Alafia River State Park

Bike some of the raddest mountain bike trails in FL!

We chose this stop mainly to visit one of Paul’s old buddies and ended up really enjoying our stay. This is a very new campground located on 6,000 acres of natural land with over 20 miles of horse-trails, hiking, fishing, kayaking and some of Florida’s most challenging mountain bike terrain (as accredited by the International Mountain Biking Association). The camping sites are laid-out in an open grassy area and are large, flat, paved sites with 50Amp/water and nice separation between campers. Most have an open view of the grounds plus a select few (#27, 4, 5, 6) with lake views There’s a lovely lake and playground area in the middle of the two camping loops. During the week this place clears out and you have an entire wilderness area to yourself. It tends to fill up with locals and horse-campers on the week-end. Lithia is not exactly a destination location, but I have to admit the mountain biking here (built on an old phosphate mine) is an unique draw. We spent a lovely week hanging out by the lake, biking on the trails and spotting wildlife (gator, wild boar and birds). A very cool place and we’d definitely come back to stay.

More info and pics here:
http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/sp-campground-rating-alafia-river-state-park-lithia-fl/

Extra Info: Verizon data worked flawlessly, AT&T cellphones worked barely. Sites are reservable, $22/night for 50Amp electric/water with selection of back-in and pull-through. On-site dump station.