Agency-listedUSFSFree
Shanty Pond Recreation Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · FL · 29.33257, -81.73140
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 →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Shanty Pond Recreation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 30 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Shanty Pond Recreation AreaNIFC · 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 Shanty Pond Recreation Area · National Forests in Florida · FL
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery1 mi
- ShShower1 mi
- @Mail2 mi
- DDump2 mi
- WWater10 mi
- FFuel11 mi
- HHardware14 mi
- OOutfitter21 mi
- LLaundry22 mi
- MMechanic22 mi
- RxPharmacy22 mi
- EVEV fast charger23 mi
- AAir-up26 mi
- +Urgent care27 mi
- PPropane38 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 1 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 — Shanty Pond Recreation Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
30 ft
State
FL
Coordinates
29.33257, -81.73140
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Shanty Pond Recreation Area · National Forests in Florida · FL (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureWater · nearby
- Nearest townSalt Springs · ~1.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelCitgo · ~18.8 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~1.9 mi
- GroceriesWinn-Dixie · ~14.2 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~26.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicPutnam Community Medical Center · ~21.6 mi
- HardwareHardware · ~14.3 mi
EV charging — from Shanty Pond Recreation Area · National Forests in Florida · FL — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger22.7 mi straight-line N — Krystals, Palatka, FL (at a restaurant) · FPLEV · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-09-12 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach1 within 25 mi · 102 within 50 · 353 within 100 · 533 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO28.1 mi — Pearson Nissan - Ocala, Ocala
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)22.7 mi — Quality Inn & Suites Palatka Riverfront - Tesla Destination · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- Pricing at the fast charger$0.30 per kWh (as listed by AFDC)
- 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 420588 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Shanty Pond Recreation Area · National Forests in Florida · FL — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletShanty Pond Recreation Area · at this camp · USFS
- Flush restroomSalt Springs Marina · ~1.2 mi N · USFS
- Flush restroomSalt Springs · ~1.8 mi N · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletHopkins Prairie · ~4.5 mi SE · USFS
Open Shanty Pond Recreation Area elsewhere
Other camps near Shanty Pond Recreation Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Salt Springs~1.8 mi · fee
- Hopkins Prairie~4.5 mi · fee
- Grassy pond~5.6 mi
- Lake Delancy West Recreation Area~7.4 mi · fee
The unit that manages Shanty Pond Recreation Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Shanty Pond Recreation Area are set by National Forests in Florida, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Shanty Pond Recreation Area
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Shanty Pond Recreation Area
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.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- 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 — Shanty Pond Recreation Area
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Leave no trace →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →