Horseshoe Primitive Campground

The Horseshoe Primitive Campground is about eight miles east of Naples in the Picayune Strand State Forest. This small facility has six sites that can accommodate one vehicle and up to five people in one tent. There are portable toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables here for your use but no potable water. Seventeen open stalls with non-potable water are available if you bring a horse. The nightly fee is $9.09 plus tax. When you stay here, you can go riding and hiking through the Big Cypress Basin.

This furrific facility sits in a small clearing. Once you pitch your tent, head out in the woods to investigate your surroundings. There's a trail trotter pathway that you can take with your horse here. Ride the 22-mile Bell Meade Horse Trail that snakes through the wet prairie, cypress stands, and slash pines. 

Explore the area on foot when you check out the Sabal Palm Loop. This 3.2-mile route heads through the Big Cypress Swamp. You may need waders if you navigate this area in the spring. Look for orchids and pine lilies on your travels. Put on insect repellent before you head out. You might see wood storks, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and panther tracks as you wander through the area. Spend the evenings by the fire ring and recount your day's adventures.

You can bring Fido along for the adventure, too. Keep dogs under leash control and attended at all times. Collect their waste and pack it out when you leave the area.

Horseshoe Primitive Campground is a puptacular spot that offers horseback riding and hiking and makes the perfect place to spend a night out in the cypress forest with family or friends. Enjoy the stunning scenery, wildflowers, and birds in the area. To bring your horse on these public lands, you'll need certification of a negative Coggins test. Those under 16 years old must wear a helmet when riding the trails.