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!

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.

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.