Best Tent Camping near Miami Beach, FL

This is a primitive campground off the loop road south of Tamiami trail through Big Cypress National Preserve. The first couple of sites have large parking pads for campgrounds hosts that were unoccupied when I was there.  Sites are first-come, first served and you'll have a choice of sites that are tucked away behind brush and trees or large, more open sites. There's no drinking water available. There are vault toilets available that were clean. Few of the sites were occupied in late January. At the back of the campground there is airboat access to backcountry trails in the Stairsteps section of the Big Cypress Preservel elsewhere along the loop road you may be able to use swamp buggies and ATVs. There are extensive rules and permitting to take your vehicle on these trails as well as online training requirements, so check them out on the Big Cypress website. 

Sites are $24/night, half price if you have a Senior pass or Access pass, though to be honest I didn't see any envelopes for payments and the campers I spoke with indicated they weren't paying anything. You can stay 10 nights during peak season (Jan-Apr), 14 consecutive nights the rest of the year. They  have picnic tables (look at the end of the table for the site number), fire rings, and lantern poles. Bearboxes provide food protection if you don't have a hardsided vehicle. You're in a panther habitat.

The only indication that you have reached the turn off for Pinecrest group campground is the brown tent sign. The sign for the campground itself is parallel to the road, so you won't see it until you are upon it. You'll need to reserve a campsite online in advance. Otherwise the gate to the campground is locked. Each of the 4 sites can accommodate 15 campers/8 tents as they are paired in such a way that sites 1&2 are together and 3&4 occupy a separate corner, perfect if you're group requires two sites.. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and half of a bear box; extra tables were gathered in the center. There are vault toilets, but no running water. Plenty to do in the area...fishing, birding, boating, hinting. Explore the preserve or neighboring Everglades. It's off the gravel loop road south of Tamiami Trail Rd.

Was a part of a large organized group of campers staying in The Heron preserve. The section is designated “primitive” but it does have full single person male & female restrooms, as well as electricity and water. It has plenty of picnic tables, a path to the lake, and woods to explore via trails. There are some pretty interesting pieces of history leftover behind the camping field.

During the day, there is noise pollution due to jet skis on the water, and the gun range located across the path. However, at night (when it really matters) it is completely silent except for local wildlife. It’s a lovely place to wake up to in the morning.

Note: The perimeter of the area is lined with a sturdy fence that can technically be closed via gate. We always felt safe, and would definitely return. Great place for kids to repeat visit and build memories.

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.

Hard to believe that this oasis is so close to major urban centers, but it's true. It boasts 15-miles of trails in more than 1,000 acres! You can bike, snorkel, paddle, run, picnic, rent cabins, primitive camp, and even get married. No bugs during the day. Some bike trails get flooded and are closed sometimes. The website gives the latest updates. It's quite easy to get to the park from I-95 or US-1. In October, some of the pavilions remained closed unfortunately. They have water spigots but no electricity. Lots of kayaks available as can be seen in the pictures and videos. Super ample parking. Youth programs. The only thing missing is water/electric tent sites!

I called the owner to ask if the campsite is ready (per last review it wasn't ready in October). We wanted to book one week stay in February. The campsite is still quite not ready (no electricity, no water, no bathroom), but the owner would agree to one week stay. The app says $25-$50 per day. Which made me thinking, since it's not season yet, there's no amenities, that he would charge us ~$25. I was wrong, firm $50 price per night and no negotiations. Well, I wish him good luck doing business, you can find better campgrounds for much cheaper.