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Cayo Costa State Park protects the Charlotte Harbor Estuary and provides visitors with a majestic piece of untouched Florida.
An unspoiled Gulf Coast island evokes images of wind-shaped trees, dunes, beaches and freedom to explore. This especially rings true for Cayo Costa Island.
Accessible only by boat or kayak, this former fishing ground of the Calusa Indians features nine miles of undeveloped shoreline for swimming, snorkeling, shelling, fishing, birdwatching and exploration along with several walking and bicycling trails through the island’s interior. Shorebirds are numerous, and one might spot manatees, porpoises and sea turtles offshore.
This is coastal Florida at its best! Campsites and cabins are available for overnight stays, and a ferry service runs to the island from several mainland locations. Visitors are reminded that camping is allowed only in designated sites in the campground on Cayo Costa.
$22 / night
-Parking Fee is $1 per hour or $5 per day
-Dogs are not permitted at this park.
-Alcohol, gasoline powered generators and electric bicycles are not allowed in the park per County Ordinance 18-12 (as amended)
-Collection of plants, animals, shells or other natural and cultural resources is not allowed.
-Helmets are strongly encourage for all mountain bikers and are required by state law for anyone under the age of 16.
-Volunteer Opportunities are available
$15 - $40 / night
This is a primitive campground containing nine campsites. No water. Vault toilets are available. Reservations required.
Located nearby are Bear Island (40 sites) and Gator Head (9 sites).
Pink Jeep and Gator Head can be accessed by off-road vehicle, hiking, or biking. Backcountry permits are required for all, and off-road vehicle permits are required for off-road vehicles.
In addition, an off-road vehicle (ORV) permit and gate code is required for 4x4 vehicles to access the site and no trailers are allowed. One can also access the location by foot or bicycle.
$5 - $10 / night
This is primitive camping, tent only. This is a nice campground with two picnic tables, one grill, two elevated tent pads. Looks like a horse trail/old road begins at the end of the campground.
⛺️🚌 welcome to the Bohemian Hideaway, private Glampground .In addition to primitive camp spots , We also have a converted shuttle bus for 2 you can rent or fully decorated GlamPing tents.
We also have extra rentals
🛶 kayaks $65 ea or $100 for 2
🎥 outdoor movie -$65
🖤2000 watt generator-$75
🔥 propane heater -$45
❣️ Date night package-$55
$45 - $165 / night
The beach camp sites on the western side offer a nice breeze and more privacy. Locate your campsite away from vegetation to minimize your impact in this fragile area. Safely exploring a wilderness by water requires careful preparation and planning. Camp along the western shoreline, but be aware of shallow water and limited access at low tides. Make sure your vessels are tied, beached, or anchored securely. There is deep water around the northern side. On the west side is a quiet, secluded beach only accessible by canoe/kayak due to the shallow waters. Use dead/downed wood below storm surge line. No facilities. Pack out all trash and bury human waste 6”. Vault toilet on nearby Picnic Key
$23 / night
Guide
Very friendly host, clean bathroom, the environment are so charming
ScoutThis park is a nice park, it looks so much better since that Spanish guy started doing the landscaping. The grass is no longer brown. It's lush and d pretty. There is a tenant that lives there that has no regard to the law or respect to others I believe his name is Bo(real name Roy) threatened to shoot up a neighbor’s house, destroyed property gets abusive when he is drunk or on meth. He hurt a veteran, a man that has cancer including his wife because he is always drunk ang high. He's sleeping with a married neighbor. Theres too much negativity and drama in that park with a man that has an extensive criminal record! He also has two restraining orders against in the park as well which he is not supposed to be even living there per the law. There is children that live in this park and his is a threat to society. The owners will not get rid of him some reason which I don’t understand.
Traveler
Tucked away between Englewood and North Port, this primitive site is only eight dollars to stay at. Not too bad, but the campsite looked like it wasn't maintained at all. There was a big dilapidated bin of random trash that looked like it had been there for quite some time (site 3), a ton of cigarette butts, melted plastic pieces everywhere, etc. We even found an... adult toy about ten feet outside of the area of our site.
That being said, it was quiet, and you couldn't beat the scenery and nature once we cleaned up the area a bit. The sites are spread apart enough that it doesn't feel like your neighbor is on top of you, which was a huge plus.
Out of all the sites, 3 had the most privacy and had great views of the forest. If we decide to go again, we will definitely stay at this site. The other sites seemed a little bare and less private.
For the price, you can't complain too much. Just make sure to lock the gate behind you because by the many many signs posted, they're threatening to shut the sites down permanently if you don't.
Guide
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.
Traveler
I stayed there for 13 nights. Good experience. Customer service is excellent. I stayed on a concrete pad close to the main office. Great neighbours. Tight spaces but I had no issues maneuvering my 28' RV.
TravelerPulled up to window at check-in. Gave her my name and reserved site number. She asked me to park and come inside. Inside, she handed me a map and recited the rules. Then she asked if I had any questions. I asked, "Do you have a restroom?" She looked at me with unbelief. "Well, I guess if it's an emergency. " I told her I had been on the road for 3 and a half hours. The other lady pointed to the restroom. I don't think that I've ever had anyone deny a restroom to me at check-in. The website said the Royal Palm trail would close on April 3rd. When we went to it on March 26th, it was barricaded. Both my wife and I had cold showers that evening. When I mentioned it to the maintenance lady, she said that she had been there since November and has never had a hot shower. All the sites seem to be fairly tight with no privacy.
Scout
I was planning on having my wedding here. I have had my spots reserved for 9 months. They called me TODAY, LESS THAN TWO MONTHS FROM MY WEDDING To tell me they double booked me with a 3rd party service that rents out the sites at a higher rate for glamping and are telling ME that I HAVE TO GIVE UP MY SITES. They have offered no help other than"move sites, get a refund, or re-reserve through that third party site at a more expensive rate."
Evidently the sites I reserved are no longer owned by the state, they're owned by the third party site through a contract. they're made into glamping sites and you cannot rent the site through anyone but the glamping company. They removed what was once a beautiful campsite from the general public and turn it into a"galmp site". How many other sites are going to be bought out like this? All the prime sites that were tent only in North loop are now EXCLUSIVELY glamping sites. If you like doing your own camping, you no longer have that option on the best spots in the park no matter how early you book.
I and my entire wedding party are beyond disappointed in how this has been handled. We are being turned away from over half of our reservations. This is so unprofessional and honestly should be illegal. They waited 9 months to notify me of THEIR MISTAKES and now, less than two months from my wedding, I have to scramble to notify my guests of the changes. I may even have to cancel my wedding because the sites seem to have already been rented through the 3rd party site and I don't want some random people in the CENTER OF MY WEDDING AND ALL ITS PHOTOS. And to top it off, they don't seem at all apologetic about ruining my wedding.
RangerNot a fan of this campground. We stayed for five nights in February. Really hot and buggy - TONS of mosquitos. I guess that’s to be expected given the location in/near the Everglades. The mosquitos were so aggressive we got tons of bites, they covered our pups, and the first evening we smashed close to 60 of them in our van after opening the door just to get into the van. Pretty miserable. On top of that, the nature trails within the campground/visitor area was closed and overgrown. The only hiking trails that were open were close to a mile down the highway - not really accessible on foot from campground. Campground itself was ok but not as pretty as others we’ve been to. On the plus side, good location for visiting other stuff in the area and my husband liked playing pickleball daily at courts in Naples. The volunteers at the campground were really friendly and the facilities were clean.
Legend
Hunt Camp, Okaloacoochee SF: We stayed at the nearby Overflow CG. I expect this would have been the same quiet and peaceful experience, as noticed during our walks by Hunt Camp. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer. Our rating of a campground is influenced by the following: The general ambiance- sort of wilderness feel the campground gives us. A selection of campsites which offer some visual privacy and/or view from sites. Cleanliness of whatever facilities are offered is important and usually noted in my review.
Overall Rating: 4.5 for large sites. No natural barrier in between.
Price 2023: $ 10
Security: None
Usage during visit: 1/2 to full.
Site Privacy: No
Site Spacing: Large sites.
Site surface: Gravel
Reservations: Required.
Campground Noise: Quiet.
Road Noise: Adjacent to the road, but there is not much traffic.
Through Traffic in campground: No
Electric Hookup: No
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: No
Potable Water Available: Non-potable water is available at the adjacent horse corals.
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: Chemical toilets
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: No
Cell Service (AT&T): 1 bar
Setting: Adjacent to prairie with fairly dense low growing trees which obstructs view.
Recent Weather: Sunny
Solar: Great
Host: No
Rig Size: Any
Sites: I like all of the sites. #3 is the best location in the loop.
Traveler
We had a great time at this private camp spot in their GlamPing tent . We fished all day right from our site and took advantage of the extra rentals they had , kayaks and outdoor movie. Will def be back again to stay in the converted bus!
RangerThis was a great spot if your camping in south Florida between spots and has great hiking.
Legend
Panther Pond: We really liked this quiet campground with very secluded sites. More sunshine and solar at Okaloacoochee Overflow and Hunt Camp. To Do: Nearby trails here to talk of grass to comfortably walk in. Either not much recent horse traffic or they just have not been mowed. Either is probably due to this year’s wet winter .
Make sure to make the 30 minute drive to the board walk on Sic Island Dr. Short walk to the short boardwalk. Outstanding way to leave with a taste of the slough.
Bicycles on Wildcow Rd
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 4.5 for Great privacy.
Price 2023: $ 10 for seniors
Security: None
Usage during visit: 1/4 full
Site Privacy: most all sites – excellent, with shrubbery in between sites.
Site Spacing: very nice
Site surface: dirt
Reservations: required
Campground Noise: Quiet
Road Noise: Maybe a little from Cow Path Rd. Very little travel.
Through Traffic in campground: No
Electric Hookup: no
Sewer Hookup: no
Dump Station: no none
Potable Water Available: a couple miles away at Hunt camp there is a hand pump at the horse corals. Rangers say it is not portable.
Generators: allowed
Bathroom: chemical toilets
Showers: no
Pull Throughs: None
Cell Service (AT&T): one bar
Setting: in a long pine forest, with lots of palm tree shrubbery
Recent Weather: clear with highs in the upper 60s
Solar: some sites. See below.
Host: no
Rig Size: 17 to 20 foot trailer will fit in some sites in my opinion. See below.
Sites: Will easily fit a 17 foot trailer: 1,2,3*,5*,7,6,9*,11,
*very nice solar at 2 PM, but not all day.
Legend
Overflow CG, Okaloacoochee FLSF: We had a peaceful experience staying here for 5 days.
To Do: Nearby trails here to talk of grass to comfortably walk in. Either not much recent horse traffic or they just have not been mowed. Either is probably due to this year’s wet winter .
Make sure to make the 30 minute drive to the board walk on Sic Island Dr. Short walk to the short boardwalk. Outstanding way to leave with a taste of the slough.
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good.
Wildcow Rd beginning at the campground is a nice walk. Three walks with only 1 vehicle during our walk.
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer. )
Overall Rating: 4.5 for mostly large sites, but no privacy in between.
Price 2023: $ 11 about w taxes
Security: None
Usage during visit: 1/2
Site Privacy: Open
Site Spacing: most of the 6 sites are large
Site surface: Gravel
Reservations: Required
Campground Noise: Very quiet.
Road Noise: Wildcow, a backcountry road, runs along campground. Not busy during our visit, but can be more busy I hear. Could be a dust problem when there is less rain.
Through Traffic in campground: Along Wildcow.
Electric Hookup: No
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: No
Potable Water Available: Ram gets report as non-potable water at Hunt Camp, .25 miles.
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: Chemical toilets.
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: No
Cell Service (AT&T): 1 to 2 bars.
Setting: 3’ tall native grass in between sites.
Recent Weather: Sunny, not too hot
Solar: The best
Host: No
Rig Size: Any size.
Sites: 1 is best. 6 is second, but closer to the road which was infrequently used during our stay. 3 and 4, unfortunately back up to each other.
Legend
Wildcow Group Campground in , Okaloacoochee FL State Forest: gate is locked 1.9 miles from the campground. Accessible by vehicle. Gate code is available, I am told . CG is located at the end of the road. This is primitive camping, tent only. This is a nice campground with two picnic tables, one grill, two elevated tent pads. Looks like a horse trail/old road begins at the end of the campground. Currently covered w long grass. I do not know how long this road is. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer. .
Overall Rating: 4.5 for a nice remote group camp experience. Hiking trail is overgrown with grass. Due to a rainy dry season, probably. Price 2023: $ 20 per night Security: Locked gate Usage during visit: empty Site Privacy: 2 elevated tent pads, have a semi shrub barrier. Two other areas tents could’ve pitched Site Spacing: adequate. Site surface: Wooden tent pads Reservations: Required Campground Noise: Very, very quiet Road Noise: none. Through Traffic in campground: at the end of the Electric Hookup: no Sewer Hookup: no Dump Station: no none Potable Water Available: hand pump Generators: No posting denying use Bathroom: none Showers: no Cell Service (AT&T): 1 to 2 bars. Setting: Wong, Pine Forest, oak trees, and palm trees Recent Weather: unseasonably cool Solar: not at the camp site. Could set up panels on road. Plenty of sunlight there. Host: no. Rig Size: I would think a small trailer or easily a van could park next to the one tent pads. Sites: two sites total. With raised wooden platform. One or two spots where tents can be pitched on the ground.
Legend
Ortona South Campground, ACE campground in Moore Haven, FL. We absolutely love staying here. There are no trails nearby (The unofficial trail near site 21 is closed off due to construction up river.)but a nice walk on the access road out to the highway is a 4 mile round trip from the back of the campground. Lots of dump truck traffic on this road from the nearby gravel yard. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(71yr olds in a 17’ trailer. Our rating of a campground is influenced by the following: The general ambiance- sort of wilderness feel the campground gives us. Also, a selection of campsites which offer some visual privacy and/or scenic view is valuable. Cleanliness of the facilities that are offered is important and usually noted in my review. ))
Overall Rating: 4 for the spectacular views in most sites.
Price 2023: $ 15 w interagency pass
Usage during visit: Full
Site Privacy: Open. In our corner site , #21, we were able to swing our 17’ trailer around to offer much more privacy with the water view. This could be done with a small van as well or an RV pulling in nose first. # 20 is the most private site.
Site Views: Some sites have very nice water views, others nice open grassland views. Noted below.
Site Spacing: Good
Site surface: Concrete
Reservations: Yes. Sites in this campground is in high demand.
Campground Noise: Quiet.
Road Noise: None
Through Traffic in campground: None
Electric Hookup: Yes
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: Yes
Potable Water Available: At sites
Bathroom: One in each loop. Flush toilets. Old. Reasonably clean.
Showers: Two showers in each bathroom with curtains which share a dressing area.
Pull Throughs: Some - in the first of two loops. Pull throughs all are in the first loop and include a double site.
Cell Service (AT&T): 3 to 4 bars
Setting: Campground runs along a the Caloosahatchee River. Open grass land with scattered palm trees on the other side. The campground road runs between the campground and grass land in the first loop only.
Recent Weather: 80’s for 5 of our days. Then it cooled off with some rain.
Bugs: Mosquitoes are around in the evening, especially .
Solar: Would be available in all sites.
Host: Sites are near the entrance
Rig size: Large rigs are fine in most if not all sites.
Sites: First Loop, just after the entry station (31-50): SITES ALONG CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER but view is limited : 32-39. 23 ,24 have a nice view up a waterway. Largest site occupying largest area is on the corner (no real view): 31. Fishing dock, access is between site, 32 and 33, and across from site 51. 44 and 43 are pull throughs, and do not offer as much as other sites regarding location/view. Same with the double back in sites,45 and 46.
SECOND LOOP, furthest from entry station: (1 - 30): #29 has a palm barrier giving picnic side nicer privacy. Sites 21 - 30 are right along the river, all with nice water views. #24- 30 , are the best water view sites. 21,22 and 23 water views up the river are a bit limited due to vegetation on the riverbank up the river. All these sites view the river down to the dam. Sites on the river side have more space between sites than the grassland side, 1-20. Maybe that is so sites on the grassland side can still see the river in between the more spacious sites on the river side. Across from #2,3,4 sites is the access to the dam crossing which accesses the fishing dock on the other side. The corner site, #20, offers the absolute most privacy of any site with a grassland view. (I liked the grassland view sites, but I prefer the water views.)
#1 has a building right behind it which detracts from, but does not eliminate the grassland view.
There are fishing docks on both sides of the Calossahatchee, but I have been told that the fishing on the other side of the river is better. The dam crossing to access the other side is open from 7:30AM untill 4:30PM.
All sites have a covered picnic table .
LegendFranklin WP North ACE Campground in : Alva,FL - We stayed at Ortona and drove here to check this campground out while returning from Fort Meyers. It looks like it would be difficult to be disappointed with a stay here. (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer. Our rating of a campground is influenced by the following: The general ambiance- sort of wilderness feel the campground gives us. A selection of campsites which offer some visual privacy and/or view. Cleanliness of whatever type of the campsite and whatever facilities are offered is important and usually noted in my review.
Overall Rating: 4 as almost all sites on the water
Price 2023: $ 15 w interagency pass
Usage during visit: Full
Site Privacy: None
Site Spacing: Close
Site surface: Concrete
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: Quiet
Road Noise: Not near enough to major road
Through Traffic in campground: None
Electric Hookup: Yes
Sewer Hookup. No
Dump Station:
Potable Water Available: At site
Bathroom: Clean and flush toilets.
Showers: Double curtain- nicer than Ortona .
Pull Throughs: Yes
Cell Service (AT&T): 3 bars
Setting: Both sides are on water.
Weather: 72 and sunny
Bugs: None during the day
Host: On site
Rig size: Large rigs
Sites: Best sites are 8 and 10 , 26, The only sites not on the water are: 19,20, 21
GuideWe accumulated several nights in our travel trailer at Collier-Seminole in the November/December time frame, staying at a total of 5 campsites (76, 45, 84, 22, and 66). The standout for us was the quick and helpful response of the staff. Ex: As we were moving into site 84, we spotted a fire ant problem, and they attended to it right away. Ex: As we were moving into site 21, we saw that the middle board of the picnic table top was rotted out. I brought this to the attention of a Ranger passing by, and we had a different table within 15 minutes. Ex: We had the misfortune of locking the keys in a friend's vehicle, which caused us to have two vehicles on site overnight. The staff was very understanding, and even suggested an empty campsite nearby for parking our second vehicle overnight Ex: Because our initial bookings were late, we did a quite a bit of "jumping" between sites. The staff proactively stopped by to tell us we could move to our next site early.
Other reviews cover the mosquito situation. I would add that dealing with the mosquitos was routine for a grizzled Minnesotan such as myself, but the aggressive biting noseeums were something new.
Some "insider" information:
(1) campsites 22 and 24 are the only sites with paved pads. The rest are gravel. ALSO, campsite 22 is actually a double wide paved pad (used to be sites 22 and 23, but they combined them into one).
(2) While you are limited to one vehicle per campsite, you can park an extra vehicle down by the boat landing.
(3) There is a lot more shade over the grounds than the view from Google Earth would suggest.
(4) There are washers and driers that take credit card payment. Nice. The bath house in the A-loop has two washers and two driers for doubling up.
(5) This campground has several bag dispensers for dog clean up that are always well stocked. GREAT for those of us on an extended stay.
Traveler
The park w!s able to accommodate us on the 30ft tow along last minute. The space is clean, and neighborly. They have a pool, showers, laundry, library and gameroom area complete with billiards. I felt the showers could be hotter, but showered last and everyone else disagreed(traveliing with 3 others) so maybe it was just me or running out. Lol Overall the place has been a great stay so far.
Guide
Had a marvelous time at the Meadow River Ranch. The grounds are well kempt, with a thick, lush carpet of a St. Augustine and rye grass blend covering the acreage. Very quiet and peaceful. A great place to just “be”. My grandson and I tried our luck fishing in the canal. Jeff was very accommodating. Let us run our generator as much as we wanted. Even let us run our dogs off leash for awhile.
We stayed at MRR in a self-contained RV, and as such had no need to use the outdoor toilet or solar shower, so I offer no comment on those facilities.
Guide
Located in Jasper, TN. This is a place to visit! Fair rates ($35/night) and great views. Friendly staff. Upkeep on bathrooms and showers. Very pleased with my stay here! The lot was a tight squeeze so if you’re not an experienced driver, you may want to request a different lot selection.
GuideWell I called to reserve for the night. I was given a discounted $40 overnight rate. It seemed fair, but the conditions were underwhelming. I had to use the shower and bathrooms and frankly… it was a hole in the wall. The shower was literally just a hole in the wall! Had to walk carefully in the bathroom to avoid getting in contact with the disgusting conditions.
Legend
This is a nice camping location…or will be when they complete renovations. They are still recovering from hurricane damage, so there was some construction and noise. The spaces are pretty tight, but not as bad as other places. And they are staggered so it feels roomier. we had a nice site with a shaded patio. Also a misquote problem! Lots of misquotes and no see-ums. But the pool, boat ramp, playground, and dog park are all open. 2 dog parks! The laundry, hot tub, and camp store are still closed. It’s close to the Big Cypress Wildlife area, and an easy drive to Everglades National Park.
GuideWe just stayed for 5 days in September. We have stayed here before and had a peaceful stay. The mosquitos are a bit much and I live in South Florida, so if I’m complaining they are out in full force in this campground, which makes it hard to sit outside at night. The camp host that were on during my stay were out of control over bearing walking around and driving around looking for things to nitpick on campers. We have stayed here many times before and have never seen camp hosts doing what this lady and her husband were doing. Don’t get me wrong I think people at campgrounds should follow the rules, but they were a bit over the top “enforcing rules.” Other than that and the lack of sewer at each site this campground is a nice little gem in SW Florida.
ScoutBeautiful and well maintained, ultra clean, and tons of fishing options, Beautiful sunsets
Guide
Rated 1 only because 0 isn’t an option. We were told we could extend our trip and there were plenty of spots available since it’s off season and the park isn’t even half full. I call to pay just to be told no there aren’t any spots available. I tell Jim I was told there were plenty of spots. “Oh well she doesn’t know what she’s talking about, she is new.” I asked if he just didn’t want us here. Well yes, there has been a violation. We were never even given a notification of violations (just asked for us to move extra vehicle, even though there was room on the pavement we just needed to park in overflow across the park. No big deal) My husband is covered in tattoos and he was judged. There is plenty of space here, they just don’t want us here. My husband is one of the most giving people who has handed his last dollar to someone who has needed it more…on more than one occasion. Don’t support this business. Jim should feel ashamed of himself. We’ve never received a violation for anything here and now have no place to go forth of July weekend.
GuideGreat state park with decent amenities. Even had cc laundry which was a surprise. Lots of shaded spots in the lower lot numbers.
Scout
Not everyone wants to stay in an RV. I did not stay here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Fort Myers Beach, FL is Cayo Costa State Park Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 21 reviews.
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