Fort McCoy, FL - 12/27/21

Fort McCoy, FL - 12/27/21

Heading to central Florida seeking warmer weather.

12/27/21 - Monday
Depart From: Gainesville, FL
Depart: 2:20 AM
Odometer: 142,254
Arrive: 4:00 AM
Odometer: 142,310
Trip Mileage: 56
Trip Time: 1 hr 40 min
Google Map: 54 miles - 1 hr 2 min

Destination:
Salt Springs Recreation Area
13851 FL-19
Fort McCoy, FL 32134
Website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/florida/recarea/?recid=83647

Comments:
On 12/26 we had a late-afternoon conversation with a Salt Springs staff member. She informed us they would have 5 or 6 first-come-first-serve, full hookup, campsites available. We were told to arrive between 5 and 6 am to secure a site.

We wanted to ensure we arrived early in the morning at Salt Springs to secure a campsite, so we departed Ganiesville, FL at 2:30 am. Horrible decision! Visibility was terrible the entire trip due to a dense fog covering the region. During the 56 mile trip we probably averaged a speed of 40 mph.

We arrived at 4:00 am and parked in the entrance road. We were the first RV to arrive. The access gate to the campground was locked. A woman, driving a white pickup truck, arrived behind us at 4:15 am. She had an access code to the gate and let us in. We parked in one of the check-in lanes to wait for the office to open at 8:00 am. I sat in my camping chair by the office entrance to make sure I would be first in line. At about 5:00 am a 5th wheel arrived at the entrance behind the locked gate.

At 8:00 am the office opened. By this time 6 campers were waiting to register for a campsite. We were told to put our name and telephone number on their wait list. Our name was the first one on the list. The office staff informed all campers on the wait list they would have to vacate the property and await a call from a staff member when a campsite became available. Checkout time is 11:00 am, so we departed the property to await their call.

Camping has become quite expensive here compared to our last visit in April 2017. At that time our camping fee was $19.50 with our senior pass. Camping is now $50 per night without a senior pass and $30.50 with a senior pass. We decided Salt Springs RA has priced themselves out of the market for this senior couple. A Salt Springs staff member called us at 10:45 am. We told them we had changed our mind and to give the site to the next person on the list.

Fortunately, during our travels we generally always have a Plan B when traveling from one destination to another. This trip was no different, so off we go!