Best Tent Camping near Apalachicola, FL

Lovely area, bring snorkels, kayaks, and bikes. Lots of wildlife. Really neat shorelines with sand and very tall trees, driftwood, dunes. Make sure to explore both sides of the peninsula. About 1.5 hours from Apalachicola National Forest, lots more to do in the area. Watch the sunset! Camp sites have nice privacy, some areas are wooded for shade. Some of my group stayed in the cabins and they were also nice (though sparcely stocked, call to know exactly what to expect). Very clean, great services as described.

I love this place. It’s located in a unmolested part of Florida. Clean bathrooms and friendly staff. We tent camped and had 3 tents on one spot without feeling cramped.

Very family friendly.

This is a pretty nice campground. It is flat and sandy, with lots of palms and shrubbery dividing most spaces. We tent camped, but there were hammock posts at our site, as well as the usual fire ring and picnic table, and a water spigot. Our site was very roomy. There are tons of sand squirrels here--as soon as we got in, we took to the bath house (nice); when we came back our neighbors had weighted down our food totes as those (really cute, white) squirrels (read: jerks) had already tried to get into our food. I appreciated that the tent camping sites were clumped together so there wasn't an RV right on top of us.

The campground is right next to the river, which is part of the Ochlockonee River Paddling Trail (the lower part, map 5 I think). There is a very flat walking/biking trail with historical facts posted periodically, which goes around the small park, a swimming area in the river, a playground. Nearby there is another walking trail, for birding. There are no real strenuous activities here, I would say. There is a lot of neat flora and fauna (white deer!). There is also less neat fauna--horse flies. They bite and it hurts like heck. Cover up, with clothing or spray. No sitings of those big reptiles with teeth and dino tails.

Sopchoppy is the nearest town. There isn't a lot to do here, it's pretty remote. There is at least one fish shack. Head into Apalachicola for oysters, craft beer, beaches, etc.

At over 200,000 acres, Tate's Hell is the second largest State Forest in Florida, second only to Blackwater River State Forest in Santa Rose County. That's Hell is located off of U>S> Highway 98 in  Franklin County, between the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee rivers. Check out The Ledgend of Tate's Hell on the State Forest webpage, https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Our-Forests/State-Forests/Tate-s-Hell-State-Forest.

For roughing it in the woods, nothing I have found beats Tate's Hell. With 36 primitive campgrounds (tent space, fire ring, and picnic table) with multiple campsites and 4 campgrounds with facilities (restrooms and some RV sites) there is plenty of room to camp and explore Tate's Hell.

The Womack Creek campground, where I spent one night, has both RV and tent campsites and a boat ramp with access to Womack Creek. 

Recreation opportunities include the High Bluff Coastal Hiking Trail which is part of the Forest Service's Trailwalker Program.

St Joseph Peninsula State Park on Cape San Blas is a great spot. We tent camped for 4 days and loved it! Bathhouse is air conditioned, sites are large and most have ample shade. Easy walk to the beach and the bay is also close for paddling and fishing! Wonderful very secluded beach and shells galore!

10 campsites all fairly spacious (too big for just me as I am solo tent camping). CG overlooks a small lake. Nice open day use waterfront area. Swimming area as well. The lake has a hiking trail encircling it. Showers had hot water, I was surprised. 2 mi dirt road to get to it. I recommend.

This camp ground was fantastic for our church group. They had electricity and water by the tent sites and also a shower facility that was very well kept. The water is a very short walk and the beach is beautiful. At night the stars are like nothing you have ever seen. A blanket above you for sure. The only downfall is that we could not have our hammocks hanging up. This was a few years ago and may have changed.

We had been coming to St George Island for years, but this was the first time we had stayed at the state park campground. We already have reservations for next year! It's a beautiful island with white beaches and little commercialism. The state park is a strip of land between the Bay of Apalachicola and the gulf. So many places to explore on foot, by bike, or by kayak. It's a perfect location for bird or dolphin watching, fishing, sunbathing, or beach walking. The campsites are spacious, secluded, and relatively hard to come by. This is one of the state parks in Florida that books up very quickly. The Island is fun to explore. There are a few restaurants and some stores- you can get groceries at one of two small grocery stores near the entrance to the Island. There are two breweries in the area- one in Eastpoint and another in Apalachicola. Apalachicola also has several restaurants and many small stores.

RiverLanding is the cleanest, friendliest, and most beautiful park. Nestled along the banks of the Apalachicola River, it is just a beautiful site to see. Staff and owners are very kind and helpful. I recommend this park 10/10! Hands down one of the best I have ever been to! Don't miss out and stop by if your ever in the Panhandle area of Florida. You will not be disappointed!

Let me say first that St. George Island State Park is perhaps the main reason we purchased our small travel trailer in the first place and found groups like The Dyrt for insight for other places to explore. We visited St. George Island in May on Florida’s“Forgotten Coast” but the State Park on the island really stole the show. 

The first thing you’ll notice about both the island and in particular the State Park is how remote it is. The beaches are seemingly empty even during busy seasons. It has one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire state of Florida and as Floridian’s we are pretty particular. The beach is lined with beautiful sand dunes from one end to the other. The island is narrow with a single road maybe 5 miles long. The road was closed after the camp ground as they are still repairing the park from the last hurricane that hammered The Panhandle area of Florida. Not sure what's taking so long as State Park HQ is in Tallahassee only an hour or so away. 

The park has one camp ground and sites are very hard to come by. One visit and you’ll see why. Facilities are very well maintained with a friendly staff which is true for most Florida State Parks. There was a good mix of people camping in tents, small trailers and big rigs which is nice as many places in Florida are dominated by people who camp with everything they own and have rigs bigger than our house. 

You bring your own fun here so just chill on the beach. If you have kayaks or paddle boards bring em. If you have bikes, those would be good too. Fishing(check). You could probably catch dinner as there is little pressure on these waters. There is some hiking but just walking on the beach is great. Nice flat beach at low tide with hard packed sand from the outgoing tide will make it a great walk. 

Be sure to visit Apalachicola across the bay. A really good place to eat is the Owl Cafe and if you can get there for a Sunday Brunch, all the better. Very local, very southern, very authentic. 

We will be back for sure whenever we can secure a camping spot that fits our schedule. Hope it won't be too long!

I made the trip over from Panama City at the relative last minute for a quick night in the Apalachicola National Forest. Seeing that Wright Lake opened up recently, and with the majority of sites listed as First Come First Served, I figured I would make the drive and check it out. I was pleasantly surprised to find that only six sites were occupied and found myself Site 14 along the perimeter of the campground. Distance between the sites was pretty decent with at least some demarcation between each with vegetation. In the inner camp sites surrounding the bath house there however isn't anything that really breaks up one campsite to another. That being said, with most of the campground being empty, everyone had plenty of space. Things look a little refreshed with the grills and fire rings almost looking new, however some sites were missing grill plates for the fire ring. The lake itself isn't very big and there's an easy .25 mi trail that circles around it.

I truly believe that it is the soul of the RV Park that makes it wonderful. The owners and managers of this park are absolutely incredible. The most accommodating kindest, most friendly people I have ever run across in all of the travels I’ve done which is many and my RV! This place has not been on the map before it is new and it has only had about a month in operating at this location. I kind of accidentally ended up here when being evacuated from hurricane Milton in Clearwater and somebody else from another campground that turned out to be a bust suggested we go here because it was an unknown location. Well Joanie, the owner was packed, but she fit us in anyway she made a parking space she created a connection. She figured out how to get water to us and welcomed us with food and music. The park inside has tables and chairs and little beautiful hanging lights a big fire pit and a really nice bathhouse with laundry room… We were instantly welcomed and various churches brought over food to all the campers here who had been evacuated from their homes… the place is beautiful and clean and sits on the prettiest river the Apalachicola river. It’s pet friendly and lots of dogs and kids with a big bounce house for the kids to play on guys came over from churches with guitars and played music just a wonderful place to beif you’re on your way back down to Florida evacuating run don’t walk to this campground because there’s lots of space here that is unfilled at the moment just because she isn’t well known.

This place is great! A beach within a short walk, palm trees,clean bathrooms, wildlife, sunsets………… And the Florida State Parks system is contactable and friendly!!! There are hike in spots for those with tents who want to. There are very nice screened in cabins available.

Highly recommended, the campsites are fairly small but lots of privacy in an oak and pine hammock across from the beach. Not many tent campers when I went there, I think I was the only person with a rooftop tent. Almost everybody else was in RVs.

Electric and water at each site, nice facilities including showers. Make sure you get there before sundown so you can register and get your code for the gate. Luckily a nice camper let me in since I arrived after 7:30 p.m.

Absolutely gorgeous beach, very nice campsite.

I live near Ochlockonee River SP and I really enjoy it for day use and camping. Camp sites are indeed close and some sites might be hard for trailers, campers, or RVs but I have no problems with my SUV and tent. Is it miserable in April - September? I wouldn’t know because I stay far away from forests in the Florida summer! You will certainly experience mosquitoes and deer flies if you do go in the warmer months, which isn’t the park’s fault but be warned. I love the Ochlockonee River - it’s very serene. There is a boat ramp and fishing spots as well as a campfire circle, benches along trails, and places to walk along the river. The flatwoods trail is often very wet and you may need at least knee-high boots to get through it. I usually bring tall water boots everywhere but I can see how it’d be disappointing if you didn’t have any on you and couldn’t hike far! There are indeed white squirrels and deer, and lots of deer in general! Bathrooms were pretty clean and everything was functional. They also have a little library with books to read! They have a dumpster and dump station for holding tanks. I had good phone and LTE service as a Verizon user. Sopchoppy is indeed basically non-existent. It has gas but come prepared with other essentials. No major complaints about the park other than it’s a little small! Love it though!

If you forget to reserve, there’s a sign reminding you to call. 2 sites on the cash creek boat launch, both clean and scenic. The boat ramp gets some use (4 kayaks total for the day) but otherwise it’s very quiet. Bathroom available because of the boat ramp. It says tent only but the sites are big enough to back in a 20 foot trailer.

We stayed here several years ago. This is a pretty campground, but in the heart of summer, the mosquitoes and bugs were plentiful. It rained so much that our tent was virtually floating and we had to seek shelter in the bath house. We ended up getting a hotel that night. The island itself is beautiful. Great beaches that are not overcrowded and there is even a lighthouse.

As the title states. At midnight on our second night at 50 Rake Creek, two separate vehicles raced right past our tent and parked down by the water access. When told that it was a reserved private campsite that I paid for, they became aggressive and argued that it was not private. Both vehicles did three point turns, narrowly missing our tent and shining headlights in our faces and spun tires out of the campsite. We felt unsafe and like they might return to retaliate so we had no choice but to break camp at midnight and make a 5 hour drive through the night back home. 

During the day, multiple vehicles miss the small sign that says "primitive campsite" at the dirt road entrance and drive down the road looking to fish or explore. Most of them quickly turn around when they realize its a campsite. 

I have emailed the state forest asking for better signage indicating that it is a paid for, reserved campsite or a gate with a code. If it weren't for the music blaring, tire spinning, aggressive individuals who argued that it was not private when I asked them to leave, I would not be making such a fuss about it. It seems that we campers with a reservation busted up their usual backroad drinking spot. 

Lovely campsite that we had decided was the best place we had ever camped with a short 15 min drive to St. George Island until we were essentially run off in the middle of the night.

Enjoy the beach, snorkel in the bay, rent a kayak at the marina, go hiking, go fishing. One of the BEST Florida parks!