Best Tent Camping near Fort Walton Beach, FL

We tent camped at Ft Pickens for the first time. For $26 a night, you can't beat beach access, good tent sites, walking to historical areas and endless activities. The armadillos and ospreys were an exciting addition to our camping area, and the restroom facilities were decent.

The only downside is lack of supplies,ice,food nearby and it's a drive to get to any convenience store or restaurant. But when you watch the sun go down, and it's just your family, a few ghost crabs and the historic lighthouse behind you- all that is forgotten.

I’ve been on a road trip for the past six weeks, mostly tent camping as I go. I stopped by here, after seeing the listing on Dyrt, without a reservation. So lucky for me they had a site available. This is the nicest campground I’ve been to yet, I was so taken with it that I’ve already decided to return some day just to camp. The tent sites are all separated and private, the facilities are clean, and best of all they have access to the most lovely beach! The beach backs onto the preserve so there is no development for miles. It’s a truly unique experience!

Camp Robbins is located on Eglin AFB just outside the Fort Walton Beach area. The camp is easy to find when you enter through the main gate and even the big rigs shouldn't have any navigational problems getting to the camp. Be aware however that their are two roads that lead into the camp sites one is dirt and the other paved, I highly recommend one enter in on the paved road which is the first right after passing the BX and commissary.

The RV camp site is not small but not huge either more of a perfect in-between. Each site is FHU on gravel and comes with a picnic table on a slab, for the most part the sites are leveled but not perfect. There are some back in sites but most are pull through (so convenient) as well as well spaced so one has some privacy and doesn't feel like they're in an ant farm. The sites and facilities are maintained fairly well as the bathrooms are clean and have hot water the laundry works and we even saw in many occasions work crews coming out to re-level some of the sites.

Location wise the camp is super convenient and ideal as the BX, commissary, class six, USPS, UPS, and Burger King are literally across the street from the camp site. Along with this their is also a base gym, boat and equipment rentals and bay side access for fishing and swimming on post and close to the camp as well. Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa Island, and Destin are minutes away as well. If you don't mind the drive Pensacola and Panama City are other areas to visit.

There is plenty to do as well between the Eglin visitors center (for kids and military history followers), emerald beaches, fishing, shopping and great food you can't go wrong.

Be aware however Camp Robbins is located just south of Eglins airfield so if roaring and screaming fighter jets first thing in the morning is not for you scratch this camp off your list. On the other hand if roaring jets don't bother you then you'll probably enjoy the free airshow every morning. I would however stress learn and know the high traffic times as depending on where one is off base during traffic hours can mean the difference between 15min or 1hr trying to get somewhere due to how channelized the routes are here. Be aware as well Fort Walton Beach is growing and has a lot of construction happening on its roads.

Lastly for the price, location and security I would give it five stars but their is always room for improvement I guess. We stayed at Camp Robbins for 10 days and for what we payed for that time would have only payed for one night at a hotel.

Definitely recommend.

So many things to do here. You have several historic Forts to explore. A discovery center to learn the history of the island and the wildlife. A bookstore with wifi. Beaches to swim . Pier fishing and land fishing. Many trails to ride your bike or walk. And a gated group tent camping as well as tent camping in campground. And the Blue Angels practice and fly right over the campground and forts.

Awesome stay. We actually tent camped here. Great facilities. Listen to the waves at night. Clean beach. Tons of fun.

Keep in mind, this is a Preserve. Good trails, coastal dunes with lakes, fishing, paddling, beach, cabins, and tent camping including Glamping!

We had a wonderful time tent camping. Great campsites and facilities with hot showers. Everything was kept very clean. Relaxing and friendly atmosphere.

This is the cleanest and nicest campground I have ever been to. The gravel at your tent site is raked like a Zen garden. The bathrooms are pristine, and cleaned daily. There is a coffee shop on site. A tram to take you to the beach. They provide water and electricity to each tent site, which is framed by vegetation and private. The beach is private. There are several long trails and lakes. You can see the stars, and hear the waves from the campground while you sleep. It’s really wonderful.

This is one of the nicest capsites I have ever been to. I love the privacy of the pod style tent sites, and the beach is gorgeous.

We tent camped at Henderson Beach in May 2020. The sites were large gravel with firepit, picnic table and full hookups.

They do have a senior discount, so don't forget to ask. No need to mention the beautiful beach, the grounds are well maintained as are the showers. Over all this may be my favorite place in Florida. Shopping and restaurants are literally across the highway, so many things to do. A must for everyone!

I stayed 2 nights last winter before it got crowded. cool little camp ground amidst the hustle and bustle of a busy beach town. I was tent camping and had a nice site that backed up to marsh land.

Checked in Friday 01/17 and extended my stay from 2 nights to 7 nights. I’m enjoying the solitude. I’m at a tent site, no WIFI. T Mobile is 4 bars.

Topsail is one of my favorite campgrounds. We visit every year. Amenities I love are the free beach tram, the swimming pool, and free WIFI at the camp store. You will see a lot of people riding bikes here and you can rent them if you don't have your own.

You cant drive to the beach boardwalk and it's about .7 miles from the tent sites. We actually love this because Topsail beach is pristine and clean. The free tram runs every 30 minutes until 7:30 pm daily

tent sites are very clean and the bathhouse is scrubbed daily at 6 am. This place is one of the best if you don't mind the short walk/ride to the beach.

They have showers and laundry and Place to get books to read!! Perfect for RV and tent camping. Like 27 thru 33 have views of the Bay!! They have electric and water hook ups for rv and tents!! Lots of trees great place and really close to the bay and easy to get to the beach!!

We have been camping here for six years and have always loved it. Some of the interior sites flood when it rains, so choose wisely as there is a good chance it will rain. This year they separated tent sites from RV sites and removed water and electric from the tent sites. There is still good access to water faucets, so not a huge deal. Our biggest annoyance this year was that they got reLly fussy about hanging hammocks from trees. We had purposefully picked a site with good trees so that was a bit frustrating. Also, the camp store has been closed down so you have to leave the park to get ice. Be sure you bring whatever you need with you. But they have clean bathrooms and the beach access is close. And since the beach there is really only campers it has never been very crowded.

So, we are usually tent campers but on this night we decided to try a cabin rental and we were SO happy with the decision. The tent sites had little shade and I think it would have been very hot in the summer sun! The campsites looked to be pretty private which was nice to note. The beach was wonderful- a very enjoyable place to spend time :)

The tent campsites are clean, have water and electricity. The restrooms/showers are very clean and kept up also handicapped accessible. There is a tram that brings you to and from the beach. There is a swimming pool and games to keep you busy. Staff is very friendly and helpful.

Great spot! Cool shorter hiking trails to take you to lakes or the gulf, or as we call it Lake Florida now. For hammock campers the tent camping spots are okay for hammock camping. I made due but I was in spot 21 and there are no trees accessible enough to hang a hammock up how you would want, BUT they had a couple 4x4s in the ground so I used one of those and a tree, everything went up properly. It was windy, rainy and around 30° and I was extremely comfortable.

Fire pits are great, it looks like all spots have a picnic table.

All in all great spot. I’ll be back soon!

The trails are all well maintained and beautiful. They have paved and non-paved sections. There is a ton of biking in the park. I’ve seen a rabbit, hungry squirrels, and deer. The facilities are pretty nice. They have toilets, showers, and laundry really close to the rv and tent sites. They also have trams. The people that work there and the people that visit are normally really nice.

We were at one of the few 'tent' campsites in the park. Our site was back off the road in the brush - very private even with a trail just on the other side of the bushes. Either ride your bike or take the tram the mile to the boardwalk and beach. Clean showers, friendly staff at the camp store.

My daughter and I stayed one night in our Dodge Ram Promaster. The bathhouses were busy so we walked over to the tent camping area and used their bathhouses. From our spot it was actually a closer walk. They said it was a short walk to the beach but it took us 20 minutes. We rode the tram back because it was such a long walk. It would have better to ride a bike there, which was what most people did. Overall a nice park with cozy lots.

We love Topsail Hill!  We stayed for the first time in July 2020 in a bungalow.  Met some folks on the beach that convinced us to try tent camping.  We just returned from a week long tent trip and it was wonderful.  The facilities are very well maintained and having a laundrymat on site helps out a lot!  We did bring bikes and purchased bike trailers since the tram is not currently running due to COVID.  You can rent bikes and trailers there, but we found bikes with gears to be helpful on the hills.

LOVE this place, the staff and the volunteers - and will be back soon!