Best Cabin Camping near Stuart, FL

Recently took a road trip from New England to Florida with my family and had the pleasure of staying here at the Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

This state park accommodates RVs, tent sites, and cabin rentals with two camping areas -- one (Pine Grove Campground) located close to the entrance, right off of US Hwy 1 and seems to be more geared towards RV sites and the other (River Campground) located about four miles into the park along the Loxahatchee River. We stayed in the River Campground.

Spacious sites offered: water, electricity, a picnic table, & a fire ring… and grounds include two well kept bathhouses with laundry facilities. Trees were sparse in some sections so be prepared to create shade. Our site was visited by a young raccoon who didn't seem fazed by us at all; just wanted what we were cooking.

We only stayed for one night, so we weren't able to take in all the park has to offer, but we did walk some of the nature trails along the river towards the newly built amphitheater and swimming area. Unfortunate for us, the swimming area was closed during our stay -- which would have made the stay twice as nice… but the views were still incredible!

If we ever find our way back to south Florida for camping, we'll definitely come back here.

Hobe Sound FL Jonathan Dickinson SP This park has two campgrounds. Pine Grove Campground, has 90 sites, it is located near the ranger station. These large sites have more space between and foliage for privacy. Sites have clothes line, fire pit, picnic table and are all level gravel. Very nice clean bathouses with family room. None of the washers and dryers were working. There's a playground and picnic Pavilion. Some road and train noise. Had good downpour today and had a little lake at back of site but within an hour it disappeared! Great place to stargaze. Saw a  great full Wolf Moon.

River Campground is more rustic, it has 52 sites, is about four miles from the park entrance, near the Loxahatchee River. Sites close together, no privacy. The River CG is great if you plan to fish or kayak. Close to boat ramp. Sites are dirt. Also more mosquitoes. There's major utility construction going on next to this camp right now. 

Good things- Miles of paved and off road bike  and hike trails, great bird watching, star gazing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing. Seasonal horse back rides. Fun and informative boat tour to Trapper Nelson's. There's a great learning center. Amazon delivers to Ranger station. Stores and restaurants a couple miles away.

Spent 2 nights here to a full campground. Facilities all in working area. Large graveled lots with picnic table, fire ring and bbq grill. Sewer, water, 50/30 amp power. Paved roads with some paved walking trails. Plenty of gravel trails. Ample restrooms and showers. Like 1 bathroom/showerhouse for every 20 campsites with vending, washer,dryers and book game share spot. The buildings are kept clean. Also a nice dump area. Dog cleanup stations are along trails.. Bonus they have a clothes line at each site to toss your towels etc over to dry. T-mobile 3 bars LTE or -104db inside rv. Staff very friendly and helpful at check in. A place to come back to. They also have planned activities throughout the week. During work week you hear road noise from USHwy1. If not for the morning and evening traffic on 1 this would be a 5.

My movie of camping area on youtube.

https://youtu.be/xZbjPdWI4QA

General: Small family-run KOA campground (33 sites) located 1.5 miles north of Fort Pierce on Highway One. All sites are FHU with a combination of regular, premium, and extra-large sites. There is also a tent site area. 

Site Quality: All sites are level and gravel with a fire pit and a brick patio area with a picnic table. Typical RV park layout with minimal to no privacy separating sites.

Bathhouse: Two unisex all-in-ones that were clean and air-conditioned. The shower had immediate hot water and good water pressure. 

Activities/Amenities: There is a small playground and pet area plus a clean spacious laundry area. It is close to town. There is a manatee center and Navy Seal Museum (but we didn’t explore either one) close by in addition to shops and restaurants in Fort Pierce. I was able to enjoy a 3-mile run to town and back on sidewalks. 

This campground was more expensive than we usually like to spend but it was a convenient location for us to have dinner with a family friend. We arrived after the office was closed so did not have any interaction with staff but our check-in paperwork was readily available. We appreciate that we were tucked in at the rear of the property which lessened the road noise (and we didn’t have neighbors on either side of us). I would rate this three stars for our purposes but as it was well-kept and for others may suit their needs, it merits four stars in general.

This park is a haven for bikers and beach going snorkelers! There are 9 miles of mountain biking with trail skill levels ranging from green to black diamond, rated like ski slopes. They are lined with crushed shell and gravel which makes them flowing and fast! There’s also a pump track and skills practice area. There are 2 miles of paved bike trails as well.

Blowing Rocks Preserve beach is about 10 min away on the other side of the intercostal. It is a spectacular site! Limestone cliffs line the beach, and a hard bottom reef lines the shores making for incredible snorkeling! The waters are generally a deep turquoise and crystal clear!

There are two Campground loops. One in the front of the park, mainly for RV as there’s no trees or shade between sites. Because of the lack of trees and the location, these sites get the daily sea breezes! Bath houses and really clean and plenty of them. These lots are huge, with gravel pads.

Water, electric and sewer at every site. Fire rings, picnic tables and posts to hang trash or clothes lines also at each site.

the River Loop is in the back of the park. It has trees and shade but thecsites are a bit more like keyhole lots, very close together and smaller in size. These sites do not get the breezes as they are quite far into the park.

There is river access in the back of the park, with a swimming area, river cruises and canoe rentals. There are hiking trails through the park, and a tower perched atop of the tallest sand dune in the area allows for awesome 360 views. Horse trails and guides horse rides are offered. A playground and historical areas are also there to keep you busy.

We generally stay in the months of May and June as the ocean is quite cold in the spring months.

It gets hot, it’s Florida. There are bugs, it’s camping in nature. Bug spray is a plus, but strong fans seem to be the best way to keep your site cool, and big free.