Looking for the best campgrounds near Marathon Shores, FL? Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Marathon Shores campgrounds just for you. Find the best campgrounds near Marathon Shores, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
$23 / night
"Currently 4 sites open (tent only). Very quite."
"Long Key campground is positioned right next to US 1 so you can hear traffic throughout the night. This campground offers waterfront campsites that you can paddle from. The views are amazing."
$21 / night
"Good fishing at the key, around the chickee, and for much of the paddle out. Caught a nice red on our float back to the mainland. Saw sharks and lot of seabirds."
"Flat backpacking trail about 7 miles from Flamingo Campground. Elevation changes marked in inches takes you from wet to dry. Very buggy. Winter months best."
"You are going to need a lot of water, sun screen, food supplies, sleeping pad, and your tent. Is a lot of work but fhe view, the silence, and the wild life is amazing!"
"Wind kept bugs blown away."
$23 - $33 / night
"We have only done 1-2 overnight paddle trips before, but the park rangers were very helpful in getting us set up. The paddle took about 3-4 hours each way but we took our time."
"We kayaked the Hells Bay trail in January and had a great time. The trail is well marked for the most part and easy enough for a beginner paddler. The chickee was windy, but in good repair."
"Just pick a spot above the high tide line to pitch your tent. Tide goes way out!! Fires on beach recommended to help keep bugs at bay. Tiki torches, too! No tables or fire ring."
$23 - $35 / night
"Brand new and ADA certified as much as a platform over water can be! Both platforms have ladders and the eastern platform has small steps down towards the water level for those with limited mobility."
"Unlike the other chickees, it is a single platform, so your group will be the only ones out there."
RangerDown at Flamingo, there’s four types of camping: eco tents, tents (A Loop), campers/ RVs (T Loop) and the backcountry chickees. This review is for the ✨eco tents✨.
The eco tents are awesome in general, but more so if you’re new to camping. Some come fully furnished with beds, nightstands, etc, while others are completely unfurnished and you can set up your own gear, so you choose your level of comfort. They also come with electric fans.
It’s incredibly quiet down there and the full moons are outta this world - no pun intended! 😉 Waking up and drinking your coffee on the shore of Florida Bay is a great way to start the day.
But there is no food allowed in the tents whatsoever. Because the walkways to and the platforms of the eco tents are elevated, there’s also no way to cook even near your eco tent. There are fire rings and picnic tables near the parking area, which is also where the bathrooms are. So if you’re someone who wakes often in the middle of the night for “bio breaks”, you might want to keep that walk in mind - or plan for an alternative.
There are bathrooms with running (non potable) water and toilets with real plumbing, but no showers.
I’d definitely recommend the eco tents for a short stay!
GuideA well-kept campground with just enough greenery between sites to suggest a whisper of privacy — rare and welcome. The real charm, though, is the direct access to the shoreline. Not exactly a swimmer’s paradise, but perfect for sitting in quiet contemplation, watching the light play on the water and pretending — briefly — that time isn’t real.
The sites are leveled, clean, and smartly set up. I had barely started wondering how I’d stake down the tent against the wind when I noticed the perimeter already fitted with anchor rings. A small detail, but one that says: “We’ve thought this through.”
Power and water? All good. Bathrooms and showers? Clean, well-maintained, no notes. There’s no A/C, only a ceiling fan — which worked fine until the midday sun decided to get philosophical about what "shade" really means.
We camped with a tent in June, and while the breeze was nice, the ants liked our car and the mosquitoes liked us, sprays or not. Still, it’s a solid campground — quiet, thoughtful, and worth the stay. I’d absolutely recommend it.
Starlink - excellent coverage
GuideLarge paved pads on huge site. We were in electric site number 1 which included shade trees. No water at the sites but potable water and dump facilities are provided. There is no Verizon or T-Mobile service. There is Wi-Fi available in the Marina store area. The campground is very clean. (Lots of mosquitos even in January).
ScoutI have camped here many, many times. Since the other overnight options were destroyed by hurricanes, this is the only way to remain at the end of the road overnight without having to drive back out (40 miles) or wilderness camp.
The campsites are separated into three sections, one for RVs, the other not, and a special "walk in" field. I've only stayed at the "tents" areas. Each is essentially a large mowed field with sparse trees. The "walk in" field is essentially treeless and probably best described as an overflow area for tent campers.
The RV and regular camping areas are loops that allow vehicles to access and park close to the campsite, which is a parking pad, a picnic table, and a fire containment device for cooking and/or a campfire. BTW... you must bring your own fire wood.
There is no privacy, the ambiance is more one of community than peaceful tranquility. The combined restroom, showers, and dish washing buildings are few but never far from any campsite. Consider their location when choosing your site, closer might not be better for you if you might be offended by foot traffic through your site. A recent upgrade to solar heated water for the showers is fantastic!
The entire area is famously buggy in all but the coldest months, and even then you better be prepared. It is also incredibly hot during the summer, making the few shaded sites a consideration... but the bugs love shade too!
Despite the above bleak description, the camping area is commonly filled to capacity (hence the "walk in" area) during the cooler months. But it is also commonly empty during the summer when only fanatical anglers will brave the conditions.
GuideThis cost $85 a night and really old picnic tables, right next to your neighbors, old showers, wasn’t given the wifi password, but smack dab in Key Largo. The RV sites are awesome, but that’s not me, lol. I got a site as a walk-in same night. Also everything is relative, if you’ve been using vault toilets it’s amazing to have a flush toilet, but these are a bit rough for $85.
ScoutI have camped all of my life, mostly tent camping. This is the worst tent camping facility I’ve ever paid for. It is disgraceful. This place is designed for RVs and not well designed for them. The closest trash, potable water, and bath house facilities to much of the tent sites are over a block and a half away. All facilities are in the middle of the RV sites. Tent sites can be rocky. Not every site even has a picnic table. There are no fire rings or grills. Few tent campers were cooking at all. Tent campers have no privacy. You hear people farting in other tents. You can’t have a private conversation. So much for getting away from it all. The management doesn’t care about tent campers. Dennis, the main MWR manager, in his own words said “I don’t care any more” when it comes to dealing with problems reported like - people having a pit bull mix dog not tied up, tent campers expanding beyond their assigned spaces, RV school bus conversions illegally boondocking in tent site parking areas to avoid paying camping fees, no assigned parking spaces for tent sites, etc. Our 8’ wide, four person blue tent is shown in the photo. We were told tent sites were 20’ by 20’. There is no way our site was that wide. When I showed the photo to Dennis, he said to me ‘that photo doesn’t tell me anything”. I felt like saying to him, “Get off your dead a$$ and get out there and look at what is going on!” Again, it just shows the terrible attitude of the people who run the place. It really shows. Other campers do let their dogs run loose, especially at night. One evening I was charged by someone’s unchained, growling large dog that I had startled as I was out walking. Had I not stood my ground, I think the dog would have attacked me. The bath house facilities are mostly clean, but the facilities are OLD, think built in the 1950’s. The entire campground (all RVs and tents) has TWO toilets in the one men’s room. The bar and lounge are really kinda sad. Food available is mostly fried. Drinks are only ok. Prices aren’t great. The commissary and exchange which are small and not well stocked are closed all day on Sunday and Monday. There is no real place to eat a sit down meal with table service or get coffee anywhere on the base. This isn’t a “real” military base. Navy MWR runs it. Most of the time there is no on at the gate checking people coming on the base. So much for security. The entire operation is nothing short of a sh!t show. The campground is near the water. That is its only redeeming quality. Do yourself a favor. Pay more and camp somewhere else in the Keys. No matter how cheap this is, it isn’t worth it. It really sucks. Needless to say, even though we only live a few hours away we will NEVER EVER be back.
GuideFlamingo Campground, Florida Everglades—eco-tent
Pro: The location is superb. Ours was located closest to the water(#6). You don’t get to choose—assigned when you check in. There was a lovely breeze each afternoon and very few mosquitoes. Egrets and Anhingas were in abundance. Our eco-tent was equipped with a queen size bed, pillows, bed linens, blankets, fluffy large bath towels, a fan and bedside lights. The towels were a pleasant surprise because I had specifically asked about towels and was told “no.” The tents are located on boardwalks with embedded lights to the bathroom building (it can be a fair walk from your tent) so you can see your way there at night. There is an electrical outlet box with one spare outlet. We brought a surge protector with additional outlets so we could charge electronics and toothbrushes. Several people we met rented empty eco-tents for $50 (no beds, lights, etc) a night.
Con: a solar panel was broken wide open with water flowing out onto the ground so there was no warm water at all in the showers. The bathrooms are adequate but old and tired—cleaned once daily. Only one shower in the ladies room was working. For the price, a decent bathroom would be anticipated. There is an electrical outlet near the sinks which seemed to be constantly in use by a crockpot. (Despite a sign on the boardwalk saying for eco-tents only, this bathroom and the nearby picnic tables were heavily used by tent campers.) There are two dish washing stations at the bathroom building—faucets were not sealed and so water ran out the sides splashing on the backsplash. There are no water spigots so if you need water, you must use the dish washing faucet (the water is potable but for drinking, you might want to bring in your own as it has a salty taste). Maintenance certainly could be improved.
Eco-tent residents must use tables and fire pits close to the parking lot which are not very close. No food is allowed in the tents. There are no lights around the picnic tables so if you are cooking after dark, be sure you’ve planned for that. Also know that you cannot leave unaccompanied food at the picnic tables or the Anhingas will be feasting with abandon.
The food truck was open at the Marina. It had been closed due to hurricane damage. Because of the long new year’s weekend, the shop had no ice, no firewood and only minimal supplies like snacks and beer—lots of empty shelves and coolers. We received an email just before arriving telling us that there was no ice or wood due to the holiday long weekend so we needed to get them before arriving. We had planned to bring all our food which was a good thing given the lack of items at the store. With a 38 mile drive from the Coe entrance center to the campground and another 45 minutes to Homestead, you don’t want to have to go back to Homestead for supplies!
No internet or phone service (other than AT&T). Was wonderful to escape!!
LegendIf you can beat the bugs, stargaze and enjoy the sunrise. But take the bug seriously. Even in late January the mosquitoes or vicious. You'll want insect repellent long sleeve long pants and maybe even a mosquito net when you are out and about.
Flamingo Everglades is the concessionaire that operates this campground and the nearby marina. The campground is arranged into 2 loops (one for trailers; about half of them with electric) plus a bayside field area that also includes a group tent site. For these, you park and walk to your site, but you get a great view of the bay and sunrises. In addition, there are several new eco-tents (platform tents) with beds two chairs and lamps. I stayed in one of these.
The Flamingo area still shows the effects of Hurricane Irma a couple of years ago and some neglect. The B & C loops are not open, though NPS is working to clean them up. An employee I spoke with indicated that they hoped to have those open next year. I was there midweek and only the trailer loop was full. On the weekends they do fill up.
The campsites in the loops have picnic tables and fire rings. The bayside field sites have scattered picnic tables and fire rings in various states of rusty disrepair. The eco-tents some picnic tables closer to the bathrooms for the field sites are not occupied, you can use one of those. You can't use a stove in your tent or on your deck, so you do need to cook elsewhere.
Bathrooms include flush toilets and free showers, although the water never got very warm. They are solar heated.
Remember everything you need because it's a long trip back to Florida city or Homestead the nearest places for picking up supplies. Stop at "Robert is Here" on your way in or out for a smoothie or milkshake. The shop at the marina has some basic snacks and drinks. Tuesday to Saturday afternoons there is a food truck available. For activities, campers get a discount on bike rentals. They also rent kayaks & canoes and offer boat trips, though I wouldn't do the boat trip again.
If you choose to stay in an eco-tent, there is a cart with bicycle tires to quietly take your gear to your tent. The boardwalk lights up at night so you can safely find your way to the bathroom. You'll be conscious of the sound the zipper makes when you leave and return to your tent. These are tents and not cabins, so you may hear some neighbors talking or snoring. Even so, it was a welcome change from a sleepless, noisy night at a campground in the Keys.
If you're looking for birds, nearby Eco pond or the waterfront near the bayside campsites offer a nice variety for minimal effort.
No Verizon coverage, but I've been told there is AT&T. Wifi is available at the visitors center.
TravelerThere is a lot of ways to get there. I kayaked between 3 to 4 hours. Your arms are going to hurt a lot. You are going to need a lot of water, sun screen, food supplies, sleeping pad, and your tent. Is a lot of work but fhe view, the silence, and the wild life is amazing! I saw sharks, dolphins, alligators, and different type of fish. Be prepared!
Tent camping near Marathon Shores, Florida, offers a unique blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in the stunning landscapes of the Florida Keys.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Marathon Shores, FL is Long Key State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 8 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near Marathon Shores, FL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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