Anyone camped "Tate's Hell" State Forest? (FL Panhandle)

[James Meadowlark]

Hi peeps!

I always preface my posts with the fact I'm not a traveler, but am a primitive camping enthusiast and appreciate this site, and those of you that contribute such great content.

Anywhoo- I try to spend any extended period of free time outside and in the wild, and so I am looking at my next vacation coming up in October, and was thinking about trying out this spot..

From what I'm reading, looks like one of the most desolate places in the state (maybe not, I don't know), even though it's reasonably close to a few spots...

A "managed" forestry area that's kind of gone wild is what I'm getting.. It's pretty huge by Florida standards at 200k+ acres (at least half of which are described as wetlands, semi-wetlands, quasi-swampland, or at the very least probably "moist") but there still seems like a lot of room if one is willing to put in the legwork to find a good private spot. From what I can tell, it's infrequently visited/camped because of the exceptionally harsh conditions.. As wet as the place is, every review I've seen started with "BRING MOSQUITO REPELLENT!" I'll be going later in the year, so it won't be too bad, but Florida is still a tropical climate, so no doy. I may actually push this back to November, but I'd really like to do this the week before Halloween weekend so I can catch most of "the fest" in Gainesville.

The primitive camping guidelines seem pretty loose based on what the interwebz are telling me. I've camped nearby several times, but those spots were near the beach- St. Vincent's etc. but this spot is more inland.

Anyone here been to "Hell" and back and willing to share the experience?

Thanks!

 

[Tude]

I just looked it up as I've never heard of it - it's pretty diverse with all the different areas wooded and wetlands - lots of bitey things (snakes) hehe but the plants and wild life look very cool! And in one pic I found - they talked about "worm grunting" Eh? so I investigated that. Using a home made contraption that "grunts" or makes a sound (supposedly like what a mole makes) - it speeds the worms out of the soil to get away from the moles. Ha and I found a vid taken in Tates Hell forest too! http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-charm-worms-out-ground-180952364/

 

[James Meadowlark]

... "worm grunting" Eh? so I investigated that. Using a home made contraption that "grunts" or makes a sound (supposedly like what a mole makes) - it speeds the worms out of the soil to get away from the moles. ./

Thanks Tude!

Worm grunting is the truth in that area of the panhandle. They actually hold an annual Worm Grunting Festival every year in the nearby town of Sopchoppy, FL with like a king and queen elected, vendors, a parade, and a key to the city to the best worm gathering guy... I actually have been to the WGF twice, going back a few years/college days. If you like surreal, it's a good scene! That was the first time I ever had swamp-cabbage. Even if I don't end up camping there, you reminded me that I need to get back that way next year for the WGF 2018- Been too long LOL.

I know about both the spot and the festival because I've camped around the area several times, been to Sopchoppy for the aforementioned WGF and have driven by Tate's Hell, just never camped there... It's a place that you drive through/by and think- wow, that place looks effing miserable.... Just got to thinking I shouldn't judge a book by the cover. Just an intriguing spot for me, and since the egress is on a road that traverses the panhandle and is not an interstate, I thought I'd ask if anyone pitched a tent there for a few days along the way.

 

[cixcell]

as a plant nerd ive only been there to take photos of pitcher plants. same reason ive explored so many remote areas of alabama and mississippi. tates hell is gonna be a wet camp for sure. i have never been to the worm grunting festival but i have been to sopchoppy and sumatra. i hear another surreal thing is the mullet throw in orange beach

 

[General Van Fleet]

From 2015 to 2019 I lived nearby Tate's Hell in Tallahassee and had similar feelings of intrigue based upon its legendary origin story, vastness and proximity to home.

Finally in September of 2019 I did a ride from Tallahasse west through a small part of the Apalachicola NF on some unimproved roads before taking SR267 to SR20 then south on CR 65 through Telogia to Sumatra where I dined at the family coastal diner restaurant they have and feasted to such excess I had to get a box for the remaining food.

There was a sign on the salad bar stating patrons were required to use the provided utensils and NOT to use their fingers which I had never seen before and was greatly amused by.

Anyhow to the point of your OP I did in fact camp out in my hammock (Hennessy deep jungle xl) quite comfortably 2 miles east or so of that restaurant by a retention pond of some sort and was undisturbed the entire night.

I rode the 25ish miles across Tates Hell which is crisscrossed in a grid fashion with rough forestry roads the more improved ones seem to be EW and most NS were just cleared at one point and mowed occasionally.

The biting flies and heat. Along with excessive equipment, bob trailer, rough terrain,and dog made my progress quite exhausting and recall having an avg speed of 8mph which is quite slow for bike touring.

The flies were worse closer to Sumatra and gradually improved towards Carrabelle, I encountered 3 gentleman in pickup trucks who all had packs of hunting hounds they were training for the upcoming general gun season. Each dog has a GPS collar with their locations displayed on a dash mounted unit, I cannot imagine trying to traverse TH the way these dogs do just plowing through the native habitat they are a marvel. It was had enough on a bicycle peddling down the various pathways.
It was a great relief to rejoin the paved roadway as I hadn't brought an adequate amount of water and was forced to use the external spigot on a home facing the river for water despite only being 5 or so miles from Carrabelle, I was very parched.

I hope to return primarily to visit a stand of dwarfed cypress trees that are about 12 miles north of US98 at some point in the future, I would advise checking the WMA schedule before any visits as I'm sure it is a great place for deer and hogs with many pursuers.