Best Camping in Florida

Best Camping Sites in Florida (1,536)

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  1. Fort De Soto Campground

  134 Reviews

  •531 Photos•

  1179 Saves

  Located off the St. Petersburg coast, near the mouth of Florida’s Tampa Bay, the tiny islands that make up Fort De Soto County Park have a long and storied history. More than 1,000 years ago, the islands were home to the Tocobaga peoples, who sustained themselves on local plants and seafood. In the 1500s, Spanish conquistadors began exploring Florida’s barrier islands and mainland, among them, Hernando de Soto. From the Civil War in the 1860s until the conclusion of World War II in the 1940s, the islands were used as military emplacements, first as a Union blockade, then as coastal defensive batteries. The islands finally became a state park in 1963 as an effort to preserve their long history, and provide a recreation area for locals and visitors. The park was designated America’s Top Beach in 2009, and sees more than 2.7 million annual visitors.

  Fort DeSoto County Park reservations offer 238 sites for tent and RV campers. It is located on the St. Christopher and St. Jean Keys, approximately 10 miles southwest of St. Petersburg. The campground is mostly wooded, and divided up into three areas: Area 1 for tents, vans, and small campers, and Areas 2 and 3 for larger RVs. All sites are equipped with electrical and water hookups, picnic tables and cooking grills. Comfort stations with restrooms, showers and laundry facilities are located in each area; a dump station is located near Area 2. The campground also features a small store, dayroom, two playgrounds, and Wifi service; bike and kayak rentals are available. Dogs are permitted in Area 2 and the designated dog park only. Alcoholic beverages and gas-powered generators are not permitted in the park. Reservations are recommended, and can be made up to six months in advance; seven months for locals. Campsite rates are $36–$42/night.

  There are plenty of activities to enjoy on a visit to Fort DeSoto County Park, including visiting Fort DeSoto. Located on the southernmost point of Mullet Key, the historic military emplacement is open to the public for self-guided tours. Explore officers’ quarters, the bakery, the hospital and various other facilities. Look out across the Gulf of Mexico for the lighthouse, constructed in 1858, on neighboring Egmont Key. The park also features more than 7 miles of sparkling, white sand beaches, including East Beach and North Beach, for sunning and swimming. These can be reached via a paved, multi-use path from the campground. There are also boat launches, a fishing pier and a snack bar. As part of the Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge, bird watchers can scan for some of the more than 300 species of resident and migratory birds, including waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, woodpeckers, and raptors.

  A 236-site family camping area with facilities including picnic tables, grills, water, electricity, washers, dryers, sanitary disposal stations, modern restrooms, showers, play areas, and a campground store. Special camp sites for camping with pets.

  • Pets
  • Fires
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • ADA Access
  • RVs

  $38 - $48 / night

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  2. Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

  128 Reviews

  •372 Photos•

  459 Saves

  Fort wilderness camping features 4 types of campsites accommodate everything from tents to 45-foot and longer RVs, with a maximum of 10 Guests per site. Each campsite is equipped with privacy-enhancing landscaping, water, cable television and electrical hook-ups, a picnic table and a charcoal grill. Most campsites also include a sewer hook-up, and some even permit pets.

  • Pets
  • Fires
  • Electric Hookups
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • ADA Access

  $56 - $201 / night

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  3. Anastasia State Park Campground

  111 Reviews

  •321 Photos•

  1225 Saves

  The campground has 139 sites for both RVs and tents, all located within the beautiful maritime hammock and just a short walk or bike ride from the beach. Certain sites are paved and have accessible picnic tables and grills.

  All sites have electricity and water, a picnic table, an in-ground grill and a fire ring. A communal dump station is free for park campers. Please put your trash in the compactor near the entrance to the campgrounds.

  Anastasia also offers the Bedtime Story Camper Lending Library of picture books for campers ages 4 to 9. Ask to check out a book from the ranger station.

  Pets are permitted in accordance with our Pet Policy. Maximum RV length = 38 feet. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in the park, except for campers who consume alcoholic beverages within their campsites.
  For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call or TDD 888-433-0287.

  • Pets
  • Electric Hookups
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • ADA Access
  • RVs

  $28 / night

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  4. Fort Pickens Campground — Gulf Islands National Seashore

  94 Reviews

  •374 Photos•

  782 Saves

  Overview

  Fort Pickens Campground is situated on Santa Rosa Island, a part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore south of Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, Florida. Visitors are drawn to the Gulf of Mexico for Gulf Islands National Seashore's emerald coast waters, magnificent white beaches, fertile marshes and historical landscapes. Come explore with us today!__ Each camp site offers a fire pit, picnic table, and a paved pad to park on. There are heated showers and flush toilets. We offer electric and non-electric sites. Many of our sites have restrictions from low limbs or bushes so be sure you will fit. Limited overflow parking is available. Choose a site that will accommodate all of your equipment.__ Campers may not stay in the campground more than 14 consecutive days. This policy is strictly enforced. Entrance fees are required for the Fort Pickens area and are good for seven consecutive days from purchase.__ Pets are not allowed on any beaches sound and gulf side, ferries, piers, in forts, batteries, pavilions, or inside facilities.__

  Recreation

  Many visitors young and old come to Fort Pickens to enjoy its scenic location on the beach. The white sands of Santa Rosa Island are the perfect place for a long walk or an afternoon of building sandcastles. The warm ocean waters are great for swimming and snorkeling. Fishermen will find a pier just a short distance from the picnic pavilions. It can be used by visitors without a Florida fishing license. Many hiking trails through the sand dunes provide beautiful views and hours of exploration. Historic Fort Pickens, a pentagonal fort built to defend Pensacola Bay in 1834, is just 1 mile from the campground. The structure was fortified after the War of 1812 and was one of four forts in the South never occupied by Confederates during the Civil War.

  Facilities

  Many visitors young and old come to Fort Pickens to enjoy its scenic location on the beach. The white sands of Santa Rosa Island are the perfect place for a long walk or an afternoon of building sandcastles. The warm ocean waters are great for swimming and snorkeling. Fishermen will find a pier just a short distance from the picnic pavilions. It can be used by visitors without a Florida fishing license. Many hiking trails through the sand dunes provide beautiful views and hours of exploration. Historic Fort Pickens, a pentagonal fort built to defend Pensacola Bay in 1834, is just 1 mile from the campground. The structure was fortified after the War of 1812 and was one of four forts in the South never occupied by Confederates during the Civil War.

  Natural Features

  The campground is located on a barrier island between the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay. Groves of live oak trees are scattered across the island, providing shelter for resident and migrating bird populations, as well as shade for park visitors. The Gulf Islands National Seashore is home to sparkling blue waters, white beaches and coastal marshes. However, more than 80% of the national park is underwater, as it's a vital protective habitat to marine life.

  Nearby Attractions

  The campground is a short distance from restaurants and beach nightlife, downtown Pensacola, the Pensacola Naval Air Station and Naval Aviation Museum, the Pensacola Lighthouse and other historic sites. Campsites are within 1/4 mile of the beaches of the Emerald Coast of the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay.

  Charges & Cancellations

  Cancellation and modification fees are non-refundable.

  • Pets
  • Fires
  • Electric Hookups
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • RVs

  $20 - $40 / night

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  5. Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park

  93 Reviews

  •242 Photos•

  423 Saves

  • Pets
  • Fires
  • Electric Hookups
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • ADA Access

  $12 - $30 / night

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  6. Wekiwa Springs State Park Campground

  65 Reviews

  •153 Photos•

  504 Saves

  Wekiwa Springs Camping offers slopes of gently rolling hills supporting longleaf pine among other specialty plants is the Sandhill habitat where the 60 spacious campsites are located. Each wooded site has water and electrical hook-up, a fire ring with grill and a picnic table. Some sites also have sewer hook-ups and a dump station is located at the campground.

  Accessible camp sites can be requested at the time of reservation. Two accessible restrooms with showers are located in the camping area.

  Firewood is available at the ranger station. Well behaved pets are allowed in the campground in accordance with our Pet Policy.

  • Pets
  • Electric Hookups
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • ADA Access
  • RVs

  $24 / night

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  7. Manatee Springs State Park Campground

  65 Reviews

  •227 Photos•

  383 Saves

  MAG1

  • Pets
  • Fires
  • Electric Hookups
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • ADA Access

  $20 / night

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  8. Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Campground

  60 Reviews

  •209 Photos•

  651 Saves

  Welcome to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Topsail Hill is named for its dunes, which rise like a ship's sails over soft sand beaches and the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

  Those same white quartz dunes are responsible for a rare coastal ecosystem — freshwater dune lakes — which teem with aquatic wildlife. Walkers will pass through old-growth pine forests, sandy scrubland, dunes and wetlands, where they may see some of the 13 imperiled species that find refuge here, like the Choctawhatchee beach mouse and otherworldly-looking pitcher plants.

  Topsail Hill offers three miles of pristine beaches and is a bird-watching and hiking paradise.

  • Pets
  • Electric Hookups
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • ADA Access
  • RVs

  $24 - $850 / night

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  9. Hillsborough River State Park Campground

  63 Reviews

  •275 Photos•

  335 Saves

  Just minutes from downtown Tampa, this Hillsborough River State Park Camping offers a refuge from city life with its seven miles of nature trails and ample places to cool off in the water.

  Except for occasional reenactments, the cannon and guns are now silent at Fort Foster. No longer do Seminole Indians have to fight to keep a foothold in Florida, and soldiers no longer guard a strategic river crossing. The reconstructed fort and its surroundings are now part of Hillsborough River State Park.

  Besides a living history lesson, visitors can kayak or canoe class II river rapids, rare in Florida, hike seven miles of nature trails and swim in an ADA accessible swimming pool.

  Tucked away, only a short distance from the bustling city of Tampa, camping is a popular activity at Hillsborough River State Park.

  • Pets
  • Fires
  • Electric Hookups
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • ADA Access

  $24 / night

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  10. Pine Grove Campground — Jonathan Dickinson State Park

  58 Reviews

  •223 Photos•

  446 Saves

  Two family campgrounds are located at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Pine Grove Campground, with 90 sites, is located near the ranger station on the east side of the park.

  The River Campground, with 52 sites, is 4 miles from the park entrance, near the Loxahatchee River. Both campgrounds have large, tiled restrooms with hot showers and are each set up with a washer and dryer.

  All sites include water, electricity, table and grill; sewer hookup is included on all Pine Grove campsites as well.

  A dump station is located at Pine Grove Campground, approximately 4 miles from the River Campground.

  Well-behaved pets are welcome in both campgrounds. Maximum RV length is 40 feet for Pine Grove Campground and 36 feet for the River Campground.

  A five-site campground is available for those wishing to camp with their horses. Horses must be tethered overnight to the tie-out posts provided or confined in sturdy portable pens. Portable electric fencing or hobbling is not permitted.

  Eight miles of multiuse trails starting at the Eagles View area are available for horseback riding, hiking and off-road bicycling. Trail maps are available at the ranger station and the Kimbell Center.

  Two backpack camps are available on segments of the Florida Trail. Maps of the trail are available at the ranger station.

  One camp is 5 miles out along the trail, and the other is 9 miles out. A pitcher pump is located near each camp. Water must be treated. Pets are not permitted on this trail and/or at these camps. Collection of firewood is not permitted in Florida State Parks; be sure to pack a stove for cooking.

  Overnight trips to these camps must begin by specified times of the day; reservations are not required but are suggested. Call the ranger station at 772-546-2771 for information and reservations.

  Three group campsites accommodate 30 campers each. Youth groups (18 years or younger) can reserve a campsite. Youths must be chaperoned by at least one adult, 21 years of age or older, for each 10 youths. Pets are welcome and must be kept on a 6-foot leash.

  Sites are equipped with tables, a fire circle and a composting toilet. There is no water in this area; the closest potable water is a mile away at the picnic area.

  • Pets
  • Fires
  • Electric Hookups
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • ADA Access

  $26 / night