Great channel!! What a resource. One problem. The audio! Too much road noise that overwhelms your voice which is very quiet. Hopefully you can address this and maybe go back to some older videos and fix them too. Great channel! We want to hear every word!
Been waiting for this one since I discovered your channel several months ago! Great job documenting Florida Campground. For most folks this is probably just another campground, but to me, this is THE campground! My parents started camping before I was born in the Pagosa Springs area, usually Williams Creek. Some how they migrated to Florida Campground the year I was born, and never looked back. As a kid we spent 2-3 weeks of our summer here every year, and I started bringing my wife (girlfriend at the time) up and she fell in love too. I can count on one hand the number of summers that I have not spent at least a little time camping at Florida. There are many reasons I love this campground: 1. It is just isolated enough that most people do not know about it, although it has become more popular in recent years. It tends to fill up on the weekends, as seen in your video, but come Monday afternoon, it is not uncommon for us to be one of maybe 2-3 campers, including the host, during the week, so it is usually super quiet. 2. Although it is isolated, you are still within a reasonable distance of civilization for supplies (Durango and Bayfield are within a 30-40 minute drive), and within a reasonable distance for lots of sight seeing and other adventures. 3. NO CELL SERVICE!!! I that might suck for some folks, but I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to unplug for a couple of weeks, especially when my son was a teenager! There are a couple of places nearby you can get a sketchy signal. My parents can sometimes get a weak AT&T signal in that open area on the first climb up to Transfer Park. You can get a weak Verizon, Sprint and AT&T signal if you walk about halfway across the dam at Lemon Reservoir. 4. The river! It slows down quite a bit by the end of summer, but in June and part way into July, it really flows with the snow melt. You can hear the river from all the campsites, but a good chunk of the sites are actually right on the river, or at least pretty dang close! 5. Most sites offer a good amount of privacy. Here is my run down of the sites based on over 40 years of camping here: #1 is usually the camp host. It has sewer and it’s own spigot for the host. My parents left Florida campground about a week before you shot this video and said the host had a family emergency and had to leave. #2 is one of our favorites, IF the camp host is not a heavy generator user. The last few years we have been lucky and the hosts used solar instead of a generator. This site offers a lot of privacy. The space between the host and this site is heavily wooded so you cannot really see or hear them. #4 on the other side is relatively far away, and that space is also heavily wooded. #2 gets just enough sun to keep our batteries top off with our roof mounted solar panels while offering plenty of shade for lounging during the warm afternoons. My truck and camper block most of the view of traffic and helps keep our small wiener dog herd quiet. #3 & #4 - I personally do not like these two sites mostly because it places your camper too close to the road. You can not keep your windows open because of the dust from car traffic, and you hear EVERYONE that passes by, whether in a car or on foot. #3 also does not have much real estate because it is on the mountain side. #4 is kind of cool though because the picnic table and tent areas are down on a lower level from the road. #6 used to be a back in spot and was another of our favorites; however, a few years back the Forest Service remodeled Florida and turned #6 into a pull through/pull off. Haven’t stayed there since the change, and probably will not for the same reason as #3 & 4. #7 - Another one of our favorites, though on the remodel they made it a double site. Most of the camp hosts we have encountered will let you stay there and only pay for a single site, but some make you pay double. This sight is huge and offers access to a very calm part of the river. Plenty of sun for solar, however virtually no shade for the camper most of the day, so it can get warm inside during the day. But plenty of shade in the camping area to set up your lounger and relax. The only drawback of this site is that there is trail towards the back of it that offers a shortcut to Transfer Park. Sometimes some inconsiderate campers/hikers will cut through your site to access it rather than stick to the mountainside to minimize intrusion. Early one morning a couple of hikers walked between our trailer and parked truck full voice with two big unleashed dogs barking and nosing through our stuff. If their voices did not wake us, then our wiener dogs frantic reaction sure did! #8 - Used to be a wonderful site for star gazing at night due to the large open area on one side of it; however, the bathroom was relocated from across the road during the remodel and spoiled it. Nothing like the waft of pit toilet odor mixing with the smell of your bacon frying in the morning, not to mention all the foot traffic from folks using it! #9, 11, & 16 are all on the interior on this loop, and are great if you are camping with a group of family or friends in multiple sites. Not so great if you do not like seeing or hearing your neighbors up close and personal. That’s just me though, a little anti-social! #10 & #12 are EXTREMELY close. Again great if camping with friends or family, but too close for comfort for me otherwise. #12 is actually a really cool site though. The picnic table and tent areas are down a little embankment and there is a small branch off of the main river that flows most of the time through it. #13 - This is my parents favorite site. They will literally pack up everything and move to it if someone is there when they first arrive. It is probably the best site of the campground. It is right on the river with a unobstructed view of it. The branch off I mentioned for #12 starts here as well. It is a large site with plenty of shade. I will camp here, but it is actually not one of my favorites because often times people, little kids, big kids, and adults alike will walk right through the middle of your site because it has such easy access to the river, and then they will play in the river right in front of your campsite. This is usually only a problem on busy weekends, but it annoys me enough that I tend to about this spot despite its other attributes. #14 - Very nice private site, BUT very little sun. It is shaded pretty much all day. No good for solar, and when we have camped here in the past you actually feel cold all the time because the sun never touches it. #15 - Have not stayed here since the remodel, but it is a very nice spot with a large grassy flat area for kids to play. Nice balance of shade and sun. #16 - I mentioned earlier, but have a crazy story about... In 2016 we were staying in #19. One weekend a group moved into #16. It started out with a small motor home and travel trailer, but by the end of day there were 5 pickups in varying states of disrepair, a Jeep Wagoneer, a Blazer, plus the motor home and trailer that started it all! 9 vehicles in one site, granted a double site!! I still have the picture I took on my iPhone! They were actually really quiet and did not cause any problems all weekend. Obviously the host that year was laid back! #17 shares the grassy flat area with #15. Very sunny with almost no shade. #18 - Ok as a last resort. #19 - One of our favorites. Large campsite. Used to be a single, but became a double with the remodel. This site sits above the river, and there is a little ledge overlooking the river below. It is very relaxing to set up your lounger along the ledge and relax listening to the river and watching the chipmunks and hummingbirds. This site is pretty sunny for the trailer, but does have plenty of shade in other parts of the site. #20 - Another favorite. No neighbor on one side. Ledge overlooking the river like #19. Good balance of sun and shade for the trailer. That’s my info from my experience camping at Florida. BTW - There is a nice trail that starts just to the right of the campground sign right before you cross the bridge. It follows the river all the way up to Transfer Park. Also if you continue straight just after crossing the cattle guard (can’t remember if it has a road number or not), there are quite a few dispersed camping areas. Never tried them cause my wife likes her regular campground amenities. There are several trails that originate from this road as well, and it is a beautiful drive, about 13 miles to the top. However, it is an EXTREMELY rough road. Definitely high clearance only after about the first mile or so of it.
@@BrianB1963 A lot of the spigots aren't threaded on the end. I guess you could rig something up and make it work. I'm thinking a short piece of old hose with the connector cut off the end and some hose clamps.
Great channel!! What a resource. One problem. The audio! Too much road noise that overwhelms your voice which is very quiet. Hopefully you can address this and maybe go back to some older videos and fix them too. Great channel! We want to hear every word!
Thanks for the feedback!
Been waiting for this one since I discovered your channel several months ago! Great job documenting Florida Campground. For most folks this is probably just another campground, but to me, this is THE campground! My parents started camping before I was born in the Pagosa Springs area, usually Williams Creek. Some how they migrated to Florida Campground the year I was born, and never looked back. As a kid we spent 2-3 weeks of our summer here every year, and I started bringing my wife (girlfriend at the time) up and she fell in love too. I can count on one hand the number of summers that I have not spent at least a little time camping at Florida. There are many reasons I love this campground: 1. It is just isolated enough that most people do not know about it, although it has become more popular in recent years. It tends to fill up on the weekends, as seen in your video, but come Monday afternoon, it is not uncommon for us to be one of maybe 2-3 campers, including the host, during the week, so it is usually super quiet. 2. Although it is isolated, you are still within a reasonable distance of civilization for supplies (Durango and Bayfield are within a 30-40 minute drive), and within a reasonable distance for lots of sight seeing and other adventures. 3. NO CELL SERVICE!!! I that might suck for some folks, but I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to unplug for a couple of weeks, especially when my son was a teenager! There are a couple of places nearby you can get a sketchy signal. My parents can sometimes get a weak AT&T signal in that open area on the first climb up to Transfer Park. You can get a weak Verizon, Sprint and AT&T signal if you walk about halfway across the dam at Lemon Reservoir. 4. The river! It slows down quite a bit by the end of summer, but in June and part way into July, it really flows with the snow melt. You can hear the river from all the campsites, but a good chunk of the sites are actually right on the river, or at least pretty dang close! 5. Most sites offer a good amount of privacy.
Here is my run down of the sites based on over 40 years of camping here:
#1 is usually the camp host. It has sewer and it’s own spigot for the host. My parents left Florida campground about a week before you shot this video and said the host had a family emergency and had to leave.
#2 is one of our favorites, IF the camp host is not a heavy generator user. The last few years we have been lucky and the hosts used solar instead of a generator. This site offers a lot of privacy. The space between the host and this site is heavily wooded so you cannot really see or hear them. #4 on the other side is relatively far away, and that space is also heavily wooded. #2 gets just enough sun to keep our batteries top off with our roof mounted solar panels while offering plenty of shade for lounging during the warm afternoons. My truck and camper block most of the view of traffic and helps keep our small wiener dog herd quiet.
#3 & #4 - I personally do not like these two sites mostly because it places your camper too close to the road. You can not keep your windows open because of the dust from car traffic, and you hear EVERYONE that passes by, whether in a car or on foot. #3 also does not have much real estate because it is on the mountain side. #4 is kind of cool though because the picnic table and tent areas are down on a lower level from the road.
#6 used to be a back in spot and was another of our favorites; however, a few years back the Forest Service remodeled Florida and turned #6 into a pull through/pull off. Haven’t stayed there since the change, and probably will not for the same reason as #3 & 4.
#7 - Another one of our favorites, though on the remodel they made it a double site. Most of the camp hosts we have encountered will let you stay there and only pay for a single site, but some make you pay double. This sight is huge and offers access to a very calm part of the river. Plenty of sun for solar, however virtually no shade for the camper most of the day, so it can get warm inside during the day. But plenty of shade in the camping area to set up your lounger and relax. The only drawback of this site is that there is trail towards the back of it that offers a shortcut to Transfer Park. Sometimes some inconsiderate campers/hikers will cut through your site to access it rather than stick to the mountainside to minimize intrusion. Early one morning a couple of hikers walked between our trailer and parked truck full voice with two big unleashed dogs barking and nosing through our stuff. If their voices did not wake us, then our wiener dogs frantic reaction sure did!
#8 - Used to be a wonderful site for star gazing at night due to the large open area on one side of it; however, the bathroom was relocated from across the road during the remodel and spoiled it. Nothing like the waft of pit toilet odor mixing with the smell of your bacon frying in the morning, not to mention all the foot traffic from folks using it!
#9, 11, & 16 are all on the interior on this loop, and are great if you are camping with a group of family or friends in multiple sites. Not so great if you do not like seeing or hearing your neighbors up close and personal. That’s just me though, a little anti-social!
#10 & #12 are EXTREMELY close. Again great if camping with friends or family, but too close for comfort for me otherwise. #12 is actually a really cool site though. The picnic table and tent areas are down a little embankment and there is a small branch off of the main river that flows most of the time through it.
#13 - This is my parents favorite site. They will literally pack up everything and move to it if someone is there when they first arrive. It is probably the best site of the campground. It is right on the river with a unobstructed view of it. The branch off I mentioned for #12 starts here as well. It is a large site with plenty of shade. I will camp here, but it is actually not one of my favorites because often times people, little kids, big kids, and adults alike will walk right through the middle of your site because it has such easy access to the river, and then they will play in the river right in front of your campsite. This is usually only a problem on busy weekends, but it annoys me enough that I tend to about this spot despite its other attributes.
#14 - Very nice private site, BUT very little sun. It is shaded pretty much all day. No good for solar, and when we have camped here in the past you actually feel cold all the time because the sun never touches it.
#15 - Have not stayed here since the remodel, but it is a very nice spot with a large grassy flat area for kids to play. Nice balance of shade and sun.
#16 - I mentioned earlier, but have a crazy story about... In 2016 we were staying in #19. One weekend a group moved into #16. It started out with a small motor home and travel trailer, but by the end of day there were 5 pickups in varying states of disrepair, a Jeep Wagoneer, a Blazer, plus the motor home and trailer that started it all! 9 vehicles in one site, granted a double site!! I still have the picture I took on my iPhone! They were actually really quiet and did not cause any problems all weekend. Obviously the host that year was laid back!
#17 shares the grassy flat area with #15. Very sunny with almost no shade.
#18 - Ok as a last resort.
#19 - One of our favorites. Large campsite. Used to be a single, but became a double with the remodel. This site sits above the river, and there is a little ledge overlooking the river below. It is very relaxing to set up your lounger along the ledge and relax listening to the river and watching the chipmunks and hummingbirds. This site is pretty sunny for the trailer, but does have plenty of shade in other parts of the site.
#20 - Another favorite. No neighbor on one side. Ledge overlooking the river like #19. Good balance of sun and shade for the trailer.
That’s my info from my experience camping at Florida.
BTW - There is a nice trail that starts just to the right of the campground sign right before you cross the bridge. It follows the river all the way up to Transfer Park. Also if you continue straight just after crossing the cattle guard (can’t remember if it has a road number or not), there are quite a few dispersed camping areas. Never tried them cause my wife likes her regular campground amenities. There are several trails that originate from this road as well, and it is a beautiful drive, about 13 miles to the top. However, it is an EXTREMELY rough road. Definitely high clearance only after about the first mile or so of it.
Thanks so much for sharing your years of experience with us! It definitely is a special place.
Can you do dispersed camping on forest road 2597?
There are a few dispersed sites along the road within a mile or two of Florida Campground
@@CampgroundRecon Thank you kindly, I really appreciate your videos.
Can I fill up my camper with water when I get there with a hose?
I don't think the water spigots have a hose connection. I'd recommend getting before you head out of Durango.
@@CampgroundRecon wow, that's strange, I wonder what kind of connection they have? Thank you for your response
@@BrianB1963 A lot of the spigots aren't threaded on the end. I guess you could rig something up and make it work.
I'm thinking a short piece of old hose with the connector cut off the end and some hose clamps.