Really nice clean campground clean showers and bathrooms snorkeling diving glass bottom boats kayak rentals on site went on the snorkeling trip really inexpensive $45 went to Christ of the abyss beautiful reef lots of colorful fish all around great time
I had a really amazing experience that has gotten me hooked on camp life. Between the beautiful nature trails, various on-site activities and clean friendly environment I can say with certainty that I am now a camper for life!
There is something truly magical about waking up surrounded by swaying palms and that unmistakable saltwater breeze, and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo feels like stepping straight into a tropical adventure designed for families. This is a well-known and beautifully maintained state park with a moderate number (like 40 total) of campsites tucked among the trees, offering a mix of privacy and EZ access to the park’s main attractions, with clean restrooms, showers and plenty of kid-friendly activities that keep little ones engaged from sunrise to sunset. One of our favorite moments was taking the boys out on the glass bottom boat, watching their faces light up as colorful, exotic fish drifted through the coral reef below us, a memory that felt equal parts educational and awe-inspiring. While the sites are close together, offering next to zero privacy, the restroom / shower facilities were good (not great) and overall, the vibe of being here was quite positive. I would absolutely recommend this campground for families thanks to its unique ocean experiences, well-kept facilities, and unforgettable activities that make it so much more than just a place to sleep.
Clean, quiet and full hookups. Bath with showers and laundry. Lots of blacktop to bike. Right on a Marina and beaches.
We were lucky enough to swoop this site when someone else cancelled, and it was fantastic!
Snorkeling is a MUST. We just did a walk in and booked a same day snorkel boat tour that was epic. There’s plenty of tours that go out and prices are totally reasonable.
Campground is lovely, small and easily accessible. Short walk to the beach, which is small and sweet. Lovely swim and views.
Staff is super helpful and friendly, and overall vibe is nice. Clean bathrooms and showers, however there’s definitely a buggy atmosphere once the sun starts to set. If you’re fully self-contained, shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Overall this spot is a 4.5 stars (only cuz of the bugs) and is a great spot to check out in the Keys.
We brought our canoe and put in on the boat dock. It was sweet paddling all around the mangrove islands. The campground is full of greenery, which lends slightly more privacy. A nice place to land for the night.
We stayed one night in June with a tent - and that felt just right. This is a large, RV-oriented campground where sites come with water and power, even if you're pitching canvas rather than parking chrome.
Privacy is minimal - the spaces are close, separated by the occasional brave shrub or decorative palm. Restrooms and showers work, but very much in the mist of centuries past. Be prepared to walk, and leave expectations of modern sparkle at the gate.
The mosquitoes were determined, but so were we (some sprays do help). The ranger at check-in was warm, helpful, and probably the best-maintained part of the place.
Our Starlink connection was excellent — wide open sky and solid signal made remote work completely doable.
Not a hidden gem, but for a one-night stop, it did the job.
Had a nice experience at John Pennekamp. There is so much to do we biked to nearly everything including nearby restaurants, we hung at the beach, kayaked and did trail walks with the dog. Water was a bit cold for us to snorkel but lots of folks did. Nice quiet campground, no issues whatsoever. Site 20 was great, full hookups, only issue was the no see ums - make sure you bring a thermacell bc they are no joke! Only complaint was the set up for women’s showers - there were 2 side by side and you have to come out of the shower into a common area with the other to get to your dry clothes. Luckily no one else was showering when I was there. If you have a shower in your camper this wont be an issue for you.
Finally able to book as a FL resident 11 months in advance and secured a site. Limited property equals limited space between sites. But, once you get out and enjoy all there is to do we really didn’t mind the tight spaces too much. Easy to navigate in and out, fairly level site, and all utilities worked fine. Verizon signal good enough to stream. No digital TV reception, which was a surprise being so close to Miami.
My wife, cat and I got on the wait-list for John Pennekamp while RV camping in West Palm Beach for the winter. With a few days notice, we got a campsite and drove down to the keys. What an incredible weekend!
I highly recommend the snorkeling experience offered out of the visitors center. We had an incredible guide and captain, Adam and Ty. Also, this is a great place to have a kayak!!
Definitely dine at The Fish House, just down the street!
Full hookups, beaches, marina, hiking paths, small park and lots of relaxing in the sun. Down the road has grocery stores, small shops and great restaurants.
General: Small campground (47 sites) in a larger state park with many activities you can participate in.
Site Quality: All sites are level and gravel but are pretty close together with little to no foliage separating them.
Bathhouse: Typical of all the other Florida state parks we have stayed in. Clean with good showers.
Activities/Amenities: This is where this park shines! Swimming, boating, snorkeling. You can rent kayaks or SUPS for a reasonable amount. There are also snorkel tours. There is a food truck, marina, and aquarium. Laundry facilities but one of the two dryers was out of order. Two swimming beaches but we have been to better ones in Florida. Note that alcohol is permitted in your campsite but not in the public areas of the park. Note also that the playground was closed due to safety reasons.
We were lucky to snag a one-night reservation 11 months ago so had to decide which activities to partake in. We chose kayaking and SUP but wish we could have also done a snorkel tour!
Considered purely as a campground, this place was a big disappointment. It's basically an RV park, and a mediocre one at that. The spaces are tight and close together. You get a gravel pad with little to no shade or privacy, an old picnic table in one corner, and... that's about it. Full hookup, but not terribly useful to me as a tent camper.
I had much higher expectations for this place, given the reviews. I thought I had lucked out when I showed up without a reservation and they told me there had been a cancellation so yes, there was a site available (so, it was booked almost solid on a Monday night in August). But the fee was sky high for what I got. Haven't been this let down by a campground all summer.
The only redeeming qualities from my perspective were the nice bathrooms and the walking trails. Otherwise, the rest of the park was in sorry shape as well. Bathrooms closed, playground closed, boardwalk closed. Wouldn't recommend this campground unless you're mainly there to go snorkeling or to take a glass bottom boat tour.
Beautiful park, just make sure you brinG an itinerary of things to do. Within the park you can rent a boat, fish off land or kayak the lagoon. You can goto the quasi-beach and swim or snorkel—but both get busy. Otherwise, plan to spend money going shopping or eating out locally.
This is all about location. The sites themselves are tight and no view. But the park is pretty. We were there when the weather wasn’t good, so we missed out on boat tours and snorkeling, but still enjoyed the park and the views.
Site 17 had a 30amp plug issue ranger replaced took about an hour. Noseeums are crazy at dusk and dawn. Unless there’s a breeze can’t be outside. It’s tough to be outside. Site gets good all day sun. No tree coverage and a stagnant water are behind gives off a smell with a north wind. Weather cancelled boat tours this week. Trails are nice but buggy. Beaches aren’t much. This place is mostly for the offshore reefs, boating and kayaking. Rangers very helpful.
Site 18, great weather, full hookups. Snorkel trip in park lots of fish Good tmobile service Must eat at fish house
I’m is a great park and near impossible to get into but because of space limitations the sights are on top of each other. Often my chair would be within 2 feet of my neighbors sewer line which is kind of gross. Bugs were horrible worst I have ever been tore up. Spray and candles did almost nothing. And no campfires allowed which is always a bummer. I would go back for the beauty of the area but as a campground this state park is lacking.
We were next to a host site. They kept the very bright lights on there RV shining all night long. It was very disturbing. The park and trails are ok the playground was shut down. The mangrove trail was shut down. But there is still alot to do at Pennekamp st.park
Small, quaint and quite. Full hook up state park w beach and marina.
Awesome place to go for water enthusiasts. There’s boating, canoeing,kayaking,snorkeling,fishing, and there’s a good beach for the little kids to enjoy the water. The campground is very well shaded with showers and bathrooms within walking distance from any campsite. There is full hookups with 30&50amps available. Be aware there are mosquitoes in the summer months ,so bring bug spray. There are great restaurants in the area all serving up fresh fish and seafood caught right off the coast daily. Bring lots of sunscreen and enjoy the water and sun in the Florida Keys. The park is located in key largo on the ocean side of A1A also known as US1.
We stayed 3 nights and it was really nice. Our site #27 was perfect for our little Rv. The camp was clean and it had plenty to keep us busy. 2 beaches that are great for kiddos not very clear, but typical key beaches. We went to Bahia honda, key west, veteran memorial park ( great little clear and beautiful beach) dog friendly
We stay a night here and there to break up the drive before heading south. The campground has tight spots hardly any privacy but has full hook up. Some sites back up to an area when the tide comes in it has a marsh behind the campers which can attract mosquitos and has a marsh smell so we camp on the other side of the street.
You can drive to the beach in the park and snorkel out to a canon (a replica) there’s a big anchor and reef fish. Take the snorkel trip out to the reefs they are nice and one has a statue Christ of the deep.
Plenty to do around the park , kayak, swim, glass bottom boat tour and more.
Not the campgrounds fault - we took what we could get last minute. Only reason it was less than ideal is we heard the RVs humming all night, smelled of sewage, and the trash pandas were digging in the neighbor RV's trash all night.
Fun wildlife and good spot to stay if you are making your way down the keys.
Stars are amazing. Too bad I didn’t get much time at the park. I was running in the Islamorada 10k.
The campground is great! The bath houses are clean and close by. Paved roads are great for bicycle rides. We had iguana visitors each morning. We enjoyed the birds and wildlife.
The beach is less than desired. It’s VERY rocky (bring water shoes) and the beach is covered in a seaweed muck. You have to walk through it to get to the water. If you’re interested in sunbathing, the beach is perfect!
We hope we can find availability again so we can re-visit!
This little park is off of Route 1 ( Overseas Highway ) on the North bound side. The park is decently maintained. There is a boat launch and docks. You can rent boats and scuba equipment. You can also take one of the parks many boat tours.
Great campsite. We were camping in the tent, but still felt a little crowded since Irma took a lot of trees. Don’t let It dIscourage you! reasonable prices, neat and clean facilities, and a couple of nice snorkling spots worth it.
First, I’m reviewing our second trip to John Pennekamp mainly because it was after Hurricane Irma. They lost a lot in the storm, so many trees, the iguanas are gone and the restaurant is still closed do to high water ruining there kitchen. Most of the park amenities are available.
the sites are very close together and it was a bit difficult to get a 40’ fifth wheel in. Fortunately the site across from us was empty so we could utilize that space. To pull forward to get in straight. We found the sites lacking vegetation in between. But, again this was after Irma and they have replanted but it will take years.
Would we go back? Absolutely!
Would not recommend this campground if you are tent camping. It was packed with RVs and the spaces are very close together. Dogs are allowed but there were so many when we went it was difficult to walk our dogs. Great place to snorkel, small beaches, fishing, boat rentals.
