Lake Okeechobee and Okee-Tantie Recreation Area

We arrived at Okee-Tantie Recreation Area around 9pm on Friday night. There is a "guard house" where you can register/check in. The size of the campground is average, with 2 lots, A and B. B was destroyed in a hurricane a few years back, so everyone is sent to A. A is nicer anyway, as it is along the Kissimmee river. Most of the campground is taken up by RVs, we were 1 of 2 people who only had a tent. They have potable water and electricity at certain sites and only a few without, but these are the ones that allow you to have a camp fire.
There were only a few of these sites. Most of them just had half of a grill on top of a pile of ashes. We started off at 105A and then moved to 101A the second night. The problem with this campground is that it is hard to find a spot that is out of the parking lot lights! 105A was in a very bright spot and we had to use the car to block out the light (didn't work that well). That's when we decided to move to 101A it was the darkest spot and it had a real fire ring.
The campground is close to a Publix, Winn Dixie and some strip malls, so if you need something it's not a problem. The Winn Dixie has firewood you can pick up on the way in to the campground.
Okee-Tantie Recreation Area connects right up to the Okeechobee Scenic Trail, which is actually a part of the Florida National Scenic Trail. The entire trail is paved and is at the top of a dike that encircles the Lake.

Cons: The campground is not very shaded unlike previous info I have read on the site.
You feel like you are in an RV park rather than a campsite.
The Okeechobee scenic trail is also not shaded and your view is either the Lake or RV and Trailer Parks.
Your dogs paws will be sensitive to the hot pavement during the day, make sure to take them in the morning or early evening.
Pros: They have restrooms and a shower facility.
You can have ammenities at your site or go primitive.
There are many places to launch a boat and go bass fishing.
The Okeechobee trail is great to ride your bicycle on.

Overall Fiji gives the campground and trail 1 tail wag. It's a good place to get away from the city, but there isn't much to do in the area or any real hiking trails other than the Okeechobee paved trail. However they are very dog friendly as long as you keep your pup on a leash. If you want a quiet relaxing trip to get away from the city this is a good place to visit. I will continue to put more info, such as maps of the campground and prices of sites as the week goes on, so check back!


View Larger Map