Settling down for 12 days at Lithia Springs Park

 It was cold at Magnolia Springs, 30’s in the morning but sunny and high 50's by the afternoon. but I did get a short 6 mi bike ride on their trails. The trails were hard packed and were free of branches. The trail went around the lake and past lots of empty cabins. The trail was scenic and free of hikers at this time of year.

I left on Saturday morning and drove 5 hours from Ga to East of Tampa. After some grocery shopping I stayed overnight at a another Lowes parking lot in Valrico, FL, since it is only 20 minutes away from Lithia Springs. I love this park and have been coming here for years since they don’t take reservations and if you get here early when the gate opens you can usually find a campsite. I got campsite #38 across from the riverside campsites which were all full.

I usually camp here over Christmas time, and was not planning on coming here this year until late February. 

My plans were to stay in Northern FL in the Osceola National Forest and then drive over to the Withlacoochee State Forest in December. Since the National Forest was closed due to Hurricane Helene, I headed 60 miles south of the Withlacoochee, where I have reservations for first two weeks in December.

Sandhill Cranes on Fishhawk's bike trail

I like Lithia Springs because you can paddle, hike or bike ride. It is on the Alafia River, which is very wild and scenic. I’m not sure what I’ll run into this year since the storm and flood may have blocked the river with large trees. But I’ll try exploring the river later this week. Lithia Springs County Park has a large spring which is their swimming area. The water flows into the Alafia River. This is another favorite campground I have camped here 17 different times over the past 25 years.The biking is mostly on miles of concrete sidewalks that run through the natural forested areas and small lakes in the large housing development next to the park  called Fishhawk Ranch. Here is a map, I created of all the trails in the development and beyond, where I like to ride. Fishhawk Ranch Trails