Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

To be clear, there’s no horses running around this place, absolutely no Geronimo statues and John Wayne is nowhere to be found, but beyond the pseudo Western motifs, this place is a stand-up, incredibly convenient RV park(ing) lot that shouldn’t disappoint. While not the most amazing from an actual camping experience, Stagecoach will impress because of its EZ on/off access to I-95. It’s literally less than a 3 minute drive off this main highway artery. Plus, for those that care, this spot will put you within spittin’ distance of some fairly underweight outlet mall shopping at nearby St. Augustine Outlets. That aside, if you’re cruising between Points A and B and are looking for an incredibly convenient spot to park your mobile living room in Northern Florida, then look no further. From solid concrete pads to park your RV, to all of the usual hook-ups (30/50 electrical, water and sewage), coupled with picnics, communal BBQ’s and fire rings, this place has you covered. Conveniently located nearby are Cracker Barrel, Starbuck’s and the ever-present Chick-fil-A. \

Insider's Tip(s)? If you’d actually like to experience some nature while you’re near this location, then head as far east as you can, pass Fort Mose State Historic Park (that actually has a brilliant dock to drop your kayak) to the pristine shores of Vilano beach, where you can enjoy the best of what the Atlantic ocean has to offer. Before this, you would have hit the Intracoastal / Tolomato River, in case you have a kayak or canoe you care to drop in the slow moving water in these parts. If you have some additional time, I highly recommend you plan a trip further north to Ponte Vedra Beach where you can collect shark’s teeth or even further north to Altantic Beach where you can fide some incredibly wide white sand beaches. 

Happy Camping!

We stayed here during Spring Break as it was the only thing available in Saint Augustine when we booked. However, we really enjoyed the park. It was close to the beaches and all major attractions. The pool was nice and there was a basket ball court, corn hole and table tennis as well as a small playground. Since we booked late we were in what was considered a buddy site which was a little different since we had a neighbor facing our site who we didn’t know but still we had a great time and my kids made several new friends. The bathrooms were clean and there was a laundry area with a separate laundry for washing pet bedding. The park was almost separated into 2 sections with the sites in the back having mixed paved pads while the ones in the front were gravel. There were several trails through the campground and there was an off leash dog park as well. All in all we really enjoyed our visit and would definitely return in the future.

I don't know too many places that will place you dead even between a fantastic stretch of golden sand lining the Atlantic Ocean on the one side and the brackish, slow moving currents of the Intracoastal on the other side (although down this way, this inland waterway way is referred to as Tolomato River). Add to this, you're just a stone's throw away from Ancient City (a.k.a. St. Augustine - the oldest city in the US), which is chocked full of old school Spanish colonial fortresses, medieval architecture, cobblestone pathways and enough entrepreneurial wanna-be pirate marauders on every corner, you've sworn you've died and woken up next to Johnny Depp as an extra in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ 

This campground is fantastically hidden on a desolate stretch of the AIA where the only thing to keep you occupied (look left while heading south) is the vast blue grey of the Atlantic Ocean where there's a shallow stretch of hot, burning golden sand, strewn with broken embers of seashells scattered throughout the beachhead - where if you're lucky, you'll find a shark's tooth or two (Insider's Tip? Mosey on up north to Ponte Vedra Beach where you'll find them there by the dozens). On the right, you'll see scattered rooftops that are hidden in the overgrown jungle-like forest of moss-laden mangroves and the shadow-casting palmettos. You'll be lulled to peaceful'restitude' from the lapping of intracoastal waves as the giant golden sun burns out its final fumes every dusk by setting the horizon on fire each night as you celebrate a day of living on the land in this well configured campground. 

So let's break out the basics. Upon entry, you'll arrive to the main office, inside which you'll find (surprise, surprise!) a spartan, nicely appointed and well-stocked little market of sorts. Postcards? Tick. Booze? Tick? Snacks, water and essentials? Tick, tick and tick! Another insider’s tip – while the campground store is quite impressive, if you need to really stock up, there’s a large Publix just south on AIA. Pass the main office (and huge compliments to the most amazing campground staff ever, BTW!), you'll pass through the gated entry (bonus points for this street-side campground oasis for safeguarding its guests with some decent security) to find a small, somewhat uncomplicated and well-laid out pathway of RV slots. 

If I was an RV'er (and let's be clear, I'm not), I would be stoked about the pristine conditions these land architects have laid out for your stay - every single RV slot is completed surrounded by foliage, so even though you feel like it's a slanted, uncovered garage sand parking lot (and it kind of is, minus not having a roof) feel comforted by the fact that your individual slot is completely enclosed by God's green nature (which means noise and lights from your neighbors is reduced). Take this - I looked at every single slot and there's prime privacy to be had, despite being able to jump down from the safeguards of your RV and rubbing elbows with your next door neighbors for a coozy or two in just 8-10 steps. 

But let's get to my tribe - if you're pitching a tent and shun the 'basic amenities' (read: I don't need light - where there is no sun, God gives me the moon and stars to paint my way and where it's too dark, I spark a natural light), then you'll be pleasantly surprised by what I found. First of all, the primitive camping area is exclusive just to those of us that 'pitch a tent.' You won't be distracted (or frustrated) by those that have driven their living rooms into nature. You'll experience a peaceful and calm serenity unlike any that I have found here in my new home of Northern Florida. There's about 8-10 tent sites, each with their own little enclave of greenery, shrubbery and green-fortified tranquility, complemented by a solid picnic table and flat land (and very little else save a communal spigot of water). You'll share a communal grille, BBQ and fire (which is fine, although not optimal, as you'll get to meet new people). Beyond the Spanish moss of these high teetotaling, yet wilting ancient trees, you'll be basked in the ever-present veil of nature's darkest, meanest, most verdant surroundings. You will hear the chirping of tree frogs. You'll experience the rhythmic bliss of small laps of river water washing up against tree-soaked intracoastal highways of water going nowhere in particular. In short, you will ask yourself this question: why is the world moving so fast when the best in life seems to slow down in these parts? 

But let me finish by pointing a finger at the most amazing point of your discovery here - beyond the people you will meet, the sweet paths that you will walk down, or the startling silence you will undoubtedly encounter, you will discover this very rarified thing that exists, almost in complete isolation here, alongside the famed AIA on an intracoastal stretch of paradise - you'll have incredibly EZ access to the some of the most amazing coastal beachside that I have ever been privileged to step upon and you will be conflicted with this reality and the opportunity to shun it, in favor of the most phenomenal inward coastal riverway that will (in just a 100 strokes in your kayak) place you in the oldest city in the most important Western civilization that this world has ever known. 

And you won't do this through high-speed intranet, a Zoom conference call or a FaceTime Meeting. No. You'll simply jump into your kayak. Or you'll go for a quick dip in the slow-moving current of the Intracoastal. Or you'll cross the street from this campground to follow, ever so slowly, the trepidacious footsteps on this, the most pristine, golden beach you'll ever come across. 

Happy Camping!

Ever fantasized about parking your RV so near the ocean that you could feel the salt spray coming off those Atlantic ‘white caps’? Well, look no further than Bryn Mawr Ocean Resort, which depending upon the specific RV slot you are fortunate enough to book here, you too could be kicking back and living life in the 'slow lane’ right in front of idyllic white sand beaches against a backdrop of an endless aquatic blue horizon. Located just 8 miles / 20 minutes south of St. Augustine (a.k.a. Ancient City), Bryn Mawr Ocean Resort resides on the famous A1A, but down in this neck of the woods, you will find that you have escaped the whir of traffic, busyness of everyday life and won’t have to put up with the touristy side of this northernmost Floridian outpost.

As for this location itself, Bryn Mawr boasts the largest family pool in the county (which I cannot independently verify here), although there are actually 2 swimming pools, along with a spa and private walkways with beach access to some of the finest ocean views along the eastern seaboard. Boasting some 236 RV slots, Bryn Mawr Ocean Resort is a massive RV oceanfront wonderland, hidden in the shades of the palms, wherein you’ll enter the compound through a very well appointed security gate after first being greeted by the good folks at the main office building. Once inside, you’ll swerve a bit around the bend to the right before heading straight, wherein on both sides of this RV ‘main street’ you’ll intersect four different perpendicular lanes (Sea Bird, followed by Sea Coast, then Sea Dog and finally Sea Eagle) before reaching a T intersection (at Sea Eagle) where you’ll have to either turn left or right in order to access the 9 (yes, count ‘em, 9) vertical RV slotted lanes (and unfortunately, yes, all of them also begin with the word ‘Sea’, making it very difficult to remember which ‘Sea’ lane you are in) that from north to south are called: Sea Fan, Sea Gull, Sea Horse, Sea Jetty, Sea Anchor, Sea King, Sea Ladder, Sea Millie and Sea Nettle. 

Nomenclature aside, it all doesn’t really matter if you are looking for simply the best, which are the oceanfront RV slots (that run parallel to the beach along Sea Otter lane), whose numbered sites are #219– 238. Trust me, whatever the premium is to pay and park in one of these 20 RV slots is ABSOLUTELY worth it, given the proximity to the beach, as well as the additional distance from traffic that you’ll have back here in the furthest reaches of Bryn Mawr Ocean Resort.  Oh, and then there's the priceless oceanfront views you'll have - but to be clear, that really only works out if your particular RV has a rear-facing panoramic view, otherwise, you'll have to get outside your vehicle and post a few picnic chairs to enjoy the view.

Amenities: dog park / pet walking area, basketball court, lighted tennis / pickle-ball courts, shuffleboard, complimentary WiFi and cable, main office with marketplace store, spartan showers & restroom facilities (there are multiple units spread throughout the RV campus), laundr-O-mat, activity center, horseshoe pitch, propane refill station and children’s playground. Of course, all RV sites come with full hook-ups (30 / 50 amp electric along with water and sewage) and concrete pads. There’s also scattered picnic tables, BBQ grills and fire rings.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) While I’ve already HIGHLY recommended the oceanfront slots of #219– 238, I would also recommend the following locations (if being near the ocean is important to you): 82, 96, 110, 123, 135, 249, 143, 154, 167, 168, 250, 181, 195, 209 and 218; (2) This place is one of the most pet-friendly RV outposts I’ve come across, so don’t be shy about bringing all your pets – I couldn’t find a single RV’er who didn’t have at least 1 dog, if not an entire entourage of cats, iguanas, fish and even an alpaca en towe!; (3) While next to the ocean is great, you will feel a substantial lack of privacy with the spaces being quite close to one another, so if that bothers you (and let’s be honest, it should), then when booking, ask for what available spots there are to determine which of those offer up the most amount of either space or privacy; (4) When you get tired of trying to figure out what that next meal is going to be when staring down at your mini-fridge or Cordova roto-molded cooler, then check out some local haunts, like Salt Water Cowboy (where anything from the Land, Sea and Swamp section like fried Alligator is pretty amazing), World Famous Oasis Restaurant or Connolly’s Shore Grill for fresh caught seafood; (5) If you are looking for a decent place to do some great hiking, then look no further than due southwest of Bryn Mawr where you can check out Matanzas State Park, that has miles and miles of unspoiled hiking trails with virtually the entire place to yourself (save the deer and gators that you might come across); and (6) Carrying watercraft and looking for a nice spot to hit the water? Then I HIGHLY recommend Princess Place Preserve AND Faver-Dyke SP that offers access to the Matanzas and Tolomato Rivers as well as Pellicer Creek.

Happy Camping!

Compass RV Resort was easy to get to. We followed the campground instructions versus our GPS. Check in was a breeze as they came out to our rig and gave us a good rundown on the CG then escorted us to site 126 in the newer Oasis area. This site had FHUs that were smartly placed midway down along the stone paver pad. Back-in was a breeze. We were glad we paid the fee to reserve a specific site as this site was probably one of the very best and most spacious in the CG. Our site had more front area lawn plus bushes that separated us from the next site. We also had to pay$3 per night for our 2 pups. The pull through sites were quite close to each other where the back in sites provided more room, this was especially true near the front of the CG. This was a large CG that was fairly full throughout our 6 nights stay but surprisingly quiet. You could hear some road noise but it was not too bad. We were in the far back of the CG but if you were more towards the office/entry you would have a lot more road noise. Their cable worked well plus there were multiple OTA channels. Some people had their satellite dishes out too. Most sites in the Oasis area would support satellite, as well as the pull through sites near the middle of the park. The older sites near the entrance had many more trees. We were surprised that we only got 2 bars on Verizon. The CG WiFi worked OK and we had a repeater next to our site. You could upgrade to faster CG internet for a fee, but we did not use this service. The CG has ice, firewood, and propane for sale. There was a small fenced dog park next to the shower, laundry and exercise facility in the Oasis section. Near the entrance there was a larger fenced dog park(about an acre) with a smaller fenced area within the dog park. St. Augustine’s historic, shopping, and restaurant area is stupid busy Friday- Sunday. Parking is limited in general and tougher for a dually. Best time to visit is during the week.

I am a huge fan of Florida State Parks. Anastasia has good size sites that are very private. We could not see our side neighborhoods only the ones across from us. Bathrooms were clean and the showers were large. There was always staff around keeping the grounds picked up and tidy. The camp ground is very pet friendly, but dogs are not allowed on the beach in the park. There are many pet friendly beaches nearby. There is no camping near the ocean, but it is just a short bike ride/drive from the campsites to the beach. Water and electric hook up at the sites, a large trash compactor is located near the the 3 lane dump station.

Great camp ground, but make sure you reserve far in advance, they book up quick.