Lake Manatee Weekend Camping Trip Feb 2011

Bradenton, Florida: After our rather successful camping weekend a few weeks ago, we decided to take another one this weekend. This time we went to Lake Manatee State Park located in eastern Manatee County. We have never been to the park, but the campground had great reviews so we made a Saturday/Sunday reservation and loaded up the truck.

The park is located on State Road 64, about nine miles east of I-75. It was close enough to a Publix and fast-food restaurant in case we forgot something or needed to grab something other then hot dogs and S'mores. When we arrived at the park, there was a distant sound of loud engines, and with a county ordinance allowing just 20 HP motors on the lake, it wasn't the boat traffic on the lake. Turns out the campground was just a mile from Desoto Superspeedway, a big plus for a race fan like me, however we did not go to a race this time.

We checked into campsite 46 and began to set up camp. The campsite we had backed up to wildland and had a great buffer between adjoining sites, however it was a little bit of a hike to the bathhouse. We had our new tent since the last one leaked and it was a little larger, make that a lot larger then the other one. But it was just as easy to set up. This too was a Coleman Instant Tent, but it was the 9-person version. But it still only took a few minutes to set up and had a bunch more room to move around. We also came equipped with airbeds this time, no more hard ground and hopefully a more restful nights sleep.

In a short time, our camp was completely set up and we went to explore the park. We began our touring on the Longleaf Lane trail. The trail traveled past some of the main amenities of the park including the playground, volleyball court, lake swimming and boat dock. The trails were not marked all that well, but if you just keep moving, you will come to a main thoroughfare. There was no one swimming in the lake, not sure if it was because of the alligators in the area signage or the temperature of the weather. We did see two small alligators in the lake by the boat ramp, they were small but still proved my reason why I will not be swimming.

After we finished hiking, we hopped in the truck and headed over to see where the racetrack was. It was a short minute drive east of the park entrance and they have racing every Saturday night. I can see a camping/racing trip in my future soon. We then headed into town to grab some food.

Once we got back to the campground, we stopped by the ranger station for firewood and then proceeded to the campsite to build our fire. The fire got going quickly and we spent the night roasting hot dogs and making S'mores before calling it a night and heading into the tent for some sleep.

It was a peaceful night sleeping, well most of the night once our neighbors guests left and they quieted down. I always wondered why most state parks are alcohol free, now I know why. Once the park closed, they had three cars of friends show up and they partied well past the 11:00 pm quiet time. I think their last guest left about 1 am. Grant it, they were not entirely loud, but in a park as quiet as this, the sound traveled. But outside of that, we all slept like babies on the new air beds.

The morning came and we were awaken by the abundance of birds singing their early morning tunes. There was a lot of song bird activity after sunrise. The sun rising combined with the birds and the early morning fog laying low on the fields made for a very peaceful morning. We started a fire to take the chill out and use up our last few remaining pieces of firewood. We then proceeded to break down camp and pack up the truck.

When we completed breaking down the camp, we headed into town for breakfast and then back to the park to go hiking again. Today we chose to hike the Bobcat Trail. We did not encounter any wildlife on the trail but there were a few wildflowers in bloom. After the hike was completed, we headed to the ranger station to check out and head home.

We changed our route on the way home. Rather then driving the highway route like usual, we opted for the drive home through the country. We took the inland roads through some of the rural areas of Manatee and Desoto counties. Its nice to step of the beaten path from time to time and realize there is more to Florida then condos and stuck up rich people.

Lake Manatee was a great campground, the campsites were great and the bathhouses were very clean. A warning for those hiking the trails, they are pretty exposed with little to no shade, so bring sunscreen and plenty of water if you plan on hiking.

Overall we had a fantastic weekend. The weather was perfect and the campground was great. The family enjoyed the camping trip so much that we booked another camping adventure for next weekend, the final weekend before the little guy's baseball season begins and our weekends are spent at the ballpark.

Check back later for photos and an article on Lake Manatee State Park.