Wander Woman

Don’t let all the traffic at the front gate fool you. While the entrance to Cypress Creek Preserve can feel busy, the experience changes completely once you drive back into the campground. The noise fades fast, and the peaceful side of camping at Cypress Creek Preserve takes over. No crowds are walking or running past your site, no dogs manically running off-leash, and no constant activity breaking the calm. Just quiet campsites, towering trees, and the kind of solitude that makes the wait worthwhile.

Pulling into the equestrian side of Cypress Creek Preserve Campground, it quickly became clear that I was completely alone. No neighboring campers, no distant voices, no movement beyond the trees — just empty sites and the low hush of the preserve wrapping around me. The solitude was undeniably peaceful, the kind that slows your breathing and sharpens your senses, but there was also something slightly unsettling about having the entire campground to myself. It felt untouched, almost suspended in time, beautiful in its stillness and just eerie enough to remind me how wild this place really is.

Cypress Creek Preserve spans more than 7,400 acres in central Pasco County, Florida, protecting a vast and diverse stretch of wild land. Managed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), the preserve plays a vital role in flood control, watershed protection, and as a public water-supply well field. Open to the public from sunrise to sunset, Cypress Creek Preserve offers a range of recreational opportunities alongside an impressive variety of Florida natural communities — from wide-open flatwood prairies to low-lying swamps and shaded hammocks. Vehicular access inside the preserve is limited to those with advance camping reservations through SWFWMD, while all entrances remain accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists via walk-through access points.

The preserve offers rustic, drive-in campsites equipped with picnic tables and fire rings, along with an ADA-approved porta-potty that has definitely seen better days — think a loose seat, a door that won’t quite close, and the general feeling it hasn’t been serviced in a while. This is true off-grid camping, with no water or electric hookups anywhere in the campground. To enter the campsite a reservation to obtain a gate code is required, which must be displayed or available upon arrival. All campsites are located in the southern portion of Cypress Creek Preserve, accessed via Parkway Boulevard.

In the end, Cypress Creek Preserve Campground is about as simple as it gets. You’ll find a nice, flat area for your tent or vehicle, along with a fire pit/grill, and picnic table — and that’s really it. There are no water hookups or faucets anywhere in the campground, so you’ll need to bring everything you need with you. These campsites are primitive and free, and that simplicity is exactly the point. Come prepared, manage your expectations, and you’ll get a quiet, no-frills camping experience that delivers exactly what it promises.

Address: 5550 Parkway Blvd, Land O’ Lakes, FL 34639

You can make a reservation at the following website:

https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/how-make-reservation