In this blog, we’ll review Lake Kissimmee State Park in Central Florida. The state park sits about 50 miles south of Orlando, Florida, and about 16 miles east of Lake Wales, Florida, in the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Wildlife Management Area. Secluded and mature, the park and campground certainly make you feel like you are away from it all. The private campsites and wonderfully mature tree canopy make for a very relaxing experience with wildlife meandering through the campground.
According to the Florida State Park website, the park is home to over 200 species of birds, making it a great location for birding. The park is also known for stargazing, given its location away from local towns, with its dark night skies. We noticed plenty of birds during a few morning runs and witnessed white-tailed deer casually walking in the campground and even stopping at our campsite. There was also one very curious armadillo while on a walk around the campground. The park has water access just down the road from the campground and the hiking is very robust, with 20 miles of trails wandering through 12 distinct natural communities. It was a relaxing and enjoyable place to camp.
The campsites at Lake Kissimmee State Park are idyllic and sit among very mature trees that provide a nice canopy. The 60 campsites have 30 amp electricity and city water and are generally private. Each of the two campground loops has a bathhouse with showers, and there is a dump station near the campsites that can accommodate a single RV dumping.
There are five criteria we look at when rating a campground. First up, Hospitality and Check-In. We give this a 5 out of 5 as it was easy to check in. We were able to remain in our vehicle to check in, making it very easy to confirm our reservation with the park ranger, receive our site tag, and be on our way.
Next in our review is Infrastructure & Amenities, which we are giving a 3 out of 5. The main park roads and campground loop roads are paved and in fair condition, and it was fairly easy to maneuver with the truck and trailer. However, the loop road is narrow and some of the campsites sit somewhat perpendicular to the loop road, making it difficult to back into the campsites.
The bathhouses at the campground loops were in good condition, and there were laundry machines available at the bathhouses. There is a single dump station at the campground that is in good condition. Like most Florida State Parks, there is a security gate at the park entrance to enter when the ranger station is closed.
One infrastructure issue we ran into was the electrical box at our site. There were several times when the electric box 30 Amp breaker flipped while we were using power. My guess is that it was isolated to the first campground loop with sites 1-30, as these had older electrical boxes vs. the second loop with sites 31-60.
Site Quality gets a 4 out of 5 as most campsites were composed of hard packed white stone and were generally level and private. Most sites had a considerable mature tree canopy for shade. Yet, the sites did not have full hookups available.
Our Exercisability rating is 4 out of 5, as there are road surfaces to run and bike on, and there are 20 miles of nature trails to explore. The hiking was quite good among the considerable variety of brush and trees. There was also a significant bird population to entertain while hiking. For boaters, there is easy access to the river.
For our final rating, we are giving a 2 out of 5 for Workability, as the bandwidth on my Verizon iPhone was pretty much non-existent. We were able to use Starlink at our campsite (Site 15) and did get 126 Mbs down and 16.4 Mbs up, but that was because our site was one that didn’t have trees to the north. Most other sites likely would have been hindered by the tree canopy where Starlink is concerned.
Overall, given my need to work remotely, I would not stay at Lake Kissimmee State Park again, although the hiking, quality of surroundings, and campsites were excellent. The inability to get internet bandwidth, coupled with the electric issues at some of the campgrounds, would cause me to look elsewhere first. You may be totally different from me in this regard, and this park may really appeal to you. If so, the campground does have a great “away from it all” feel and is in a beautiful tree canopy. So, as long as you don’t mind being somewhat disconnected, then you may enjoy your time here.
That should do it. All the best in your camping adventures!
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