Best Tent Camping near St. Augustine, FL

I have stayed at Faver Dykes several times, very remote campground set deep in the woods. Lots of wild animals including deer, raccoons, possums, armadillos and tons of birds! Fishing and kayaking access on the Moultrie Creek, 30 minutes from St Augustine and even closer to the beach. Sand/dirt roads can get rough when rainy. Bring bug spray!!

For those of you who find yourself hauling your vacation behind you and / or looking to rent a cabin in a small corner (er, intersection, actually) in the country’s oldest city, and don’t mind a completely pre-fabricated outdoor experience in the midst of an otherwise strip mall environ, then look no further than St. Augustine KOA. While there’s a lot of qualifiers here, I understand, one of the huge upsides to this otherwise overcrowded 2-lane 115 slot filled faux campground RV-slanted outpost is that it places you closest to St. Augustine’s greatest treasure (and no, that wouldn’t be the fabled ‘Fountain of Youth’) – it’s beautiful Atlantic coastline with white powder sand and shark-tooth strewn beaches. 

As for this KOA campground itself, you’ll find this urban jungle outpost on the corner of Pope & AIA, which you’ll stumble across just a block south after taking Highway 312 from St. Augustine proper to Anastasia Island, which is separated from the mainland by the Matanzas River. But don’t worry, for any of you who break out in hives at the thought of leaving civilization when upgrading for a night underneath the stars (which BTW will be drowned out by the light pollution here at this KOA), you will be comfortably surrounded by all the creature comforts of the materialistic surrounding you (pretend) thought you were trying to escape, as there’s a CVS, McDonald’s, 7-Eleven and Domino’s Pizza in a single stone’s throw of where you are ‘camping out in nature’ here at St. Augustine KOA. 

Amenities? Well, it’s KOA, so get ready for the massive download on what this camping theme park has to offer: heated pool w/ neon color lounge chairs & umbrellas, 50 max amp back-in RV slots, cable TV, KampK9 (that’s a doggie park in KOA speak), laundr-O-mat, thin tree lines, tetherball, picnic tables, dilapidated wooden fence, fishing (don’t ask me where or how good), firewood (for sale, of course), BBQ, ticks, fire frills, WiFi, propane refilling station, gift shop, tour shuttle, playground, little moat, paddle boats, fleas, banana bikes, automatic key-card security gate, designated trash dumpsters, showers & restrooms (quite in need of some decent cleaning and refurbishment IMHO), micro-swamps, deluxe cabin rentals (a dozen or so) and (the ever so marked-up KOA) convenience store. 

Insider’s Tips? Here’s a few: (1) This is easily the most outdated, run-down KOA I have ever had the unfortunate experience to visit. While I would EASILY recommend MANY other places to ‘drop anchor for the night’ and to have a REAL outdoors camping experience (just drive 3 minutes away to Anastasia Island SP or 15 minutes away to North Beach Campground), if it’s late at night, you’re tired of looking around and are excited to be this close to the beaches, then check-in, grab a coozie and chill at the pool until sunrise when you can leave; (2) While you may be tempted by some of those pretty un-amazing fast food or ‘hole-in-the-wall’ local joints, I would encourage you to drive just a little bit for some otherwise excellent restaurants, including Fillin’ Station, Beachcomber, La Cocina or Sunset Grille; (3) If you’re a tent camper like myself, you’ll be incredibly disappointed by this place, although they do offer up 10 or so designated tent sites (inconveniently located right near all the swooshing car traffic and honking on Pope Road; (4) While you might be living the blues while staying at this KOA, you can actually just head up the street and listen to the blues at probably one of the coolest outdoor venues in the country at St. Augustine Ampitheater; and (5) Make the most out of the fact that you are literally only ¾ mile from St. Augustine Beaches, so while this KOA is not ideal (to say the absolute least), you will relish the fact that you can leave it as early and return as late as you want to experience one of the best white sand beaches in the Sunshine State. 

Happy Camping!

The view was amazing the tent site was amazing#25 is next to the dog walk, the restroom and the beach overlook. Prepare for windy conditions coming off the ocean and if it is stormy add some extra protection from the rain if you are tent camping. Amazing place to camp quiet and right on the Atlantic

Anastasia park is one of the cleanest parks. Friendly rangers . Camp sides nice in woods. Beach so close that u can hear splash waves. Bathrooms clean. Mix tent sites and RV. Close to St. Augustine but if u are inside park u dont even think u r that close

Closely gathered tent camp sites, without water or electric at the site. Water is stationed within walking distance, tastes weird. Nonpotable?Clean sites. Bath house with hot water, boat ramp for large and small boats. Current is very fast for kayaking. Go tot he dam instead which offers World renowned fishing. Lots of alligators. Go to Rodman damn for the fishing and quiet waters to kayak in. A minagerie of wildlife is available to view. No phone service. Dog friendly camping. Isolated. Bring what you need.

Fantastic campground and recreation area. Over 150 campsites, one area full hookups with all amenities and other area for tent camping. Sites have lots of space and majority have shade trees with moss flowing in the breeze. All sites have picnic table, lantern pole, grill, and fire ring. We have 2 golden retrievers and had plenty of space to spare. Beautiful stars out at night. Bathhouses are large, clean, hot showers. Trailer sites were full and only a few tent campers this time of year. Tent sites are complete with Bear boxes at each site. Camp hosts and management were very friendly and helpful.
Saw manatees kayaking in the spring and river on premises. Spring area has a boardwalk around it. People swam with them too. Saw bald eagle catching fish, lots of birds, some fish, etc. Has a small boat launch and marina. Can tent kayaks. Great place for bikes. A few hiking trails were well maintained.
Convenient location to lots of springs to visit and things to do. Visited Silver Springs, Blue Springs, Juniper Spring to name a few. All within 1 hr drive.
Not sure how summer time is, but this late February time was Awesome. 40-50 at night and 60s in the day! This is a must stay place.

So in reading earlier reviews let me start by saying this is Florida and as a native I’ve come to terms with bugs, no where in the state to completely avoid them, so I embrace the “suck”:)The park has changed from when I was a child and tent camped there many Easter weekends. A1A used to bisect the park and separated the campground from the beach making for a game of “Frogger” to go for a swim. That has changed and for many years now that section of road is a dead end park road that only park visitors can use. The other change is the St. Augustine Ampitheater used to be an attraction called “The Sword and the Cross.” Both these changes have been an improvement. The beach has something all Florida beaches should have, a wheelchair path across the sugar sand, making it accessible for all. Sooo many sites here all look very inviting with lots of shade and yet very hard to get reservations which should tell you something about how beloved this park is to so many. Pro tip if there is a band playing that you like but can’t get a ticket the proximity to the campground is such you can take a beach chair and a can of bug spray and listen to the concert. That concert though may be why there will be no availability in the campground. Bring bikes as it’s an easy ride into St.Augustine and much less stressful to navigate the narrow streets and scarce parking. Lighthouse is a landmark on that bike ride worth the slight detour.

Salt Springs Recreation Area is part of the Ocala National Forest. It’s the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River and protects the world’s largest sand pine scrub forest. The Salt Springs gets its name from the magnesium, sodium and potassium levels in the water, giving it a slight salinity. We made our reservations online at www.recreation.gov you can also call 877-444-6777 the local office is(352) 685-2048. We’re a married couple in our forties traveling with two dogs and a cat in our 37 foot motorhome. We stayed at Salt Springs campground for about a week in February. It was$34 for full hookups or$23 for tent camping. American Land& Leisure does a great job managing this recreation and camping area, the staff are professional and friendly. It’s a very safe and well lit campground. Activities include spring swimming, basketball courts, horseshoe pit, fishing, snorkeling, hiking, boating and kayaking. Canoe rentals are available. Nearby in the town of Salt Springs you will find a grocery store, gas station, restaurants, post office and laundromat. Don’t expect big box stores to shop in, this is a very small town and a place to get away from the world. We stayed in a full hookup site and had lots of space to ourselves, at least 25 yards to our neighbor on either side and about 40 yards to the next loop behind us. It was a flat site and very easy to level our motorhome. Sites are fully equipped with fire ring, grill, lantern post and picnic table. The tent sites include a bear locker. We loved the recycling opportunities at each trash container. They recycle plastic, glass and aluminum. The bathhouses are a gem, extremely clean and well taken care of. For campers in tents they offer a kitchen sink area to clean your dishes. Overall we loved our stay here, we went swimming multiple times with our snorkel gear and drove down to Silver Springs on two separate days(one for the glass bottomed boats and a second day to go kayaking).

This is a beautiful campground with proximity to the Florida Scenic Trail. Ideal for tent camping, as the forest service roads were a little rough for our RV. Campground is along a beautiful and unique wet prairie. No cell service, no electric or water hookups. Worth a stay in a tent! Recommend using entrance off route 19 via forest service road 86.

Close to a nice spring (not the most beautiful of the area). Tent site are fine. Very friendly staff.

While 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!

Great park for tent camping and small motorhomes. We are 37 feet and only 5 sites were able to accommodate us mainly due to tree branches and large overhanging limbs. It's quiet and there's a large amount of vegetation between sites.

Great location & in close proximity to St. Augustine. One of my favorite places to visit in Florida. If you've never been to St. Augustine, I highly suggest checking out this cute, historic city along the coast in Florida. Amazing ocean views and sandy beaches. Some of the best restaurants and shops found among the streets of St. Augustine. There is a location to rent bikes, kayaks, SUP, & canoes. Tent rate seemed higher compared to what I've paid at other locations and states for tent only rates. However, very economical way to see and stay near St. Augustine versus paying high hotel rates. I traveled by car from Gainesville & tented a couple nights while visiting friends that live in Florida. Great area! A+ to Florida State Parks!

The facilities at this camp ground are nearly immaculate. The beach access is spacious and pristine. Water sport equipment rental and snack shack on site. Highly recommended to the beach enthusiast. Caution: concerts at the amphitheater can be heard from some sites if you're tent camping.

My friends and I have tent camped at LTI no fewer than 7 times over the last few years. The sites are nice and tucked away, birds are plentiful and the bathrooms are always very clean. Beach access is a drive (or bike ride) across the street.

From hiking trails two camping fishing kayaking cycling and disc golf!!! Primitive tent camping RV camping or cozy cabins great for the whole family. Reasonably priced. The very friendly staff. A great starter camping location or Family Getaway. I give four stars because the restrooms are not up kept.

Stopped for a night here on the drive down the coast. Lots of turtle nest sites blocked off and an empty beach. RVs are wall to wall with tent sites so bring your earplugs if you're a tent camper or you'll be hearing generators all night.

Many campgrounds in Florida offer either a beach or tree canopy campsite but not both. Anastasia is one of the few that has both and is very well maintained.

Most of the campsites in this State Park have oak tree canopies with the hanging spanish moss that give it a soothing shady feel.

The beach is a short car ride away (or decent walk but not too far).

My visit was for tent camping but the sites have full hookups and there is a dump station for RVers.

Another nice stop on our East Coast bike tour! Spacious sites with picnic tables and water. Charge phone in the bathroom. No hot water for shower the night we were there though, and the tent camping area backs up to the main road into the neighborhood, so we heard car noise throughout the night.

Nice area and staff. Site 142 is big and slightly more separated than the rest of the tent sites. Also closest to the kayak launch. The other sites holy crap no privacy or separation between most of them. Wouldn't want to camp here when they are busy.