Check out Florida's waterfront state parks

Mother's Day to Halloween - those are the typical dates that frame the "blackout" period for camping. As in, it's too hot and buggy to enjoy tenting it between mid- May and late October. I was so true to this mantra that for years, my family would go camping every Mother's Day as sort of a farewell to camping weather.

Summer and fall in Florida meant daytrips only in the outdoors for me. Plus other vacations beckoned, such as sort-of-annual trips to the Carolinas or California. If we did vacation in our home state during the hot months, it was a Keys trip with the powerboat for a stay in an air-conditioned vacation rental complete with a pool.

Until now.

Fuel prices. Food prices. No pay raises. Tight budgets all around. Lean times call for creativity.

Now, Florida's inexpensive camping sites seem like an oasis of economical fun instead of overheated-and-to-be-avoided mosquitobreeding grounds. The new mantra? Forget the condo rental and the boat gas; take a kayak and tent to a waterfront Florida state park instead.

The trick is to pick a park that's on the water and to stay wet all day long. It's not hard here in the Sunshine state.

COURTESY PHOTO Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys is one of the top rated parks in the nation. Florida's state park system is one of the largest in the country with 161 parks spanning almost 700,000 acres and 100 miles of sandy white beach. From swimming and diving in Florida's rivers and springs to birding and fishing or hiking, riding and kayaking on scenic trails, Florida's state parks offer year-round outdoor activities.

Florida state park beaches have consistently scored high in national surveys by coastal geologist Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, also known as "Dr. Beach." Five parks have ranked as No. 1: Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys, in 1992; Grayton Beach State Park in Northwest Florida, in 1994; St. Andrews State Park, Panama City, in 1995; and, St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Port St. Joe, in 2002. In 2007, Caladesi Island State Park was named the No. 2 beach in the nation, second only to Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Caladesi made headlines in late May when it checked in at No. 1 for 2008.

Not all beachfront state parks offer camping, but plenty do, including one here in Lee County, Cayo Costa State Park.

To cope with higher prices, my family recently vacationed for four days at Bahia Honda State Park.

We kept economics in mind as we revved up for the trip, taking a day to get together camping gear and buy what was missing. Thing to remember: You don't need top-ofthe line "stuff" to make a week of fun at a waterfront campground.

For example, we knew we'd need to create some shade, but when we shopped, we realized that $129 for a pop-up canopy was not part of the budget. A $5 tarp and $2 twine went into the pickup truck instead, and when we arrived at Bahia Honda's campsite No. 49 - which indeed did look blisteringly hot in full sun of the first afternoon - we hung the tarp using the twine and some assisting gumbo limbo trees. It worked fine for the duration of our stay. So did the bug repellant and sunscreen we brought.

Our sun-kissed vacation included snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, nighttime beach walks and star gazing. The breeze off the Atlantic caressed and cooled us. So did guzzling gallons of water and chowing on chilled watermelon. The daily trip to the campground store to buy ice was the only thing we set our watches by.

The camping trip was sweaty, yes. But the water was always nearby and the bugs were surprisingly minimal, thanks to the breeze.

In a way, a hot camping trip keeps things minimal. No sleeping bags, just sheets. No campfire, just a lantern. No heavy, hearty breakfasts, just fruit and granola bars. Heat suppresses appetites and sweating purges your soul. It was like tent camping at a spa resort (complete with a sauna) in an offbeat way.

We returned home refreshed and happy, both to have enjoyed a gem of a state park and to have created a vacation without crippling our household budget. Even if the economy improves, a Florida state park tent camping trip is already on our agenda to kickoff summer next June, too.

- Betsy Clayton is a freelancer based on Pine Island and also is Lee County Parks & Recreation's waterways coordinator. Contact her at boatingbybetsy@yahoo.com.

Plan a Trip

>>Florida state parks information: www.FloridaStateParks.org

>>Reservations: www.ReserveAmerica.com

>>Florida State Parks Information Center: (850) 245-2157