Fort De Soto Campground

This was the first time we had camped at Fort De Soto and I was so excited because we planned it for my 61st birthday. However, the bugs were so bad. We set up camp with our tent and all our gear, the bugs became so bad we took it all down and went home.I love the fact that my two dogs could come, but the bugs are a no go. It was absolutely miserable. Other than that it’s a beautiful area so maybe we will try again in the winter. I live north of here in Pasco County and frequently bring my dogs down to the dog beach, which is absolutely beautiful. A shame the campground is so infested.

I stay for 5day during the last week of July 2024. It was beautiful, I stayed at site 34 in had water view and access. So I was able to wake up early and walk 10step and I was on my SUP. Plenty of wild life & I was able to do some fishing and got a few spotted sea trout. Staff at the front desk, store and grounds were friendly and attentive. My site had water and electric and walking distance to a clean restroom.

Fort De Soto county park is a fantastic park for the nature adventurer. With a huge variety of activities available it’s perfect for the whole family.

Dog friendly it has a huge dog beach and separate dog run.

Bike and kayak rentals are available as well as additional fee ferries to Shell and Edmont islands.

The campground area is huge with a separate area for those campers with dogs and kid friendly.

The restrooms are clean with hot water and have washer/dryer available for $1.75 per load.

Most campsites have electric and good water hookups. A pump out station is available near the entrance. 

The camp store and park gift shop are fully stocked with any thing you could need.

One negative is the loop I stayed on the loop road itself is full of potholes and really need to be dragged.

I love coming here when I am in St. Pete! They have a dog beach too! It’s wonderful to have a natural beach without all the noise and crowds. Make sure to bring shoes because there are a lot of sticker burrs!

Great place to camp! Keep your boat in the water right behind you site! Kayaks and bicycles for sent at the campground store. Very clean restrooms and showers. Top notch campground in every aspect!

I spent 1day/night here. Made a late lunch with an ocean view. The sites were clean, each one like it’s own little oasis. Restrooms were nearby with a shower I could’ve used. I took the seg out to the old fort and an open pier. The mosquitoes are gnarly, be prepared for those. Mothasuckers are black AND yellow and are slap resistant. I hit one, picked it off my shoulder thinking it was dead, and it was like it regained consciousness and flew off out of my hands. My Segway can only go 10mph and they were keeping up and latching onto me as I fled to my van like I was running from zombies. Now it makes sense why I was the only one not wearing a shirt. Fort De Soto mosquitos are different from Georgia mosquitoes. Staff was friendly, and I had a raccoon visitor.

Very beautiful and short drive to a great Florida beach. Bugs suck though.

Check in is at 1 pm. They had a sign on there door that said be back at 1:15.They finally opened door at 1:33. I asked if we got to check out a half hour late because he was late getting back from lunch , he said no! Check out is at 11am. Just not fair. That’s why I gave them a three. Park is great though. I am tent camping.

Overall, this place is for those who love fishing & kayaking. 5 stars for that. Some of the spots are realllly tight to get into especially for larger rigs. The road is one way, narrow & lots of low limbs. Tough for solo travelers to keep eyes on all of the hazards. BUT, once you’re in, it’s nice. No sewer but there is a dump station. Pets ok in area 2. No wildlife problems during my visit. Noseeums come out at night. The bathrooms weren’t sparking but were clean & the showers have good hot water & decent pressure. Staff was very friendly. Great beach & pier access. Close to kayak and bike rentals. 

Great camping, great trails and kayaking

I absolutely love this campground. Hard to book but worth the trouble. Spots are super private and so beautiful.

Fort De Soto is an excellent place for beach camping. You can bring your kayaks, boats and paddle boards for an enhanced experience. We stayed two nights in the summer, tent camping (it was hot!). The bathrooms are a bit dated BUT kept very clean! The market at the entrance is very convenient. The only reason I did not give this location a 5 star rating was because of the massive amount of raccoons! They are NOT shy and are not bothered by humans one bit. It was almost impossible to fall asleep due the all the noises they were making throughout the night by digging into the campsite dumpsters or fighting each other. If you can get past that, you’ll have a great time.

Great Campground with a ling hustory

The campsite was clean. Plenty of bike paths everywhere and easy to get around on a bicycle, even if you want to go to St. Petersburg.

We really enjoyed our stay at this campground. Pros: Campsite was quite, fairly private, and had a decent water view. Bathhouse was nearby and clean. Plenty of activities to do like biking, fishing, kayaking/paddle boarding, and relaxing at the beach. Cell phone service was good. Cons: lots of bugs. Our campsite was a bit tight when backing in…we have a 30 ft TT and had some trouble fitting it around some trees. As mentioned in other reviews, water view is mostly obstructed by mangroves, and not allowed to swim in it. Beach was a bit far from campground. We attempted to rent a paddle board to use on the beach but it was not allowed. Some of the staff at the beach side shops were rude…we experienced this on a few occasions.

Overall, really enjoyed our visit.

The wife and I are using this as our first test run for full time RVing. Packed up a small class c rental and got a waterfront site. It’s hot. Very hot. But it’s Florida in the summer. Camping is great here. Raccoons are very smart and arent scared of people. Keep your stuff locked up. The att service is terrible but T-Mobile is very good. Wi-Fi available but only at the office and camp store. Might be better if you have a Wi-Fi booster? We don’t have that. The park is quiet and clean. Plenty of non gross garbage cans. Electricity and water no problems. The park is beautiful. Side note: watched a guy empty his black tank into the sewage area without a hose so that’s pretty gross

Tent sites are small. Ground is very hard to put tent stakes in. Bath house is clean. They have washer and dryer. People are loud all night. Unless you have a watercraft of some kind or are going to the beach there's nothing to do at the campground. We left a day early due to the heat. It was nice to have trash cans at the site.

I’m a HUGE fan of state parks for camping . They are always my first choice. I saw the high ratings for this campground on various sites and thought we had a winner.

We reserved two nights through their website (which was a pain on our phones). Site 96 is in the pet area and is not waterfront. Even if it was waterfront, those sites are not for swimming.

We did not tow a vehicle behind our class c and have had zero issues this far on our trek across the US. However, the beach is not at all within walking distance. Sites are crowded and really tight. You have to pay $0.75 every time you go into the park. Campsite office was closed at 2 pm and we could not check in until noon.

So disappointed with this campground. If you bring a tow vehicle, I do not think you will have an issue…just tight spots and no fire rings (you can rent them by the night).

Best sunset ever!!!

We stayed here for a week and loved it. Almost every morning dolphins would swim in to the cove feeding. Also keep your food stored and trash put away because the raccoons are very crafty. Park had good power and water pressure. They also have a nice large dump site. Park staff were outstanding. Bathrooms were very clean. Area B is if you have pets with you and can be fairly tight for large RV'S, we were able to get our 43' 5th wheel in OK but took a bit. I think the best water front sites were 105, 107 & 109 since they had views right out the back of your site, we could watch the dolphins swim from inside the trailer. Fishing is also really good in the cove. This is probably are favorite park we have stayed at.

Stayed in site 112 and had a great time. The campground was spectacular we even saw dolphins right next to the campground check in and camp store. We will be back. Our rig is 37 feet overall length. 

Like the area but just a little far from the beach. Like the little privacy you get from the vegetation separating the camp sites

This is a great place to stay if you’re not local. It felt like I was sleeping in my own backyard for the most part.

I made reservations for a waterfront site just to end up far back from the water and the view being mostly blocked by trees and bushes.

The site was slightly flooded from rain days prior but thankfully not many people were there and I was able to call and move sites to a better one.

The best part was the historical fort a few miles down the road and seeing many dolphins up close on the pier.

Nice private lots with electricity and water. Dump station available. Picnic table at each site. Will stay again

This is a great place to camp, beach, kayak, fish, bike, hike trails, sight-seeing historic fort, etc.

Campsites are nice, especially waterfront. However beware that some campsites that are designated as "waterfront" don't really have a water view from the site due to trees.

One of the downsides of camping here is everytime you leave the campground to go to Walmart or grocery store you have to go through two (!) tolls to get back.

The campground does have raccoons so be sure to secure food in cooler with lock or vehicle when unattended. They're smart and experienced so if you leave food in the tent they know how to open zippers to get inside.

If visiting outside of cold months be sure to bring mosquito/insect repellent. Also bring a fire pit/bin otherwise you will have to burn wood in the BBQ grill (not as nice) or rent a bin.

Bathrooms were clean during my visit and in close proximity to campsites.

All in all, this is an above average campground and park. I recommend it.

Campground is clean and people are nice you have to pay a toll fee every time you come into the park there are two toll booths. The red tide is picking up there is a very bad film on the bank and the smell of dead fish is pretty strong this campground is pretty quiet though make sure you check your site out before you sign papers I’m at site 216 supposed to be waterfront but there is a thick wall of brush with a small window of a path cut out to see the water seems like a money scandal to call it a waterfront spot but oh well you live and you learn!

This place is beautiful and mildly wild. Geckos, cranes, various sea birds and manatees Grace this location. The sugar sand beaches are 1 or 3 miles down the road depending on your choice of beach. The waterside beaches are the best. The bath houses are simple and clean. The washer and dryer work but bring your quarters. Our visit was in September and the weather was unusually mild and friendly for the latter hurricane season. The camp store is decent which is good because most shopping supplies are several miles away. I will be returning to this campground and bringing my cellular booster as the signal strength for VZ is ok…AT&T is very weak.

Relaxing site.

Every morning I drank coffee and watched dolphins play 10-15 feet away from me. Waterfront campsites are amazing. Tons of fish and Manatees. All the amenities you need plus spectacular scenario. Make a trip to Sandollar island, hike the fort or just find your own stretch of private beach. 4 days of lifetime memories...can't wait to go back

Really nice campground, beautiful area with many hikes and easy walks, the beach, historic sites, really nice camp store and well maintained sites! But so many raccoons!! Oh my gosh like they are not afraid of people and will come and take the s’mores right off your plate! Late while our family was asleep, the raccoons broke into their tent and took all our marshmallows & hot dog buns! So warning ⚠︎︎ the raccoons run that place!!
It’s still a really nice campground!