Camping near Zephyrhills, Florida?

We need to go visit my parents who moved into an assisted-living facility recently. They live in Zephyrhills, Florida. Does anyone know of a good place for us to stay with our R-Pod that won't cost a fortune? We don't need a resort (with resort pricing). I looked at the two closest state parks, but they did not have any openings in our time frame.

  Several years ago we camped at Lake Griffin State Park that is about one hour or sixty miles from Zephyrhills. We liked the park it had one of the largest oak trees in Florida and a lot of trees for shade.

We recently bought a home in Inverness, Florida and were scouting out the surroundings last weekend and stumbled across a FSA campground outside of Inverness - Tillis Hill.  It has 30 amp, water at the sites, a shower house and I assume flushy toilets.  It's just about 1 hour/50 miles from Zepherhills.  On Memorial Day weekend there were lots of sites open.  Price was cheap, but I don't remember exactly how cheap.   The bad news is there is about a mile or more of dirt road to get to it.  Also, they prefer reservations in advance.  It seems to mainly draw horsey people.

Tillis Hill Recreation Area

Citrus County 

Whether you want a day's ride or a full equestrian camping trip, enjoy riding through some of the most beautiful public lands in Central Florida. The Tillis Hill Day Use Area has a day use fee. Facility includes campsites, dining hall, pavilion and a commercial sized grill/smoker. All amenities require reservations prior to use. See reservation information below. Group activities require a State Forest Use Permit, which can be obtained by calling (352) 797-4140.

Features

• *Pavilion
• *Commercial BBQ grill/smoker
• *Dining hall/meeting room
• To reserve the features listed above, please call the Tillis Hill office at (352) 344-4238.
• No pets allowed
• Equestrian trails:
   - One Day Trail is 12 miles.
   - Two Day Trail is 24 miles.

Facilities

• Campsites with paved slabs, electricity, water, picnic table and fire ring with a grate and/or a grill. For camping information and reservations, please visitFloridaStateForests.ReserveAmerica.com or call 877-879-3859.
• Bathhouses
• 36 horse stalls. Two stalls are designed for stallions. A communal corral is also available. For stall information and reservations, please call 877-879-3859.
• Dump station

 

Directions: From Pleasant Grove Road (C-581), turn (west) on Stage Coach Trail (C-480) and continue approximately 4 miles to Forest Road (Trail 13) and turn right (north). Continue approximately 1.5 miles to the fork in the road and take the right fork up the hill to Tillis Hill Recreation Area and Campground.

Address: 9231 South Trail 13, Inverness, FL  34452

GPS Coordinates: 82º 24.882’ W   28º 43.700’ N