Flooding at Fort Desoto

Flooding at Fort Desoto

We had no idea that flooding was predicted at Fort Desoto Campground in Tierra Verde, Florida when we departed for a few days to spend with family who live in the area.  They predicted the weather to be colder than the last few years, but we did not expect a tropical storm.

Falling Waters State Park

Falling Waters was a stop along the way.  It was our second visit and everything was great.  We had a level, concrete site and it was warm and sunny when we arrived.

I enjoyed a relatively short hike with our pup to the sinkhole. It was just over two miles, with a good bit of uphill on the return.  It felt good to get some outdoor exercise.

It was an easy path to the sinkhole.  

The viewing platform for the sinkhole is on the left in the photo above.  That is a waterfall on the right.  You couldn’t see much in the sinkhole. When we were there before, there was a lot of trash that people had dumped.  It was good to see that it had been cleaned up.

We got up very early the next morning because we had a long drive and it gets dark so early.  We were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise.  Falling Waters was a good time for us.

Fort Desoto

Fort Desoto is a favorite park for many reasons.   It’s county park on an island just south of Saint Petersburg with beautiful beaches.  There are great bike trails and an audacious dog park where dogs can also access the beach.

 We had reserved four nights, but were only sleeping at the park on the first and last nights.  The two middle nights (weekend nights) we were spending with our son and daughter-in-law at their condo in Saint Petersburg.  We learned after we arrived at Fort Desoto about the flood warning.

Our first night was uneventful.  The park was more empty than we have seen it, but given the weather, it made sense.  

It wasn’t cold yet and it felt good outside as I walked our pup around the park.  

We headed to Saint Petersburg the next morning, leaving our camper for two nights in the park.  It was disconcerting to leave it with the weather conditions, but we didn’t have a good option other than leaving the area entirely and not visiting our children.

Two nights with Family 

It became quite cold that Friday night.  We stopped at our son’s local American Legion Post at Madeira Beach and sat outside.  It was quite nippy.

It had a beautiful view, despite the overcast skies. We had drinks before heading to Indian Rocks Grill for dinner.   

It was a lovely evening, but the weather was getting progressively colder with high winds.  We settled in for the weekend in our family’s condo.  With the winds, rain, and potential for tornados, we were grateful to be there instead of back at the campground.  It was a lovely and restful time.  Our kids kept us well-fed and entertained while the weather raged on outside.

Fort Desoto After the Flooding 

So, we made our way back to the campground with hopes that our camper would not be damaged.   The campground had a few areas where you could see that the water had flooded some, but it didn’t look significant.  We were so relieved when we first spotted our camper and there was no visible damage.  We could see where water had flowed through our site bringing vegetation with it.

The next big question was whether the water rose enough to penetrate the undercarriage.  Fortunately, the tires clearly showed that the water level did not reach the bottom of the camper.  What a relief!

If we had stayed in our camper instead of in town, we would have had a scary night during the storm and coming outside with several inches of water would have been very difficult. But, we would have had no choice because we have a dog.  

Three Rivers State Park

Our last night on the road was at Three Rivers State Park.It is a park we often use as a stopover when heading to central Florida.  The park is on Lake Seminole and is a hidden gem.  There are deer all around.  This one seemed to wait patiently while I snapped her picture.

The park has a lake view, super clean facilities, a boat launch, and hiking trails.  It is a very nice park.

We were able to snag a pull-through site with a concrete pad.  I noticed that the picnic tables were all nice too.

In Conclusion 

After all the angst about the flooding at Fort Desoto, our trip went well.  The weather was cold and stormy, but we had a couple of wonderful days with family and nice stops along the way.  This trip falls into the “Good Times” category.  Check out our page, States Visited, a Campsite Resource for other posts of our travels.

Merry Christmas Camping Buddies!