Best Tent Camping near Palm City, FL

St. Lucie South is a small campground run by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Located just outside Stuart, FL. the site is located on the St. Lucie lock and dam.

The park is small with only 3 primitive tent sites and maybe 10 RV sites.

The tent sites all are on the St. Lucie canal and do not have water to the sites although, water is available from the tap just across the street.

The RV sites feature water and electric hookups but no site septic. The septic dump is located close to the bathhouse and trash dumpster.

The hosts keep the grounds and bathhouse spotless and noise after hours was never an issue for us. The location lends itself to Stuart, FL and any type of food choices you may want. The park is located close to Interstate 95 and the Florida Turnpike for easy access.

The tent sites are on the canal and watching the boats come in to use the lock is nice however, we were warned against paddle boarding the canal due to alligators. Swimming is not permitted. Out last morning at the site, we saw a 3-5 foot alligator trolling around just off our site.

We used the park as a stop off on our way to a week long camping trip to the Florida Keys, (a straight through drive would have been close to 13 hours for us). We stayed for 2 nights going down and 1 night coming home.

This campground is so quiet and relaxing. Tent sites are right on the water so it's nice and cool.

Great tent site on the river. lots of rain but that is ok. Clean restrooms, well maintained dock and site.

This is a great place set in the middle of Florida's marshland. Park like with plenty of trees, grass and water canals. The tent sites are close together so there's not much privacy. Bathrooms, hot showers and laundry. First come first served. Grab it early. $22 per night on 3/18/2023.

Features: Boat Ramp, Picnic Shelters, Comfort Station, Parking, Dump Station, Fishing Area, Trails, Tent Sites, Playground, Showers, Picnic Area, Concrete Pads, Boat in Sites, Tent Sites, Water/Electric 30/50. Handicap Facilities. Horseshoe Pit.

On site Visitor center with history of the Lock and dams. You are able to tour the locks walk across them. Closed because of covid-19. Scheduled reopening Oct.1,2020.

The Staff are friendly and treat this place as home. Great Volunteer’s.

Free WiFi available at the visitor center during business hours, with outdoor covered seating overlooking the waterway. No swimming, several kayakers were out this trip. Wildlife and remember no feeding the gators.

The tent sites are a little small but most of them are shady and secluded with lots of trees and shrubs between! Good bathroom and shower, and lots of trails to explore, leading to a boat ramp and playground

I stopped here because I needed a place to sleep and the nearby campgrounds were full. I was pleased to find that St. Lucie South was not only a good place to spend the night, but an enjoyable experience in its own right. This is a COE campground built adjacent to a lock. The waterway is a canal that connects Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic. The campground isn't particularly large, but it is very nicely landscaped. Plenty of grass and tall trees.

I stayed in one of the three primitive tent sites. Each of these comes with a tree, a gravel tent pad, and a small picnic shelter. There is a water spigot nearby, and bathrooms with flushing toilets, hot and cold running water, and showers are located up the road a ways. These were fairly clean when I visited.

There were lots of interesting animals to observe here, including flying fish, big tree lizards, big frogs that hopped out of the canal and onto my tent at night, and something that I'm fairly certain was a gator but never got a good look at. Unfortunately, there was also a large mosquito population that made things not so fun after nightfall.

My neighbors here were also a bit distracting. They were a very loud family who appeared to be living at the tent site next to mine.

Giving 3 stars for now. I read a review in this and is at my backdoor. Never new about this place. Hiking trails, boat ramp, fishing, on the Sebastian Waterway. There are 30 sites that are for tent or a small pop up. Sites are large include a concrete picnic table and fire ring. There are several locations to get water from. Bathhouse is for camping guest only and you need a combo code to get in. There are 4 sites that are for Rv’s that have water hookup and 30amp service. This is a first come first serve campground. Reservations are not taken. Tent camping you would be fine the Rv sites I think on weekends you would be out of luck. Today on a Tuesday there was 2 taken and all the 30 other tent/pop up were available. Close to a lot of shopping. Plenty of wildlife and plants to discover.

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The staff at check-in was the best. I talk with several over my 5 day stay sharing ideas and stories. Very helpful. The spots are laid out perfect. Easy to backend. Concert pads, gravel fire pit and covered picnic tables. No bad views i was in 3 different sites during my stay. Grounds are kept clean, cut, trim and edged. Reception good on t.v. Antenna and dish satellite. No wifi on sites but free wifi at reception area. Great river views. 3 bars on T-mobile. Your right at the locks so watch the boats pass from the gulf to the Ocean. Horseshoe pits. Clean showerhouse. Tent camping is primitive m. All RV sites have water 30 and 50 amp service. Sites on river will hold 45’ class A. Close to shopping. All sites have 30/50 amp service and water. Sewer is not available. Dump station near exit on way out,  Because of the cleanest of the campground and the friendly staff I rate this a five. they make up for the only downfall of being allowed to dump once per week or there is a fee of $20.00.  there is no charge for a honey wagon dump.  I would assume the extra fee is to encourage water management since there has been issues with algae growth in the waterways. 

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General: Small family-run KOA campground (33 sites) located 1.5 miles north of Fort Pierce on Highway One. All sites are FHU with a combination of regular, premium, and extra-large sites. There is also a tent site area. 

Site Quality: All sites are level and gravel with a fire pit and a brick patio area with a picnic table. Typical RV park layout with minimal to no privacy separating sites.

Bathhouse: Two unisex all-in-ones that were clean and air-conditioned. The shower had immediate hot water and good water pressure. 

Activities/Amenities: There is a small playground and pet area plus a clean spacious laundry area. It is close to town. There is a manatee center and Navy Seal Museum (but we didn’t explore either one) close by in addition to shops and restaurants in Fort Pierce. I was able to enjoy a 3-mile run to town and back on sidewalks. 

This campground was more expensive than we usually like to spend but it was a convenient location for us to have dinner with a family friend. We arrived after the office was closed so did not have any interaction with staff but our check-in paperwork was readily available. We appreciate that we were tucked in at the rear of the property which lessened the road noise (and we didn’t have neighbors on either side of us). I would rate this three stars for our purposes but as it was well-kept and for others may suit their needs, it merits four stars in general.

Small tent area enough for about 4 tents close together... but clean and very nice!

Tent campers beware- this is a cute little spot with full hookups available at most sites and charging station available for the rest. Mosquitos are pretty crazy onc the sun goes down and the wind is in believable. I had my tent tied in every way imaginable to try and keep in from blowing away. I have 2 nights left here and I really don’t think it’s going to survive.

The bathrooms closest to tents os closed and floods a lot

We went on a weekday spring 2018, there was only one other tent camper there at the time. Tent area is a big open grass field, no shade trees. No water or electric on site but is available at nearby pavilion. This is close to home and convenient for us. Rented canoe, went fishing and for a hike. Family enjoyed our 2 nights there. Staff was friendly. Campground is nothing fancy but we had fun. In the marshes, near the beach.

The restrooms closest to the tent area or closed and there is a flooding problem