Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Everglades National Park

Nice simple campground right in the middle of the huge wilderness of Big Cypress National Preserve and not far from Everglades National Park. Pros: right off the main road through the Everglades & Big Cypress, RV sites are all around a pond, boardwalk hikes nearby (short drive), visitor center and Native American museum nearby (short drive), ranger programs (short drive to visitor center), clean, level & grassy campsites, surrounded by trees, some of the best stargazing in all of Florida, great wildlife around camp and on the trails nearby. Cons: tent-only area is next to the RV dump station, very open and very little shade at most sites. FYI: bring all the food & supplies you need into the park, though they do have water at the campground.

We got to the front gate of Everglades National Park and drove another 38 miles until we got to Flamingo Campground! It is a long, long drive!! Between hiking, biking, canoeing, and attending educational programs given by different park rangers, we had a busy week! Everglades National Park is the first national park especially designated for it's ecosystem. It's over 1.5 million acres and is the 3rd largest National Park in the lower 48 states. It has been named an International Biosphere Reserve, World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance. There are only two other locations in the world that are on all three lists!

We camped here for 4 days with our dogs. The campground is in the Everglades National Park, so you have to pay an extra $30 for up to 7 days. Long Pine Key has spacious campsites with a picnic bench and a firepit but no electricity. The check in at the front provides firewood and ice. The showers (only cold water) are separate from the bathrooms. The were large but older. The toilets were very clean but very narrow. There is also a lake in the middle of the campground. Swimming is prohibited but it has a few walking trails around it. There were no "no dog signs", so we took them there for a nice walk. Be aware of wildlife - we saw a beautiful cottonmouth. It is about a 10min drive to the Anhinga trail. It is beautiful there. You can see alligators, turtles, birds, and fish. Unfortunately it is very hard to find spots to take your dogs. If you want to visit Biscayne National Park, it is about a 40 min drive. Don't forget bug spray and sunscreen!

The people are nice and the park clean. The sites are close together, I suppose to allow for many seasonal residents.

However, this park is located in an area where exotic fruit trees grow and many ornamental wholesale growers are. Dragon fruit, Mangos, Avocados and others.

An easy drive to visit the Everglades National Park and the Biscayne National Park.

This camp site is in such a fantastic area of the Everglades National Park. You have a great facility with bathrooms, running water and showers. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets everyday, with the ocean breezes and waves crashing on the rocks. Several wildlife to observe and photograph. The whole family enjoyed this camp site my daughters ages 7 and 11 both enjoyed themselves. We can’t wait to go back and enjoy nature!

My wife and I spent 4 days at Long Pine Key Campground in December.  The weather was great.  Plenty to see and do in the Everglades National Park (hiking, kayaking, cycling, bird watching, etc).  There are no water, electric or sewer hookups so be prepared.  Homestead, FL is only about 30 minutes away. It is 38 miles from Long Pine Key Campground to Flamingo, but there are many sights to see along the way.

Midway Campground is half way between Naples and Miami and a great central point if you're planning to explore both Everglades National Park and Big Cypress Preserve.

The campground is both RV and Tent friendly, and unlike the other nearby campgrounds, this one is open all year round -- although you're likely to have it mostly to yourself in the summer. 

The campground is set up wide open as a big loop around a lake. There isn't any privacy between sites which isn't a problem in the winter. In the summer, be prepared to get to know your neighbors.

The site is close to the Big Cypress Nature Trail as well as the Everglades Bird Trail.

There isn't anything available at the campground- so be sure to pack everything in with you-- especially you're mosquito repellant.

This park is nice for a short bike ride or hike along it’s nature trail. Don’t forget the kids helmets because it’s a law in Florida for them to wear them and the park ranger will remind you of it. The park is also on a river you can kayak or put a canoe in. They even provide rentals. The campground is well maintained and has three good size shower houses. The RV sites are pretty close together especially in the back. There is a nice playground by the river and a few historic markers to explore. The location is about 30mins to the beach depending on traffic. We visit Naples and Marcos island which were both nice but crowded. The park is also a short distance to the northern part of Everglades National Park. You can easily hitch a ride on an airboat tour there. We visited in December and the mosquitoes were definitely thirty that time of year! The ones that got in ate us alive while we slept in our camper. I still have nightmares but with out a breeze that’s just florida. Overall, great little park to explore just sleep under a mosquito net.

I would camp here if for some reason I couldn't get out to one of the chickees before sunset, and didn't want to navigate the mangroves in the dark. Or if it is cold out and I am out fishing for multiple days. The site has a dock and a shore that one could put their boats. It has 3 different small clearings that are surprisingly well cleared and level. The site can be reserved for 2 groups and up to 5 people. The porta-potty was clean. However, even in a 25 knot wind, none of it gets back into the clearings making it so the mosquitos are awful 24/7 unless it is downright cold.

This is within the Everglades National Park, so unless you have a pass, you'll have to pay for entry. This site has no freshwater and minimal to no cell service. All trash must be paddled out.

We did not have enough time to do everything we would have liked. Flamingo Adventures is about as far away as you can get from the rat race. They have eco tents, dry camping and hook ups. You can camp in the open grassy tent field by the bay, or in one of the campgrounds with hook ups for RVs. When the FHU sites fill there are still lots of dry sites available. They have clean bathrooms with showers. Some have solar heated water and some don’t. We stayed in the dry area and heard a lot of generator noise but most were considerate. The marina and store are an easy bike ride along a path that follows the waterfront. Manatee activities are in the canal and marina. There are many side trips along the very long ride from the visitors center at the entrance to Everglades National Park to Flamingo. They were working on many new and updated amenities: visitor center, conference center and lodging. Crocodiles can be seen in and around marina. Many friendly people everywhere; staff, rangers and visitors.

Burns Lake is about midway between Naples and Miami, making it a great location to explore either of both of Big Cypress or Everglades National Park. The campground is open all year long for day use (it's a big area for ATVs), but unfortunately you can't overnight there during the summer season. (The closest campground open year round is Midway a few miles away).

The camp ground is set up to accommodate off-road vehicles, and you've got to drive down a dirt road a little ways to access it.

The Camping area is structured in one loop around the lake with lots of beware of Alligator signs. Like most of the other camping areas in the Everglades, there  are no trees, so the campground is wide open and you're right next to your neighbor.

In addition the the Alligators, you'll notice in this area when driving on US 41 that you are also in a Panther crossing area. Fortunately, the only thing to eat me was mosquitos.  Be sure to pack your repellant. 

You'll also want to make sure you've packed all your supplies, there's not a whole lot in the area besides wilderness! Each site is equipped with grills and tables.

I gave this campground 5 stars because it feels so different than the rest of the Campgrounds available in Big Cypress Reserve and Everglades National Park. 

Trail Lakes is a proper campground which is staffed and gated just off of Hwy 41 (Alligator Alley) on the west side in Ochopee. It's open all year long. 

For me, visiting in the off season, it felt nice to have the structure of the campground. Most of the other campgrounds I visited along 41 between Naples and Miami were completely empty of people, but full of signs warning campers of Panthers and alligators - and even bears. I had no idea Florida had bears. I didn't want to camp alone, so I loved that this campground had staff and a few other guests who might notice f I got eaten.

The campground is open all year long, and has a small store in the camp office. 

The campground is built in several loops around a couple of lakes and has space for RV's and tents. If also offers cabins and some screened in open air huts (which I didn't stay in but they looked really cool). You could buy ice and firewood, as well as rent kayaks if you dared to boat through alligator swamps.

There's not much in Ochopee, so stock up when you leave Miaimi or Naples (depending which way you drive). There are a few things available at the campground store.  There is a mini post office in Ochopee which is worth stopping for a photo opp. The airboat tours which are everywhere along the highway here are definitely worth it. 

You can get their latest pricing for all their sites and cabins at www.evergladescamping.net

This is one of three options to "camp" in this part of Everglades National Park (the other two are RV sites and a large grassy area for tent camping (only open during the winter months). The 20 Eco tents provide a change of pace to regular camping, and they are nicely appointed, but they are a bit of a splurge (over$100 with tax). 

Each tent has full deck flooring and comes equipped with a double or queen bed with bedding (November– April only), a fan, 110 outlets, towels, two chairs/small round tables, and shelving with baskets. You can enjoy at least a partial view of Florida Bay from each tent.

The Eco tents have their own “private” bathroom/shower separate from the public restroom and it was clean. Unlike the bathrooms at Long Pine Key campground, there is a handicap-accessible stall. Towels are provided in the tents. 

Cooking or food of ANY KIND is not allowed in the tents as it would attract bugs and other wildlife. There are picnic tables/fire pits by the parking lot for cooking/eating but it was very windy when we arrived, so we just ate cold food in our van. All food must stay in your vehicle. You are also not allowed to use bug spray in the tent due to the flammable nature of the spray. Other rules include no music in the campground or tents. 

We were there shortly before the winter season so there were not as many options for recreation available. There are hiking trails and you can rent canoes or kayaks. Other boat tours are available, but we didn’t take advantage of any of these, preferring instead to take photos of birds and walk the short Anhinga Trail (closer to the northern entrance to the park). 

Both the sunsets and the sunrises are spectacular (if you can stand the mosquito assault!)

It’s true what they say: don’t visit the Everglades during wet season.

We thought we would miss the worst of the mosquitoes in mid-November, but they were still in full-swing when we spent five days here.

Since we were also visiting Dry Tortugas, Biscayne, and Big Cypress while we were down in southern Florida, we had a lot of time to camp in the area. We camped at Long Pine Key, Flamingo, at a private campground up in Chokoloskee, and at a private campground outside of Miami. For a beautiful, scenic campground experience with access to some of the best wildlife in the park, we enjoyed our time at Flamingo.

Trying to separate our positive experiences from the hoards of mosquitos that we had to fight off each night getting into our tent is difficult, but visiting the campground in the dry season (December to May) should be a lot different.

Upsides of camping at Flamingo include a free shower (in a national park?! What?!), pretty sites with palm trees, incredible wildlife (we saw osprey, a manatee, a crocodile, and so many birds near Flamingo), and the experience of being deep inside Everglades National Park.

The biggest downside (in November) was the mosquitos. Also, Long Pine Key offers closer access to some of the more popular spots in Everglades, as well as easier access to non-park activities (like stopping at Robert is Here for a smoothie - a must-do!)

Our five days at Everglades were full: we attended several ranger programs (we especially liked the talks at the Anhinga Trail), Cole tried his hand at slough-slogging (wading in murky water up to your waist? Not for me), we hiked as many trails as we could, and we kayaked the Nine Mile Pond canoe trail.

You can read much more about our five days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Everglades)

My favorite place to go, hike and camp is within the Everglades National Park. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with this National Park. There is so many activities that you can do within the park. You can hike, kayak, canoe, take boat tours, bike, and of course see tons of wildlife. I would recommend doing one of the boat tours if you are interested in seeing a lot of wildlife- including alligators. The Canepatch park is one of my favorites. You will need a backcountry permit in order to camp here. You can order that online. To get to the Canepatch park (also known as one of the "backcountry" sites) you have to either take a canoe, kayak, or motorboat. You can not access this site by car. My family and I got more information by calling the "Flamingo" Visitor Center. They were super helpful, and helped us plan out our trip and how to get to the campsite. I believe the permit costs $15 (processing fee), and you also have to pay a small fee ($2) per person. You honestly can't beat this experience. I love that you have to take some sort of water boat to get to the campsite. This makes the experience great, and adds to the outdoor experience. We saw so much wildlife by making the trek to the campsite by motorboat. We kept our eyes peeled for alligators, but unfortunately we didn't see any on our way to the campground or the way back. We did see quite a few beautiful birds. The campground is nice and well taken care. The permits do go pretty fast, so make sure to plan out this adventure in advance and get your permit!

This is a very nice campground which is part of the Miami-Dade County park system.  It is close to the Encore Everglades park (about 4 miles) so we stayed here after we departed.  The campground is divided into pods and each pod has about 15 or so sites.  We were in pod 4 site 20 (420 lol).  We booked this camp with the intent to stay for a month or longer as my husband had an opportunity to Captain boats in Miami.  

The park was very quiet.  Most of the campers were retirees, a few families with kids, but we were there in early January.  The grounds are nicely maintained with lots of places to walk and open space with trees.  They don't allow dogs off-leash and although it is adjacent to the rest of the Larry & Penny park, dogs are not even allowed in the main park, at all.  We did however find a few dog parks within four miles or so which were nice.

They have a very nice pool which was open daily Wed- Sunday 11am - 5pm.  It was raining and rather dreary during our stay so we didn't use the pool.  They have a nice Clubhouse and it looked okay with tables, chairs, books, puzzles, but again very quiet.  Not many activities except for a few and we didn't stay long enough to participate.  After a week, we decided to make moves back home to Lake Tahoe.  It was unseasonably cold, raining so no boat work and not an ideal spot for the dogs.  They don't have WiFi and since we were planning a longer stay, purchased the Starlink system since I work remote during the winter.  Starlink worked great, but costs $500+ to get started and then $120 or so a month.  If you are looking for an affordable long term/monthly stay, it is great.  The rates were $850 a month for full hook-ups.  They had last minute space available, too.  

If you are in the area, check out the Miami Zoo.  We were there when they had the "Zoo Lights" a super fun evening event.  They have other events at the Zoo and lots to do nearby.  You are closer to town than Everglades Encore, but still close to the agricultural area.  I recommend but not as fun or as many activities as some other places.

It is a well laid out Florida State Park campground In a mangrove swamp, making the mosquitoes horrible. There is access to a channel that you can rent a kayak or “Go Cat” to go all the way to the gulf, or use your own boat. The go cats are very cool and the guide you out in groups for around $150.

General: 107-site developed campground in Everglades National Park that has been outsourced to Flamingo Adventures. Sites are assigned based on the length of your camper. No hookups at all. Pricing is based on weekdays/weekends and a 10% discount is available for seniors/military/park pass holders. You do have to pay the National Park entrance fee. 

Site Quality: Driveways are all paved. The sites are a generous size. Most of the sites on the perimeter best accommodate smaller rigs while larger ones are on the connector roads. All sites are flat and level. A picnic table and fire ring complete the site, which is grass. Some foliage provides privacy between sites. 

Bath/Shower: The showers are in separate buildings from the restrooms; there are three in the campground, each with eight showers. I didn’t use the shower so cannot comment on how well they worked. The restrooms were clean but there were no ADA-accessible stalls (a surprise to me, especially in a national park). I am 5 feet, 115 pounds, and the stalls were a tight fit for me; it would be a real challenge for a larger person. In my three times in the restroom after dark, the light was only on once. I could not see a light switch so have no idea what turns the light on. My last beef with the bathroom is that there is no paved or gravel path leading to the restrooms (and you are warned about snakes, scorpions, fire ants, and other wildlife) so this made no sense to me. 

Activities: There is an amphitheater but not sure when/if programs are offered (we were there at the very beginning of the season and just ahead of Hurricane Nicole). A nature trail but did not explore. You can fish in the small lake. Rainy day movies about the Everglades are available in the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. 

Other: A major beef for me was that recycling bins were located throughout the camp for mixed recyclables, but they were all locked! We asked and were told that the bins were put there by the park service but the waste company the campground uses refuses to pick up the recycling! Three years later, the bins are still there! 

We arrived just ahead of a tropical storm that mostly affected areas north of the Everglades, but my estimation is that no more than a half dozen other sites were occupied when we were there so our stay was very quiet (generators are only allowed 8 am– 8 pm and we were told this upon arrival; we don’t have one so this was not a problem for us). 

This was just an overnight stop for us as we headed to the Keys but I’m not sure I’d want to spend longer than one night.

This campground is in the Everglades National Park but is managed by a third-party. That was good for us because we were able to stay here during the government shutdown. We stayed for 8 nights at the beginning of January 2019.

First, the website shows that sites are first-come, first-serve except for a limited number of sites that can be reserved. I called and was told reservations were not accepted so we took our chances on getting a spot. When we arrived, the agent stated that there were only 3 spots available for the 3 nights we were going to originally stay (we weren’t sure about connectivity). Needless to say, that was incorrect, there were tons of spots available for the time frame we were there. Anyway, we also found out that they do take reservations somewhere on-line, but I couldn’t find the website for it. We stayed three nights in spot #5. It was a good spot, but our solar was struggling because it was in shade most of the afternoon. We decided to stay a few extra days to explore more. Connectivity was not an issue – Verizon has 3-4 bars without booster. AT&T has no service though. With our booster, we were able to get about 1-2 bars of AT&T and thankfully one of our phones as Wi-Fi call capability, so we were able to make and receive calls. Keep that in mind if you are AT&T only. The campground Flamingo about 40 miles from this campground does have AT&T connectivity, but we didn’t explore the campground to see how it compared.

When we decided to stay longer, we were told we had to move because someone reserved spot #5. That was fine because we wanted to move spots for better solar anyway. The agent said she couldn’t look up which spots were available for the time frame we wanted, but we could drive around and find a few spots we wanted and then she could look it up. That seemed weird, but we did that. We found that spot #66 had great access to solar in the mid-late afternoon so chose it. Thankfully that spot was available. There was some confusion about whether we could reserve it or not. Each person we spoke to said something different, but after many tries, it ended up working out and we were able to stay longer. 

We stayed another 5 nights at our new spot #66. Solar was much better there, and we had a nice view of the lake. Both spots we were on were level and it seemed most in the park were level. The road coming in is paved so no issues with accessibility. Since the campground is in the park, you do have to pay the entrance fee, but we have the national park pass. Of course, because of the shutdown there was no one at the gate anyway.

We didn’t inspect the bathrooms or shower houses, but the park was clean and well-maintained. They have a camp host on-site and we did not see any issues that were seen in other parks because of the shutdown.  For some reason, the dumpsters were not emptied until our last day there so some people had put their trash next to the dumpsters, but it was otherwise clean. Very quiet and peaceful as well. 

The campground has a lot of slash pine trees which give some shade, but still allows some solar. There were not a ton of good spots for solar IMO (at least in the winter), but anything by the lake would be good. There are no hookups at this site, but they do have potable water and a dump station near the entrance to the campground.

Tons of things to do near this campground. There are trails and of course exploring the Everglades. Homestead/Florida City is about a 20 min drive and you can get groceries, gas and whatever you need there. Robert is Here is a nice fruit stand in Florida City you may want to check out. Worth a trip to the Flamingo visitor center to see crocodiles and manatees. I would also recommend the Royal Palm visitor center and the anhinga trail.

Overall, despite the confusion and frustration over the reservations, it was a nice place and we would stay again. It is closed in the summer months which makes sense, it would be way too hot, and mosquito infested for the summer. Mosquitos were tolerable when we were there, but you need bug spray.

What a beautiful park. The lake was so beautiful. The cat walk trail was nice and maintained well. Loved the walking dredge history. The staff was really nice.

We stayed thirteen nights at this park.  We really enjoyed the stay and recommend.  The campsites are mostly nice.  There are a lot of seasonal campers and it seems those sites are nicer.  The sites closer to the cabin area are closer together.  I wouldn't recommend this campsite for actual campsite, but rather the excellent location and fun activities and amenities of the park.  

The park has lots to do and while dated, it is kept in good shape.  The pool is lovely with lounge chairs, palm trees and a tropical feel.  They have a hot tub, too.  Everything clean and had a resort-feel.  There are an abundance of activities: pickle ball, shuffleboard, a nice mini-golf course, walking trail, clubhouse, fire pits and large open grassy space.

We have two active dogs and they have a huge field where we were able to run our dogs off-leash and chase the frisbee.  I am not sure if it is allowed, but there were others as well so seemed okay.  This was a real benefit when camping with pets that like to run.  

The park is in a beautiful, agricultural area in the town of Redlands.  It is very tropical with farms, nurseries and lots of tropical fruit stands and interesting parks.  It feels rural but it is close enough to town to go to the Miami beaches or other activities.  If you go, check out all the agricultural farms, the Fruit and Spice stand, the 'Robert is Here' fruit stand and the Knaups Berry Farm for world class cinnamon rolls.  The lines were too long for us to wait, but we heard they were the best.

This is one of the most friendly parks I have stayed.  We were there on Christmas and New Years and had a total blast.  They had music, karaoke, dancing and potluck dinners. The staff was nice too, we met Jason who was super helpful.  My friend flew in to visit and she rented one of their deluxe cabins.  It was really nice, with a fireplace, fenced patio, loft, kitchen.  The entire experience at this resort was enjoyable and felt like being at camp.  Highly recommend a visit.

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!