Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park accommodates campers with pets across its wooded sites suitable for tents, RVs, cabins, and glamping. The campground provides full hookups at most sites with each featuring a picnic table and fire ring, all set within a lush, tropical environment that feels like camping in a little rain forest rather than a typical RV parking lot. Dogs must be leashed throughout the park, including on the nearby beach which is accessible via a short walk from the campground. ['Campsites are spacious and private with good separation between neighbors, though some sites can be oddly shaped or unlevel, requiring leveling blocks.'] Mosquitoes can be problematic in this humid, shaded environment, especially during summer months, so pet owners should pack appropriate repellent for themselves and EPA-approved products for their animals.
The park features extensive hiking and mountain biking trails where leashed dogs are welcome, plus access to a beautiful beach area that stretches for miles. Beach access points include multiple pull-offs throughout the expansive shoreline, ideal for morning walks with pets. Nearby Fort Clinch State Park and Anastasia State Park also permit pets at their campgrounds but require them to remain on leashes no longer than six feet. Campers should note that pet policies at North Beach Camp Resort and Little Talbot Island State Park Campground stipulate that pets cannot be left unattended at campsites. The campground may experience occasional security concerns with non-campers wandering through the park. Bathroom facilities are available but cleanliness can vary, and the narrow roads with dense tree coverage can make navigation challenging for larger RVs or trailers.
$12 - $30 / night
"Very close to the beach for total serenity. Pets are allowed. Lots of mountain biking in the park, which is a popular place for people to go to in Jacksonville."
"This park as everything you need from kayaking canoeing to a beautiful beach and bike/hiking trails! You can bring your whole family including your pets."
$28 / night
"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."
"Very private camp sites, water and electric hook ups, walk to the beach, quiet and friendly and not a thing to complain about."
$24 / night
"Simply put, the ‘surf’ side of Little Talbot Island State Park is all white capped oceanfront and white sand beach paradise with its opposing side strategically located across the street is the ‘turf’"
"Super relaxing, nice to camp under Spanish Moss for a natural Florida feel."
$67 - $245 / night
"Add to this, you're just a stone's throw away from Ancient City (a.k.a. St."
"Pets are allowed but with breed restrictions. They are allowed in all areas of the campground except the store, bathrooms, and pool."
"This place is super spacious - def enough from for a cat and an RV. Great stay with respectful neighbors. Bring your toys because you’ve got water on both sides to play!"
"If you’re hauling a mobile campsite on wheels, then you’re also in luck as Huguenot also offers two other options – one that is more remote and intimate, but roadside, and a second that is more like a"
"Beach is a short walk and is beautiful. Our dogs enjoyed the fenced dog park. Loved watching the ships come in and out. Everyone we met were so friendly. Would definitely stay again."
"Right across the road are two nice size pavilions and a dog park. Down the road , about ...a mile is beach access that was very nice."
"This “campground” is located on a military post so it is limited access. In addition it is more towards a long term living campground."
$64 - $72 / night
"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."
"This RV park is in a great location near the outlet malls. All sites were pull through gravel full hook ups. For as crowded as the place was it was very quiet."
$26 / night
"It isn’t terribly pet friendly but we were able to quickly tour the fort within the allotted 30 minutes we could leave our dog alone."
"Paddle to Cumberland Island, catch some flounder, explore some Florida history, mountain bike, hike some trails, hit the ocean and of course...camp!"
$25 / night
"This campground is 3 miles from the historic district with tour tickets and shuttle service included with tour purchase, short walk or bike ride to the beach, restaurants within walking distance and grocery"
"Beach is dog friendly, there is a pier, and several restaurants nearby. Also close to the Castillo de San Marco and historic sites in Saint Augustine"
ScoutThis campground is pet friendly.. they have a dog park area and doggie biscuits at the check in desk. There’s a swimming pool for the kids and awesome outdoor games and playground area..The staff was friendly and helpful. Added bonus was the free waffles and orange juice/ coffee for breakfast
LegendTo 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!
RangerWe 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.
LegendWhile this RV roadside camping lot has recently changed hands from Cookseys RV to Smiling Gator, even after they had published their new roadway sign, just a week later, it was already being replaced by a new one, so keep your eyes on who’s actually managing this place. Despite the management ‘change O hands’ game that might be going on, from what I can tell, very little has changed between ownership teams. This location is still just off a rather busy 16A highway (just a 7 minute drive due east towards the ocean from I95) complete with 3 or so very basic lanes lined with diagonally parked RV’s.
While Smiling Gator doesn’t offer up much in the way of amenities, it does still provide back-in and drive-through slots with the typical RV hook-ups (water, sewage and 30 / 50 amp electrical) along with a main office that has stacks of information on the local surrounding area, which is principally Ancient City (St. Augustine) and nearby attractions. There’s no tent camping offered here per se and a simple restroom and shower facility that has recently been renovated(and I use that term very loosely – likely just a fresh coat of paint). You’ll discover that there’s a few scattered picnic tables and a designated dumpster or two, but that’s about it, so if you are planning to stop by Smiling Gator, bring whatever lawn furniture and accoutrement that you might require.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Just across the street from Smiling Gator you’ll access one of the many entrance points to 12 mile swamp, which has some pretty fantastic hiking trails (just be sure to pack the mosquito repellant!); (2) If you come bearing watercraft, there’s no shortage of great access points, where I would highly recommend a stop by either Princess Preserve or Faver-Dyke State Park, both of which offering fantastic boat / kayak / canoe launches and some really great natural exploration; (3) When you have grown tired of digging through your RV’s mini-fridge or over-stocked Cordova cooler (props to my peeps in Idaho making the best cooler known to man (or Sasquatch for that matter!) and want to venture into the local community for some typical fare, then I highly recommend you give the food trucks gathered at Munch a try for some excellent Venezuelan empanadas, southern fried chicken sandwiches, mouth-watering hamburgers or freshly fried fish& seafood; (4) Don’t mind getting a bit dressed up and want a high-end, but local experience next to the water and don’t mind whatever the price is on the receipt? Then head on over to Cap’s on the Water where you’ll have the most delectable seafood experience overlooking the Intracoastal; and (5) If you come bearing tents and want one of the most amazing authentic (quasi) primitive camping experience, then head on over to North Beach Campground on the strand between Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine beaches where you can encounter both the best of what the Atlantic Ocean has to offer as well as the Intracoastal.
Happy Camping!
RangerEasy in & out location. Wooded throughout. Full hookup pull thru sites available & they even have “paw pen” sites with private fenced areas for dogs. Very friendly staff. Right off of the highway so you can hear traffic if you’re outside but not inside. Little store with the basics. Doggy poo stations throughout. Cute pool with a waterfall & slide. Small playground and dog park.
LegendEver 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!
ScoutEverything we could hope for; private sites, extra large super-sites, pull-through, back-in, fishing lake, swimming lake, swimming pool, sports courts, dog park, pub and poolside cafe and restaurant, miles of walking trails and conservation area. We are happy campers, can't wait for spring.
LegendCompass 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.
ScoutI 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.
Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park provides camping between Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra, Florida at sea level in a humid subtropical climate with summer temperatures exceeding 90°F from June through September. The park sits within a coastal maritime forest where groundwater levels can cause muddy conditions following summer thunderstorms. Most sites feature dense vegetation that creates microclimates significantly more humid than surrounding areas.
Biking and hiking trails: At Little Talbot Island State Park Campground, visitors have access to extensive paved and unpaved trail systems that connect different ecosystems. "There are approximately 4 miles of excellent paved biking/walking on the Timucuan Trail that runs parallel to A1A," notes Stuart K., who also suggests checking out Boneyard Beach with its "hundreds of salt-washed skeletons of live Oak, Cypress and Cedar trees."
Water sports rental: The beaches and waterways near Anastasia State Park Campground provide ideal conditions for various water activities. "Water sport equipment rental and snack shack on site. Highly recommended to the beach enthusiast," reports Kim A. The park offers organized kayak tours for both beginners and experienced paddlers.
Fishing opportunities: Coastal waters around Dutton Island Preserve provide productive fishing spots along wooden structures. As Stuart K. explains, "there's a first-rate wooden promenade that is the most perfect fishing spot I've come across...in my entire life." Many anglers target redfish and spotted sea trout during morning hours.
Diverse beach access: The ability to experience different beach environments within short distances attracts many campers to North Beach Camp Resort. "Beach to the East and river to the west of the property. We loved the private beach area which kept the crowds to a minimum, compared to the public areas," notes Erika P. The beaches offer both sunrise and sunset viewing options from the same campground.
Site privacy: Natural vegetation provides separation between sites at many campgrounds. At North Beach Camp Resort, "Most RV sites are extremely private with plenty of vegetation between them," according to Sarah, who stayed in a "very deep, wide back-in" site. This layout creates natural sound barriers between camping spots.
Wildlife viewing: The marshy areas and waterfront locations support diverse bird populations. "There are many options for kayaking, bird watching and fishing," says Shannon C. about Little Talbot Island. One camper mentioned spotting dolphins daily along the river shoreline during early morning hours.
Site limitations: Many campgrounds in the area have challenging physical constraints. At Huguenot Memorial Park, "The road to the campground is half washed out, I am not sure how it would be possible to have two folks meet on the road without one backing all the way up risking sliding off the washed out area," warns Elizabeth E. Site dimensions vary considerably even within the same campground.
Water quality concerns: Municipal water at some campgrounds contains minerals affecting taste and odor. "The water...smells like sewage. It's full of sulfur," notes Elizabeth E. about Huguenot Memorial Park. Experienced campers recommend bringing drinking water rather than relying on campground sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Ponte Vedra, FL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Ponte Vedra, FL is Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park with a 4.4-star rating from 97 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 84 dog-friendly camping locations near Ponte Vedra, FL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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