Best Tent Camping near Pinellas Park, FL

Wow... a few miles from home and one I will visit often! This lovely county run park you will find at the end of a 15 min drive down a back country road. There is so much to see and do here. The campsites are well shaded. (unless grounds were full when you reserved and you took option to camp in adjoining astronomy field). I would have rated a 5+ except that there is only 1 small bathhouse in campground. There are other bathrooms on property though. Staff on phone are not overly friendly - but do not let that dissuade you from booking a spot here!

There are multiple tent camping sites dispersed on property and 1 primitive site that you have to hike into. The group site is very popular with local scouts! The RV/Tent sites are roomy and not too close together - but not very private either. There is a dump station onsite

Next to campground you will find a historic church, a large and small cabin available for rent, 2 playgrounds, shelters, large pavilion with grill/fire pit, fishing dock, canoe launch, paved bike trail hiking trails and an observation tower. On new moon nights the local astronomy club uses neighboring field to gaze at the stars. This place is quiet and dark at night!

Wildlife did not seem to be a problem at camp (but we are very careful with trash). There are lots of birds, deer and fishing was good on the river.

You might have to compete with us for a reservation here - we will be back!

This park has RV sites, regular tent sites, cabins and primitive camping. I like the regular tent sites, not much of a walk in but secluded. The park includes restrooms and showers and seem to be taken care of. There are several trails around, one paved, and I believe the Florida Trail is very close. Quiet at night and peaceful.

I used an RV site last year and booked a tent site this year. It is technically within walking distance to the beach.

Tent sites are small. Ground is very hard to put tent stakes in. Bath house is clean. They have washer and dryer. People are loud all night. Unless you have a watercraft of some kind or are going to the beach there's nothing to do at the campground. We left a day early due to the heat. It was nice to have trash cans at the site.

Check in is at 1 pm. They had a sign on there door that said be back at 1:15.They finally opened door at 1:33. I asked if we got to check out a half hour late because he was late getting back from lunch , he said no! Check out is at 11am. Just not fair. That’s why I gave them a three. Park is great though. I am tent camping.

Fort De Soto is an excellent place for beach camping. You can bring your kayaks, boats and paddle boards for an enhanced experience. We stayed two nights in the summer, tent camping (it was hot!). The bathrooms are a bit dated BUT kept very clean! The market at the entrance is very convenient. The only reason I did not give this location a 5 star rating was because of the massive amount of raccoons! They are NOT shy and are not bothered by humans one bit. It was almost impossible to fall asleep due the all the noises they were making throughout the night by digging into the campsite dumpsters or fighting each other. If you can get past that, you’ll have a great time.

Well, if your looking to do some “camping” this is not place. We came into Florida on a Friday looking for a campsite for us and our rooftop tent and was not having any luck on finding a campground that had any vacancy. We didn’t want to stay at a Rv park because we don’t have a Rv and we like nature and privacy. So we were running out of options and called CODYS and they said they didn’t have any spots but ended up telling us since we just had a suv he would us stay a night for $45, which was a very high price for one night in a tent. When we arrived the man was very nice and we thanked him for making room for us. In my option the only thing this place has, is old RV’s that have been parked there for years, full time residents. Bathrooms did not lock, 10min max time in the restrooms, and frogs in the bathroom also. Very crowded and interesting corky place. We made the best of it for being parked in a little grass area which included a picnic table and fire ring. People were nice just not for tent camping or short term stays!

I live in an adjacent neighborhood (2 years) and walk this park daily with my doggos. I’ve biked all the trails and been here from sunrise to sunset. The connecting trail (from my neighborhood) has a parking lot, and there are a few throughout the surrounding neighborhoods. There are lots of little loops in the woods, sometimes flooded out, but just be prepared during rainy season. One section is an old grove and during citrus season, there are oranges available for snacking, while exploring. There is a few large clearings set for tent camping, with fire pits and some small built gazebos for shelter. Not sure if you can drive in, but they are located at the end of an easy, few mile, walk. There are a few ponds surrounding the large lake and I’ve seen gators in several of them. If you live nearby, definitely take advantage of the free parking and miles of trails, paved and non!!

Part of the Starkey Wilderness Preservethis location is full of multi use trails, has primitive cabin rentals (no electric) and tent camping available. Front country (car camping) and back country camping (hike in only). There are specific equestrian camping sites as well.

Cabins are pretty close to each other. All sites need to be reserved.Tent, cabin, shelter and pavilion reservations: Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, (727) 834-3247. Picnic tables and fire pits are provided. Pavilions are also available to rent and they take reservations for large groups as well.

We chose car camping for our visit to check the place out. A favorite for hiking and biking. This place has gotten busier as development has been growing steadily over the years. Many of the trails are without shade and the recent fire season hit the back part of the tract pretty hard (Spring 2017) but you would not see any signs of this unless you hiked out the furthest trails from entrance.

Bring your bikes, hiking shoes, horses, or telescopes. Birders bring your binoculars! Over 150 species call Starkey home either full or part time. There is something here for everyone.

As always in Florida bring bug spray, sunblock, hat, and please leave no trace!

Mullet fishing is the big draw. We went last May. Fish were biting but the season is really Oct-March.

The fish swarm the fishing dock/wall so no boat needed to find action. The locals chum the water all day with oatmeal so you dont need facy lures to catch mullet but be sure to get fresh bait before you come(they only had frozen) if you are after snook.

Bamboo poles are the popular style. Pelicans and water turkeys will hang out with you all day. Really awesome setting for fishing.

The biggest drawback is if you are tent camping like I was. The sites are small, no privacy and no shade. Our site(cant remember which number) was right next to the hill which I defientally reccomend because the hill and field allow you to spread out more. No water spigot on site but its only about 25 yards away. Not sure what electricity is avialable for tents. The fishing is very close along with bait shop and bathrooms so everything you could possibly need will be there.

I highly reccomend this place for fishing or boating/kyaking but if your looking for some rustic camping not the best.

This campground has 17 RV type site with full hookup and 5 tent sites that I don’t think have electricity. They have a store with a very nice area to hang out on handmade rocking chairs and swings. Community fire pit and small game room with pool table. They are known for fishermen coming and hanging out for the day to fish off the wall for mullet. They have 5 cabins. One small bathroom 1 shower toilet sink for men and the same for women (this is why I gave 4 stars), luckily both times we stayed here we were the only people without a bathroom in our camper. They recently purchased more land next door and now have a private boat ramp that they are planning on making even better than the pictures and video show. They currently have room for 7 boats to be tied off and trailer parking. They are located on Mud River and you can kayak to Mud Spring or if you have a boat you can get to Weeki Watchee River and the Gulf very easily. They have a very nice long fish cutting table perfect for anyone coming in off the water.

The place is very nice and well put together if you have an RV. I do primitive camping mostly and can say that there is a lack of care for the placement for the sites. There’s a few lots for tent camping with one “cabin” which is just two bunk beds in a shed with a mini fridge and microwave. The coolest part about that is it has a screened porch. The camping sites are directly in the sun the entire day until sundown. There is no real parking for the sites and the restroom is a walk to get to tucked behind the office in between two rental units. There’s water views if you walk around the site and a nice deck with a view of the swamps. My biggest complaint is having any problems and then 3 different people coming up to me and my girlfriend asking if we had checked in and had a reservation after 10pm at night. The first guy came up waving his arms in the air asking if we knew what bird was chirping and then said his family owns the place and wanted to make sure we paid. Then two others later on asked if we were able to get checked in. Mind you, this is after 10pm at night and there is literally no lighting where the site was. Overall, it’s definitely worth a stay and not far from walmart and other places to eat. Phone service was almost non existent and their wi-fi they offered doesn’t reach near the camp sites.

Fort De Soto Park is amazing. It offers something for everyone whether you are there camping or simply for the day. The beaches are amazing with TONS and TONS of parking. Great cycling, paddling, walking, exploring, fishing, kiting, or anything you want to do. It can get busy in season but the area is designed to accommodate the crowds except for the one lane road to and from so plan your visit according to your threshold for traffic and crowds. 

I'm a Florida local from Sarasota and have visited many times but never to camp. We came with a small travel trailer and were lucky enough to get a site right on the water as many are which by itself is rare. Great weekend and honestly one of the nicest parks I have ever been to. 

Its great that possibly the most valuable real estate in all of Florida's Gulf Coast was reserved for a county park in lieu of private condos and resorts. The park has a no alcohol policy which honestly is fine. Being such an urban destination I could imagine things getting way out of hand there to the detriment of more chill folks without the ban. Even though I like a cocktail as much as the next guy, i'll take the pleasant environment over the beer any day. 

Thanks Pinellas Parks for such a great place for locals and guests to visit.

The site is probably one of the most interesting and unique places I could have hoped to find. The campground is scattered with tons of statues and random buildings built up with dinosaurs and even a real helicopter. The front desk and every other staff person I met was very kind and wanted to make sure my stay was going well.

They offer RV and tent camping year around and most have a decent amount of space in between. There are multiple bathhouse locations and I honestly felt like I was walking into some type of luxury hotel in their restrooms. Each time I went it was like it had just been cleaned before I walked in which blew my mind.

There is a community pool with two more bathrooms connected to it. Chicken coops and a hurricane shelter built like a castle. They have a common area room that reminded me of a man cave mixed with a she-cave. There was taxidermy and old pianos, small library of books, pool table, a big screen TV surround by couches and recliners and a kitchen with full appliances.

The neighbors and other campers were extremely welcoming and friendly and said hello each time I passed by someone. They have a pond and offer free use of kayaks with life vests provided. A little underwhelming but still fun to get out on the water.

The site I stayed on was in the very back of the park. Very quiet and had electricity and water hook ups. They delivered a generous amount of firewood for only $10.

All and all, the place is quirky and has a personality of its own and worth the visit. My ONLY disliking was the single ply toilet paper in the luxury restrooms…

Give them a stay for sure.