A little piece of heaven at Ocean Pond

We discovered Ocean Pond last year when we stayed at the nearby Hog's Pen. It is located in the Osceola National Forest and is right on the shore of Ocean Pond. It is divided into three sections: one section has electric and water hook-ups, another has only water hook-up and then the last section (which is not on the waterfront and is more shaded) is completely dry camping and more suitable for smaller rigs or tents.

Each section has its own washrooms/shower building which also includes a washer and dryer for laundry. How sweet is that? The showers have hot water and are nice and large. There is also a dump station at the entrance of the park. The road to the campground is paved and it is also paved in the campground including a paved pad for the trailers, except for the dry camping section. If you have a boat you have access to a very nice cemented boat ramp. Did I mention that the sites are extra large?

 Last but not least, there is even a small beach with a small park with a play structure for kids and a nice gazebo with picnic tables.

Each campsite has a picnic table and a fire pit and a view of the water. Our site was right on the shore in the water only section. With our solar panel and plenty of sun to harvest, we really didn't need electricity and that section is almost always full. We would hear the grunting alligators along with the crickets and frogs - quite the symphony!

This is where we found out how much Ally liked the water and that she could swim. Glen had a blast throwing a stick in the water at the boat ramp and watching her dive right into the water to retrieve the stick. Finally, he has a dog that not only retrieves but also likes the water. 

Several late afternoons were spent sitting on the beach reading with the sounds of the lapping water on the shore in the background. So peaceful and relaxing! When the sun was too hot to walk the dogs we would walk them around the dry camping loop which is mostly shaded. The campground is very quiet and I can honestly say that we all felt very relaxed and rested after our week there. In fact, we didn't want to leave. 

I almost forgot to mention the best advantage of camping there. The price! The electric/water section is $18/night, the water only section is $12/night, and the dry camping section is $8/night. Quite the bargain when you consider how clean and pretty the campground is and the fact that you can have your boat in the water right at your site! 

We will definitely go back and in fact we applied to volunteer as campground hosts for next summer (the hosts get a full hool-up site including sewer).