TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Last week’s cool weather may have disappeared as we returned to summer-like conditions here in the Bay area, but it was a taste of things to come.

When the temperature drops, many locals look forward to comfortable camping conditions. It’s a great way to enjoy the region’s natural beauty, unplug and—let’s be honest here—get out of the houses some of us may feel we’ve been haunting since March.

While many might be itching to pack up the tent or RV as soon as there’s a hint of autumn in the air and head for the nearest campsite, Tampa Bay’s prime camping season doesn’t really get rolling until the calendar is about to flip.

“January through April, but by all means, when it does pick up, it’ll start to pick up in December,” says Bob Browning, a park ranger at Pinellas County’s popular Fort De Soto Park. “Then we’re sold out just about every day, starting just before Christmas.”

Browning began his career with the Pinellas park system in 1973; he climbed to the role of park supervisor at Fort De Soto before retiring, then returned as a ranger. He says the park’s 243-site campground is currently at 65-70% on this sweltering Thursday, and that it’s completely sold out for the weekend. The out-of-state snowbirds that arrive in their RVs won’t be around until later, but after they come they’ll make up a considerable portion of the park’s occupancy.

You'll share your campsite with native Florida wildlife. (Image by Scott Harrell)

“There are people here all week long,” he says. “Two weeks is the maximum stay… most of the [winter] reservations are a week or two, because there are a lot of northern visitors, so they take advantage of the max.”

If you’re a local who loves the great outdoors and just can’t wait to go camping the minute the heat and humidity lessen, here’s hoping you made your plans in advance. A look at the online reservation system for another popular Bay area campground, at Hillsborough River State Park, shows that more than half of the campsites are reserved for the weekends in the rest of October, and nearly all of the weekends in November are booked solid. (Good luck getting someone on the phone during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Back on the other side of the bay at Fort De Soto, Browning says some non-waterfront and tent-only campsites are occasionally available on short notice.

Fort De Soto offers waterfront campsites for RVs. (Image by Scott Harrell)

So how far in advance should you think about reserving a beautiful site if you want to get away from it all when the weather turns cooler?

“Six months,” Browning says. “Pinellas County residents can book up to seven months in advance, so right now they can book up to May.”

Of course, there are plenty of other camping experiences within an hour’s driving distance where you can try your luck, like the St. Petersburg/Madeira Beach KOA, but do your research before you go—some spots, like Dunedin’s Honeymoon Island, are currently closed due to the pandemic. And remember: If you do go, be good temporary neighbor, familiarize yourself with a campground’s specific rules, pick up your trash—and try to keep the raccoons out of your food stash.