Review with photos of FREE camping at Seminole Ranch Conservation Area near Titusville in Florida.
At A Glance
- St Johns River Water Management District – Seminole Ranch Camp.
- Free – One site.
- Tents only.
- Toilet.
- Locked gate (combination in email).
- 7 nights max.
- GPS – 28.611694,-80.964611
Location Map
Zoom in to the Titusville area on the central east coast of Florida! The campsite has a purple icon.
My Experience
Near Titusville and the beaches of the Space Coast. I booked here to watch a rocket launch or two!
The site is hidden about 0.2 miles behind a locked gate. Easy in and out in any vehicle. It is a very popular area for locals to picnic with their airboats and bass boats. During the day and especially on weekends some may show up to cook out (and drink beer) in front of your camp!
This creates an interesting dynamic. On the Sunday of my arrival, there were 20 or so loud (but friendly) airboat folks having a party until 3 pm. I had to set up camp about 50 feet from the gathering.
Not everyone will be on ok with this and I agree. Will my belongings be safe when I leave? Will there be another party at my campsite when I return? Luckily during my 5-night stay, only one group of 3 guys showed up with their boat to drink beer. They left after an hour.
So, the very public boating access is a negative feature of the area. Another negative was very loud airboats until 2 am and as early as 6 am. They were loud due to the landing area just a short distance away. It became super annoying.
At some point do these airboats not disturb the wildlife in Florida? How can it be ok to have Boeing 747s fly by every few minutes at ground level? How do animals breed or hunt or raise their young with so much disturbance?
What about the positives? It is free. It is a beautiful campsite on the St Johns River. Perhaps the most photogenic free campsite in Florida?
It is close to Titusville and in a great location. One of the nearest free sites to the Space Coast.
The campsite has a fire ring, several benches, a pavilion, and non-potable well water. It is mostly under tree cover but with enough clearing to have all-day sun for my solar. Verizon was strong.
Mosquitoes were active at dawn and dusk but no bugs during the day.
Overall, a very nice stay but I never got used to the airboat noise. The rocket launch was awesome.
Photos
About the Florida Water Management Districts
Please read my article about the Florida Water Management Districts and the booking process BEFORE booking! It will save you time and frustration.