Camping at Croom Motorcycle Area: Buttgenbach Campground Booking, Permits and Rules

Camping at the Croom Motorcycle Area means staying at the Buttgenbach Mine Campground, inside the 2,600-acre off-road area of Withlacoochee State Forest near Brooksville, Florida. Book through ReserveAmerica or 1-877-879-3859, check in at the gatehouse by 5 p.m. on your first day to get the gate combination, and buy an Annual OHV Permit for every unit you bring in. Pets and alcohol are not allowed, and there is no riding after dark.

This page is part of our motorcycle camping guide. For other places to camp in the state, see motorcycle camping in Florida.

Key takeaways- Book ahead online or by phone; payment is due at or before check-in at the gatehouse.- Arrive by 5 p.m. on day one. The gate combination is handed out at check-in.- Campers buy an Annual OHV Permit for all units entering the area.- Only dual sports among street-legal bikes may use the trails; other street-legal vehicles stay on the roads.- Helmets are required for every rider on a bike or OHV.

Where Croom is and how to get in

Croom sits in the Croom Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest in Hernando County, at 6420 La Rose Rd., Brooksville, FL 34602. Take Exit 301 off I-75 at State Road 50 and enter behind the 7-11 gas station.

Everyone enters through the main gate on La Rose Road, west of I-75 and north of SR 50, and every OHV user stops at the gatehouse. The area was set up in 1973 through the work of the Florida Trail Riders and the state agriculture department, for off-highway motorcycle and ATV riders. The Florida Forest Service's Croom Motorcycle Area page links the current brochure and trail map.

Buttgenbach Mine Campground at a glance

The two sources disagree on the site count, so check the live map on ReserveAmerica when you book. The Forest Service pages we read do not say whether every site suits a small tent. If you ride in with a tent rather than tow a camper, ask the gatehouse which sites suit you. Our guide to tent camping on a motorcycle covers the setup itself.

Booking and check-in, step by step

1. Reserve the site online at FloridaStateForests.ReserveAmerica.com or by phone at (877) 879-3859. Passes and reservations are no longer sold at the forest office.
2. Buy permits online at the same ReserveAmerica webstore. Day passes, Technical Riding Area passes and Annual OHV Permits are all sold there.
3. Plan your arrival time. You must check in on the first day of the reservation by 5 p.m. to receive the gate combination. Normal check-in starts at 3 p.m..
4. Pay at or before check-in at the gatehouse.
5. Fix the permit to the bike. Permits go on the left front of each OHM or ATV, where they can be seen.
6. Check out by 1 p.m..

Day riders must leave by 5 p.m., when the front gate closes promptly. On a long ride in, leave room for traffic and fuel stops so you reach the gate in time.

Permits and fees

Every OHM or ATV using Croom needs a permit, and campers must buy an Annual OHV Permit for all units entering the area. Annual permits run July 1 to June 30 with no refunds.

The Forest Service's own documents give different prices for the annual permit, so treat these as a guide and confirm the price when you book:

The 2025 brochure confirms that fees are pro-rated in January but gives no amounts. The campsite rate comes from the Forest Service fee schedule, which is ten years old, so check the live price on ReserveAmerica.

The Technical Riding Area costs extra and opens Friday to Sunday, weather permitting, from 9 to 12 and 1 to 4.

What you can ride: dirt bike, dual sport or street bike

Croom is built for off-road machines. The rules change with the bike you bring.

Riding a touring bike to camp and not onto the trails? The brochure says all campers buy an Annual OHV Permit "for all units entering this facility when camping". It does not say how that applies to a bike that stays on the roads, so call the gatehouse before you book.

Every rider must wear a DOT-approved helmet designed for OHM or ATV use. Off-highway vehicles bought new after July 1, 2002 must be titled with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; ones bought in states that do not title them are exempt.

For trail etiquette and kit on a dual-sport trip, see our dual-sport motorcycle camping guide.

Campground rules to know before you unpack

• Riding in camp. Ride from the campground to the riding areas in low gear at walking speed only. No riding on main roads outside the campground.
• After dark. No riding after dark, including to the bathhouses or around the campground.
• Fires. Campfires only in grills or designated sites. You may pick up firewood from the forest floor by hand for use in camp, but not haul it in a trailer. No chainsaws of any kind.
• Trees. Do not cut, scar or nail trees or hang things from them; tree straps are allowed.
• Trash. Bag and tie all garbage and put it in the waste containers.
• Pets and alcohol. Both are prohibited in the campground and the whole area.
• Groups. Group activities need a Special Use Permit at least two weeks ahead; special events need sixty days.

Put fires out with the drown, stir, drown, feel method before you sleep or leave.

Camping with young riders

Riders under 16 need direct supervision by an adult aged 18 or older everywhere at Croom, the campground included. The inexperienced riding areas are for children 12 and under, with adult supervision. Riders under 16 must also wear eye protection and over-ankle boots.

Florida law adds a training rule on public land, summarized on the Forest Service's OHV safety page. Riders under 16 must carry a certificate from an approved OHV safety course; non-residents under 16 visiting for 30 days or less are exempt. Breaking these rules is a noncriminal infraction with a fine of at least $100.

Terrain, weather and safety

The Forest Service describes Croom as natural terrain: hardwood hammocks, tight scrub and many pits left from old mining. It warns that hazards are not always visible and conditions change constantly. Ride within your ability and keep to the area's boundary fencing.

Florida weather shapes the trip. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. When thunderstorms are near, no place outside is safe; a tent or rain shelter is not shelter, while substantial buildings and hard-topped vehicles are. Note where the bath houses are when you arrive. For wet nights, see motorcycle camping in the rain.

Off the bike, Croom is home to white piebald "ghost deer," wild turkey, gopher tortoise and bald eagles.

A Croom trip report to fill in

We have no Croom stay on record yet. This is the frame for a real team trip:

• Dates, site number and how it was booked
• What the gatehouse said about permits for each bike, including any street bike
• Arrival time and the check-in process
• Trails ridden and conditions on the day
• What we would pack or do differently

Boots for the ride to camp

If you ride to Croom on the street and change bikes there, your road boots still do the miles there and back. You can browse Leather Collection motorcycle boots for the road part of the trip.

FAQ

Where is the Croom Motorcycle Area?

It is in the Croom Tract of Withlacoochee State Forest in Hernando County, Florida, at 6420 La Rose Rd., Brooksville. Enter at Exit 301 off I-75 and State Road 50.

Can you go camping on a motorcycle at Croom?

Yes. The Buttgenbach Mine Campground is inside the area, and trails can be reached from camp. Book ahead, check in by 5 p.m. on day one and buy an Annual OHV Permit for each unit. Dirt bikes and dual sports may ride the trails; other street-legal bikes stay on the roads.