Okeechobee County · North of Lake Okeechobee · State park and Dark Sky Park
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Camp under some of the darkest skies in Florida on 54,000 acres of open prairie, with caracaras by day, the Milky Way by night and a big-rig campground about 45 minutes north of Okeechobee.
Opens Florida State Parks’ page for the preserve. Entry is $4 per vehicle, paid at the honor box with correct change.
Details checked October 2026
Type
State park and preserve
Prairie trails, camping and stargazing
Admission
$4 per vehicle
2–8 people; $2 on foot or bike. Honor box, so bring correct change.
Hours
8 a.m.–sundown
Open daily. Campers can stay after dark for the stars.
Time needed
Half day to overnight
Our estimate; stargazing means camping overnight
Parking
Big-rig campground
35 sites with water and electric, up to 65 ft
Size
54,000 acres
Florida’s first Dark Sky Park, named in 2016
What you’ll see
54,000 acres of Florida’s last great prairie
Most visitors come for one of three things: the dark night sky, the wildlife on the open prairie, or a quiet campsite far from town.
Start here
Stargazing in Florida’s first Dark Sky Park
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve sits in one of the darkest corners of the state, far from city lights, and in 2016 it became Florida’s first designated Dark Sky Park. On a clear, moonless night the Milky Way stretches across the whole sky, and Google reviewers bring up stargazing more than any other topic. Day visitors have to leave at sundown, so the way to see it is to camp.
RV tip: use only red lights after dark so you don’t spoil other campers’ night vision, and check the moon phase before you pick your dates. The few nights around a new moon are the darkest.
More to see
- Prairie buggy toursOn weekends and holidays from November through March, rangers lead 2- to 2.5-hour buggy tours of the prairie at 9 a.m. Tours cost $25; call the park to reserve a seat.
- More than 100 miles of trailsHike, bike or ride horses on open prairie roads and shaded hammock trails, including the Military Trail and the trail through Kilpatrick Hammock.
- Prairie wildlifeWatch for crested caracaras, sandhill cranes, bald eagles and white-tailed deer. The preserve is also one of the last homes of the endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow.
- Ways to campBesides the RV campground, the preserve has an equestrian campground, glamping tents and astronomy pads set aside for stargazers and their telescopes.
Why go
A Florida landscape most visitors never see
Before ranches and citrus groves, dry prairie covered much of south-central Florida. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve protects the largest stretch left, about 54,000 acres of grassland, wet prairie and oak hammock north of Lake Okeechobee. The state bought the land in 1997. Much of it was once the Latt Maxcy ranch, and during World War II, crews trained over it in B-17 bombers.
For RVers the draw is the quiet. The preserve sits about 45 minutes north of the Okeechobee RV parks at the end of a long country road, with no town in sight, and its campground handles big rigs with water and electric. Stay a night and you get sunset over the grass, a sky full of stars and sandhill cranes calling at dawn.
Go between November and March. Winter brings cooler weather, fewer mosquitoes, the weekend buggy tours and the clearest skies. In summer the prairie floods, the bugs are fierce and afternoon storms roll through most days.
Photo: Daniel Di Palma on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Why it made our list
- Florida’s first Dark Sky Park
- Entry is just $4 per vehicle
- Big-rig campground with water and electric
- More than 100 miles of trails
- Caracaras, cranes and deer on open prairie
For RVers
Bringing the rig to the prairie
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Plan the long drive in
From US-98 north of Okeechobee, NW 192nd Avenue runs about 5 miles to the entrance, and the park road continues roughly 5 more miles to the campground on unpaved shell rock. Take it slowly, expect dust or puddles, and buy fuel and groceries in Okeechobee before you leave town.
Book the campground early
The 35 RV sites have water and electric, take rigs up to 65 feet and share a dump station. Winter weekends and new-moon nights fill first, so reserve through Florida State Parks as soon as your dates are set.
Pets on the prairie
Dogs are welcome on a 6-foot leash in most of the park, but not on the Hammock Trail or at primitive campsites. Alligators live in the ponds and ditches, so keep pets back from the water, and on hot days don’t leave them in a parked rig.
Stay on the trails
Parts of the preserve were used for bombing practice during World War II, and the park warns that unexploded ordnance can still turn up. Stay on marked roads and trails. If you see anything that looks like old munitions, leave it alone and tell a ranger.
What visitors say about Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 28, 2026.
A breathtaking expanse of infinite grassland.
Florida State Parks, on the preserve · floridastateparks.org
What visitors often mention
Recurring themes in Google’s review topics
StargazingCampingWildlife
Google’s review topics point to stargazing (108 reviews), camping (104) and wildlife (79), with the night sky and the Milky Way close behind. Checked October 28, 2026.
How far from camp
Google Maps drive times from the US-441 RV parks in Okeechobee, checked October 28, 2026. The last miles in are unpaved, so allow extra time, or camp in the preserve and skip the drive.
Good to know
Entry by vehicle$4 2–8 people
On foot or bike$2 per person
Prairie buggy tour$25 Nov–Mar weekends, reserve by phone
BringCorrect changeRed flashlightBug spray
Fees and tour details from Florida State Parks, checked October 28, 2026. The entrance uses an honor box, so bring correct change. Camping fees are separate and are paid when you reserve.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
- Address33104 NW 192nd Ave, Okeechobee, FL 34972
- Hours8 a.m.–sundown
Open daily. Campers can stay after dark for the stars. - Phone(863) 462-5360
- Park infoFlorida State Parks page for fees, tours and camping
- Getting thereFrom Okeechobee, follow US-98 north out of town, turn onto NW 192nd Avenue and follow it about 5 miles to the entrance. The park road continues to the visitor center, campground and trailheads.
- ParkingDay-use parking at the visitor center and trailheads; campers park at their sites. Pay the entry fee at the honor box on the way in.
The park opens at 8 a.m. and closes to day visitors at sundown. Tour schedules and trail conditions change with the seasons and with summer flooding, so call the park before you go.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
These are the Lake Okeechobee parks we have visited and written up. The preserve is about 45 minutes north of them, so plan on a full day trip, or book the park campground for a night under the stars.
Okeechobee KOA Resort
Big resort south of town on US-441, with a 9-hole golf course, pools and big-rig sites for a base between day trips.
Silver Palms RV Resort
Upscale resort on US-441 with a heated pool, clubhouse and paved sites, near the lake and the dike trail.
Zachary Taylor Waterfront RV Resort
Waterfront park on Taylor Creek with boat access to the lake, a good base if you plan to fish as well as explore.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Open daily · 8 a.m. to sundown
Ready for a night under the stars?
Fill the tank in Okeechobee, bring correct change for the honor box, and book a campsite so you can stay after dark.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: Ebyabe (the wet prairie and the park road; CC BY-SA 3.0) and Daniel Di Palma (the lone oak, Kilpatrick Hammock, the Military Trail and the entrance sign; CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons; the images were resized. Video: PK Adventure Travels on YouTube (park tour). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including Florida State Parks’ published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, fees, rules and other details are set by the park and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park at floridastateparks.org or (863) 462-5360. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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