Big Cypress

[Gamer]

My friends and I got our Big Cypress permits on Saturday.  We tried out the Oasis Visitor Center trail and man was that thing rough.  Most of the trail had the hard rock bottom with lots of pot holes and there was some mud.  We will be camping in Big Cypress on Jan 20,21,22.  I need some opinions of the Bear Island trails and camping area.  We are still trying to decide if were going to camp at Bear Island or just do back country camping.  I've read on here that the Bear Island trails are tame and we prefer the tough muddy ones.  If we do camp at Bear Island we will most likely trailer the bikes down to the other trails such as Turner River North and Conco Billy.  Let me know what you recommend.  Thanks....

[Keeter]

Gamer, you should have told me I would have met you there.  Yes, Oasis is rough. Right as the trail turns west is when the mud begins. The trail that really wooped my butt is Concho Billy and Burns Lake. Burns Lake is SERIOUS mud. Buried my 25's.
Bear Island does have a camp area. Camp area meaning a dumpster and a porta-potty and a Camp Ranger. The trail is mild. I saw a guy and his 14 year old son ride a two seater Bombardier through that trail and it took them a little over an hour. The 22 mile gravel road up to Bear Island really sucked.
I believe you can camp at Burns Lake at the south entrance. This may be a good place because from there you can access the majority of the other trails.

[Durkan]

All i want to do is be able to do is have my truck quad and camp all in the same place. I guess thats asking too much eh? 

[Gamer]

I would have posted we were going if I had a chance.  It was a last minute thing we decided to go and do.  We didn't ride the trail for more than about 2 hours.  I called and was told that Burns Lake camp ground is now closed.  It only stays open for hunting season.  I can't believe that Bear Island is the only other camp ground you can ride your ATV's in.  It's looking more and more like were going to back country camp somewhere.  Are there any areas to camp off of the Concho Billy or Burns lake trail?

[Keeter]

Just spoke to the Visitor station. We can camp at Monument or Miday. We cannot ride our ATV in the campsite, they must stay on the trailer, but we can camp there.
Durkan we can do that but we will have to trailer our rides to where the trail entrances are. At Bear Island you can ride to the trail entrance but there is only the one right there and the other nearest trail is 15 miles away. Monument sounds good. See below. There is a little store about 10 miles away that sells gas and Subway. There also is a little bar/tavern 8 miles away. If your in I will call back and reserve a spot.    First night is on me since I convinced you to try BC. 

Monument Lake

Open
Open All Year

Details
Monument Lake campground offers restrooms, drinking water and designated 26 RV and 10 tent sites. An outside, cold water shower is also available. NO HOOKUPS for electricity, sewer or water are available at this campground. Campgrounds may close seasonally or temporarily for repairs or resource concerns. Please contact the visitor center for current campground information. Visitor Center phone number is 239-695-1201. Fees RV and Tent sites $16.00 per night / $8.00 with Golden Age/Access Passport Campers are allowed to use the Dona Drive or Midway Campground dump station at no cost, while staying in preserve.

[Durkan]

well my only thing is carrying all this gear to a campsite is a pain in the ass. thats the big issue.

[Keeter]

We can park at the campsite setup and then trailer our bikes to the trail entrance and park our trucks at the trail entrance. I can load 2 on my trailer with a little help.

[Gamer]

Keeter, are there any good places to back country camp at Monroe Station North, Burns Lake, or Concho Billy that are close to the designated access points.  I think trailering the bikes is going to be a pain in the butt.  We would rather just leave our trucks at the designated access point and camp somewhere close by on the trail.  It may take 2 trips to bring everything out on the ATV's but I think it will be more convenient than trailering our bikes everytime we want to ride.

[Keeter]

Monroe south is a trail with wide open prairies. The trail is pretty well maintained. There is a few places on that trail where we can camp. To get back and forth to the trucks would be easy. From there we can access Monroe North which is righ across the street. We would have to trailer up to get to the others.

At Burns we can get to Windmill and Concho as well as one other.  Maybe we can park at Burns and ride up the trail and find a spot to camp. 
If you have a GPS, bring it. I learned my lesson.

[Anoriginal]

Oasis is a great place to go and camp. There are some very nice pine islands about 4-5 miles in. Also, parking at Oasis is the best of all trail heads and has the most security for your trucks.