Plans are in the works for a campout at the DuPuis Management Area. For reference, the club camped out here in December of 2019 and it was a beautiful place.
While it will be a fun campout with all that goes with camping, it’s mainly a photography camping trip. It will be adults only. It will also be people only. We love our kids and pets, but please, it’s best to leave them home.
The DuPuis group camp is a PRIMATIVE campsite, much like the Pinecrest Group campsite was. There are pit toilets, a picnic shelter, and a campfire ring, but no other amenities - no running water and no electricity. You must bring everything you need and pack it all out when you leave. ALWAYS practice Leave No Trace principles, as well as Nature First principles.
Like I said, this is primitive, you will need to bring your own tent, sleeping gear, food, cooking stuff, utensils, power banks, lawn chairs, and all the goodies you will need for a comfortable weekend. I also recommend folks pick up one pack of pre-packaged wood from the grocery or home hardware store for the nightly campfire. Most places do not want you bringing wood collected from elsewhere, nor do they want you collecting fallen trees from the nearby woods.
If ANYONE has any questions on what you might need, please ask. I was once a noob camper and after the last time we camped here, was ready to throw away my tent and never do it again. But with the help of my friends and great camping ‘hacks’, I LOVE camping and can’t wait to do it again.
I have an excel spreadsheet that I created for packing. I’ll post it here soon.
I highly recommend getting there at least an hour before dark to set up your tent. Trust me, I’ve been there and had to sleep in my car.
From the website:
A wealth of recreational activities awaits you at the 21,875-acre DuPuis Management Area. A vast landscape of pine flat woods, wet prairies, marshes, and cypress domes provides a scenic backdrop for hiking, bicycling, camping, hunting and other pursuits.
DuPuis is far from urban areas and has a dark night sky, which lends itself to stargazing.
Before the District acquired the property in 1986, it was a working ranch for Dutch white-belted cattle, sheep, and goats. By 2001, more than 6,500-acres of wetlands on DuPuis were restored through a three-step program in which land managers plugged old drainage ditches, repaired a levee at the southwestern boundary to restore a former Everglades marsh, and reconnected a portion of the flow from the adjacent J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area.
Archaeological sites of early American Indians date to 500 B.C. Much later on, the Seminole Indians used the DuPuis region as a refuge during the Seminole Indian War of 1835. But living off the land quickly proved difficult. Hundreds of starving Indians were captured and subsequently sent to Oklahoma. The area became known as “The Hungryland.”
Today, the District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission co-manage the property.
— South Florida Water Management District
As always, I must have an RSVP by November 1st. Sooner if you don’t want to miss out. Spaces are limited. I know there is a limit to the number of people and vehicles allowed. I’ll post that when I get that information. But if you for sure plan on going, let me know now. Click the button below, and if you have any questions.