13.1 percent of Florida. The Park Service holds the largest share at 2,491,692 acres, the Forest Service 1,217,769, Defense 521,943, Fish and Wildlife 306,892 and the BLM 2,345
Established October 11, 1974 as the first national preserve in the country. It burns roughly 60,000 acres a year under its own fire programme
A year for a Big Cypress off-road vehicle permit 7
$100
Valid through January 31 of the following year whatever month you buy it. One permit covers one vehicle, and the five classifications are UTV, ATV, swamp buggy, street legal and airboat
Walton County. Our own 3DEP query at the USGS point reads 339 feet. The low point is sea level on the Atlantic
Building a van for the Florida year
A van is a strong tool here because so much of the good ground is reached on pavement. The Main Park Road runs 38 miles to Flamingo, the Big Bend Scenic Byway covers over 200 miles, the Black Bear byway more than 60, and the campgrounds a van can use are mostly developed: Flamingo with 234 drive-up sites, Long Pine Key with 108, the three Corps campgrounds on the Okeechobee Waterway and the forest sites.
Specify for heat and damp rather than cold. Rainy season means daily afternoon storms, humidity over 90 percent and a heat index over 100, which puts the load on ventilation, insulation against solar gain, and a fridge and battery bank that can carry a compressor all night. Ask a builder how the body is sealed and how condensation leaves the vehicle, because a van parked in a Florida summer is a dehumidifier that never switches off.
A conversion is a small house on a moving, flexing, weight-limited platform. The builder insulates and lines the shell, installs the electrical system, plumbing, heat and ventilation, builds the bed, galley and storage, and cuts the holes for windows, fans and vents that you do not want to get wrong.
Some shops build complete vans to a set floor plan. Others build to order, and a few will take on partial work such as electrical only.
A typical conversion includes
01Insulation, wall and ceiling panels, and flooring
02House battery, alternator charging, solar, inverter and shore power
03Roof fan, heater, and sometimes air conditioning
04Fresh and gray water, a sink, and sometimes a shower and water heater
05Bed, galley, seating and storage
06Windows, racks, ladders, awnings and exterior lighting
How to choose a van builder
Floor plans are easy to fall for. The questions underneath them matter more.
01Decide between a shop's standard layout and a custom build. Standard layouts are faster, and the shop has already solved their problems.
02Ask what the finished van weighs with water and gear. Sprinters are sold in several gross weight ratings, and a heavy build on the lightest chassis leaves little margin.
03Ask how the electrical system is protected and documented, and whether the components can be serviced on the road.
04Ask how cabinetry is fastened to the van. Furniture that is only screwed to thin wall panels works loose on rough roads.
05Ask how added seats and seat belts are engineered and anchored if anyone rides behind the front row.
06Get the scope, price, payment schedule and delivery date in writing.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
The van you order decides what can be built in it, so it helps to talk to a builder before you buy.
01Model year, 144 or 170 wheelbase, roof height, and two-wheel, all-wheel or four-wheel drive
02How many people sleep in it and how many ride in it
03The seasons and climates you travel in
04Whether you need to work from it
05What goes inside with you: bikes, boards, dogs
06A budget range and the date you want to be traveling
Questions people ask
Do I need to own the van before I contact a builder?
No. Many builders would rather talk first, because the wheelbase, roof height and drivetrain you order decide what can be built. Some shops can also source a van.
How long does a Sprinter conversion take?
A full custom build is usually measured in months, plus whatever wait the shop has before it can start. Standard layouts are quicker. Ask for both numbers.
Should I get the 144 or the 170 wheelbase?
The 144 is easier to park, turn and drive on tight roads. The 170 gives you room for a fixed bed and a real galley without compromise. Think about where you will actually drive it, then about how you want to live in it.
Can these builders work on a Ford Transit or Ram ProMaster?
Many do. If you are on another platform, say so in the form and we will look for shops with that experience.
How high is Florida?
From Everglades City at 1 feet to Britton Hill at 345.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
0
Feet above sea level
Towns
BrooksvilleWithlacoochee State Forest headquarters and the Croom Motorcycle Area, the central Florida state forest riding ground. At 207 feet, high by peninsular standards.207 ft
Lake CityWhere I-10 meets I-75 beside the Osceola National Forest, the one Florida forest whose roads open to OHVs carry no permit and no fee.196 ft
BristolApalachicola Ranger District office on SR 20 in Liberty County, where unmaintained system roads marked with a Jeep symbol are open to 4x4 use during hunting season.167 ft
UmatillaSouth gateway to the Ocala National Forest on SR 19 and the address of the Seminole Ranger District office. The highest of the peninsular towns in this guide at 97 feet.97 ft
OcalaWest end of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway on SR 40 and the way in to the Ocala National Forest from I-75. The Lake George Ranger District office sits east of town at Silver Springs.70 ft
Salt SpringsOn SR 19 inside the Ocala National Forest. The Salt Springs OHV Connector Trail runs in from the southeast corner of the Longleaf Trail.34 ft
ImmokaleeThe nearest town of any size to the Bear Island Unit, which is the one part of Big Cypress a street-legal 4x4 may drive. North on SR 29 from the Tamiami Trail.34 ft
CrawfordvilleWakulla Ranger District office for the Apalachicola National Forest. The Leon County OHV trails and the Silver Lake trailhead are the reason to be here.29 ft
CarrabelleTate’s Hell State Forest headquarters, at the coastal end of the Big Bend Scenic Byway. Over 150 miles of OHV trail start from the forest roads north of town.23 ft
PalatkaNorth of the Ocala National Forest near the Rodman Reservoir, where the Rodman trailhead gives northern access to the Ocala North OHV system.20 ft
Daytona BeachVolusia County beach driving, at 10 mph and by pass, and the east end of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway corridor at Ormond Beach.14 ft
HomesteadMain entrance to Everglades National Park on SR 9336, with Flamingo 38 miles further south, and the mainland address for Biscayne National Park.8 ft
AstorOn the St. Johns River where SR 40 leaves the Ocala National Forest. A river crossing rather than a services town, at 4 feet above sea level.4 ft
NaplesLast city services on the west side before US 41 crosses the swamp. Tyres, fuel and a dealer network within reach of the preserve.4 ft
OchopeeOn the Tamiami Trail at the heart of Big Cypress. The preserve’s headquarters address, and the Loop Road and the Turner River loop both leave the highway within a few miles.4 ft
Everglades CityThe Gulf Coast entrance to Everglades National Park, on the water at the end of SR 29. The lowest town in this guide by the USGS measurement.1 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Britton HillThe highest point in Florida, in Walton County in the western panhandle. Our own 3DEP query at the USGS point reads 339 feet345 ft
Sugarloaf MountainLake County, on the Lake Wales Ridge north of Clermont. Measured for this chart from the 3DEP surface; no agency publishes a figure for it309 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
Free build quotes
Looking for Sprinter van builders in Florida? Tell us about the project and get free quotes.
