we leaf hop from suburb to suburb. 19,000 acres of well-maintained forest, marshland, and river tracts make this park so phenomenal to visit. I'm not a bicyclist but the 7-mile paved trail makes the walk to get to some small rivers and swamp vistas easy to get to. And once out there seeing the cypress domes and diverse environments is so worth the walk or ride. I've seen deer, boar, hawks, and owls all in one stroll then a quick ride through the day-use loop to take in a little more of the park and could off before I call it and head out is always welcome.