Best Tent Camping near Pomme De Terre Lake

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.

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.

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.

Have stayed here twice, about 70 miles from my home. Always tented in riverland as sites close to ranger entrance are rv only. One warning if you reserve through toll free service there is a $6 charge and they put me in a terrible spot. Ranger claimed only a few others available, but it was July and almost empty. Finally got a good tent site, grass and adequate privacy. Restrooms super clean, quiet all day and night. Forgot my fan and almost eaten alive saved by Off. People in boat shop - store super friendly. Ice, wood, etc available. Took a 3 hour canoe trip , $25 well spent. Next day rented a bike. Good hiking trails too.