Agency-listedSouthwest Florida WMDFree
Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee)
Drive-up · Southwest Florida Water Management District · FL · 28.86524, -82.13263
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →Southwest Florida Water Management District lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee) is a designated campsite on Southwest Florida Water Management District land, and the price is zero. The District's camping page puts it in one sentence: "Camping is allowed in designated campsites only and requires a free reservation." Free, but not casual - you need a valid permit or Special Use Authorization in hand BEFORE you arrive, the reservation has to be made no later than the day before your permit starts, and you may hold only two at a time. Stay is capped at seven consecutive days and 30 days per calendar year; you may arrive no earlier than 3 p.m. and must be gone by 11 a.m. on your last day. This one takes horses, and horse trailers may be driven in. Non-equestrian campers are welcome too. Built-in generators are allowed at equestrian sites only, and only between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Do not tether a horse to a tree, and spread the manure before you leave. The honest part: there are no trash receptacles anywhere in these campgrounds, so everything you carry in comes back out with you. Fires only in the fire rings, firewood off the ground, never off a standing tree. Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Where the District does provide water it calls it nonpotable - do not drink it untreated. And check the District's closure list first; on the day we pulled this record its camping page was flagging a closed recreation site. The nearest town is Lake Panasoffkee, roughly 5.6 miles away in a straight line - the drive is longer, and on some of these approaches a good deal longer.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee)
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 62 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee)NIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee) · Southwest Florida Water Management District · FL
▲ your camp. Rings are 15, 30 and 60 straight-line miles; bearings are approximate and roads run longer.
Nearest of each
- FFuel2 mi
- GGrocery2 mi
- MMechanic2 mi
- EVEV fast charger3 mi
- RxPharmacy5 mi
- @Mail5 mi
- +Urgent care7 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- WWater10 mi
- OOutfitter13 mi
- ShShower16 mi
- DDump16 mi
- AAir-up19 mi
- LLaundry28 mi
- PPropane49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 2 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee)
Access
Drive-up
Land
Southwest Florida Water Management District
Elevation
62 ft
Ground slope
1.2% · flat
Nearest rail line
~5.2 mi · main line
Nearest highway
~2.5 mi · Interstate 75
State
FL
Coordinates
28.86524, -82.13263
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee) · Southwest Florida Water Management District · FL (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureBig Jones Creek (stream) · mapped within 1.6 mi
- USGS NHDno named surface water within 1 mi
- Nearest townRoyal · ~3.0 mi
- Nearest rail line~5.2 mi · main line
- Nearest highway~2.5 mi · Interstate 75
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~0.1 mi
- FuelFuel · ~2.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~15.7 mi
- GroceriesChappy's Chicken · ~5.5 mi
- PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~10.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicPassport Health The Villages Travel Clinic · ~7.4 mi
- HardwareFloral City Hardware · ~12.7 mi
EV charging — from Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee) · Southwest Florida Water Management District · FL — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger2.6 mi straight-line E — Pilot Travel Center 4556, Wildwood, FL · eVgo Network · CCS · 6 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-15 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach34 within 25 mi · 99 within 50 · 398 within 100 · 541 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)10.6 mi — Okahumpka, FL - Florida Turnpike Service Plaza - Tesla Supercharger, Wildwood
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO5.7 mi — Comfort Inn Wildwood, Wildwood
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)6.8 mi — OPTIMUS ESSNTLS BROWNWOOD FS 1, Wildwood, FL · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Whispering Oaks Winery and Steakhouse - Tesla Destination, Oxford, 3.5 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 417849 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee) · Southwest Florida Water Management District · FL — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaWeigh Station · ~8.8 mi N
- Highway rest areaWeigh Station · ~8.9 mi N
- Highway rest areaOkahumpka Service Plaza · ~10.6 mi SE
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 29 · ~16.0 mi N
Coming out here — Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee) · Southwest Florida Water Management District · FL
- Surface water mapped nearby: Big Jones Creek (stream). That is wash water at best, and nobody has checked it for you — a creek can be dry and a tank can be mud. Filter or boil anything you drink. USGS maps no named surface water within 1 mi of the pin (National Hydrography Dataset, data refreshed October 2022).
- Ground slope around the pin: about 1.2% — flat. Measured on USGS's 3DEP elevation model (1 m data here), sampled every 10 metres around the point. That is the hillside, not the ground under your wheels — a graded pullout or a bench a few metres across is too small to show up at that spacing, and nobody has checked this one for you.
- Rail line mapped ~5.2 mi from the pin — the national rail atlas classes it as a main line. That is the FRA/BTS North American Rail Network (data updated Jul 21, 2026), which records that a line is there and what class of track it is. Whether anything runs on it, how often, and at what hour, it does not say, and nobody has checked this one for you.
- Interstate 75 is mapped ~2.5 mi from the pin. Straight-line, from the Census's TIGER/Line primary roads (TIGER/Line 2025, released Oct 2025) — the divided, limited-access highways, which is why a state expressway or a two-lane US route near this camp would not appear here.
- Power: Dave carries his own — batteries or solar. A generator will run your rig and it is also the thing everybody camped near you can hear.
- Getting online: Dave recommends Starlink. He has had it since SpaceX introduced it, used it for four years living on the road, and it delivers as promised — several hundred nights out, and he can count on one hand the places he could not connect. The cable on his unit runs 150 feet, which is usually all it takes to find enough sky. Starlink → Referral link — Starlink pays Dave $100 in cash if you sign up through it, and that money funds this site and the next trip. It costs you nothing and does not change the recommendation.
Open Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee) elsewhere
Other camps near Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Potts - River Primitive (Potts Preserve)~9.5 mi
- Oak Hammock (Potts Preserve)~10.9 mi
- Oak Hammock (Potts Preserve)~10.9 mi
- Withlacoochee State Forest Mutual Mine Recreation Area~15.3 mi
Who holds the land at Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee)
USGS’s Protected Areas Database (PAD-US 4.1, queried 2026-09-23) lists the ground at this pin as Lake Panasoffkee, manager on record: Southwest Florida Water Management District (district). That names who holds the land — it is not a statement that camping is permitted here.
How we know this — Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee)
Fire rules
Campfires are only permitted in fire rings.
Stay limit
7 nights (no more than seven consecutive days)
Permit
Camping is allowed in designated campsites only and requires a free reservation. A valid permit of Special Use Authorization is required before arrival. Reservations must be made no later than the day prior to the start of the camping permit. Only 2 camping reservations are allowed per family group at a time.
Area rules
Camping is allowed in designated campsites only. Arrival is at 3 p.m. on the first day of the reservation and departure is by 11 a.m. on the last day. Unauthorized buildings or structures are not permitted. Firewood should be collected from the ground; DO NOT cut any standing trees, dead or alive. To protect the natural experience for all campers, no loud music is allowed at any time. Quiet time is from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. There are no trash receptacles in the campgrounds. Please ensure that all trash is carried out with you at your departure.
Source
public land records
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
FREE by the agency's own published statement. SWFWMD camping page (https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/camping), downloaded raw this fire and string-matched locally: "Camping is allowed in designated campsites only and requires a free reservation. A valid permit of Special Use Authorization is required before arrival." Reservations "must be made no later than the day prior to the start of the camping permit" and only 2 may be held per family group at a time. STAY LIMIT: "Camping is limited to no more than seven consecutive days and 30 total days per calendar year", per the District's rule-change news release (https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/about/newsroom/news/district-announces-changes-camping-rules-effective-october-1), which also sets arrival at 3 p.m. and departure by 11 a.m. and notes the District "may revoke a camping permit" for non-compliance with Chapter 40D-9, F.A.C. SITE TYPE: SWFWMD GIS records this as "Equestrian camping" on "Lake Panasoffkee". camp_type is derived from the District's own definitions, not guessed: backcountry sites are "accessible only by foot or from a water body" (hike), while at primitive and equestrian sites personal vehicles and horse trailers may be driven in (drive). RESTROOM per the layer: "Flush". NOT A PARTNER SITE: SWFWMD's layer carries a PARTNERSITE column naming the outside agency that runs a campground; this row's PARTNERSITE is empty. Every row with a partner (Colt Creek State Park, Edward Medard Park, Withlacoochee River Park, Starkey, Myakka State Forest, Two Mile Prairie/Withlacoochee State Forest, Alafia River Corridor, Chassahowitzka RV) was excluded - those charge, or somebody else sets the price. SEASONAL/FIRE: the District posts closures on its recreation pages (its camping page was carrying a "1 recreation site is closed" banner on 2026-08-16) - check before you go. "Campfires are only permitted in fire rings"; firewood from the ground only, "DO NOT cut any standing trees, dead or alive"; quiet hours 10 p.m.-7 a.m.; no trash receptacles, pack it all out. COORDINATE: the District's OWN mapped campsite point, pulled live this fire from services1.arcgis.com/gdr0FcZCwx1BmrQk/.../RecreationGuide/FeatureServer/4 ("Camping Locations"), outSR=4326. NEAREST TOWN: Lake Panasoffkee, about 5.6 mi in a straight line (US Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer place internal point). STRAIGHT-LINE, NOT DRIVING DISTANCE. MERGED: the agency also maps "Lake Panasoffkee Primitive-8 (Lake Panasoffkee)" (Primitive camping) 13 m away; treated as one campground Ingest 2026-08-16 10:52:36 (fire 800, FL thin-state fill). RE-VERIFIED 2026-08-18 (night shift, FL backlog review). Re-fetched LIVE this fire: the District's own "Camping Locations" layer https://services1.arcgis.com/gdr0FcZCwx1BmrQk/arcgis/rest/services/RecreationGuide/FeatureServer/4 (59 features, no transfer limit hit) and the SWFWMD camping page https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/camping . The row's OBJECTID is still present and its coordinate still agrees to within 25 m; PARTNERSITE is still empty. The camping page still says "Camping is allowed in designated campsites only and requires a free reservation. A valid permit of Special Use Authorization is required before arrival" and still caps stays at "seven consecutive days". camp_type re-derived from the page's own live definitions -- Backcountry = "accessible only by foot or from a water body" (hike); Primitive = "Only personal vehicles are allowed in the campsites" and Equestrian = "Horse trailers may be driven into equestrian campsites" (drive) -- and it matches what the row already carried. Checked against the District's OWN recreation-site browser https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/sites (all three result pages, 69 sites): this row's property is NOT flagged "(Cooperatively Managed)" and its property page does list Camping under Site Features. Checked against the live closure list https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/closed-recreation-sites : this property is not on it. No coordinate duplicate against any published FL camp -- checked on COORDINATES, not name, against all 43 published FL rows at a 250 m threshold. DECISION: status pending -> approved.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee)
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Whether the fire rule stated above still stands today — what we have is a dated reading of the agency's listing, not a live restriction feed
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Lake Panasoffkee Equestrian-12 (Lake Panasoffkee)
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →Dumping grey & black →Gear & rig loadout →All field notes →