Tomoka State Park Campground

This park is built on a foundation of fine sand with campsites carved out of palmettos and tall palm trees for lots of shade and visual privacy.  Really liked it and would go back any time.  

Couple of downers, though, particularly for those contemplating an extended stay:  (1) Laundry machines only take coins, which the concession stand does not provide; have to drive several miles into town to get quarters. (2) There are no plastic bag dispensers for dog cleanup, so bring plenty of your own.  

Other observations are that there is LOTS of critter wild life -- coons, mice, and ferrule cats.  Shower facilities are delapitated but the water pressure is good and the water hot.

Whether you like to get on the water in a kayak, canoe or fishing boat, whatever your mode of water transportation, you are in for a treat here at Tomoka State Park, which offers up more than 2,000 acres of a dynamic, diverse natural playground. This state park gem located in the center of Florida along the Atlantic Ocean east coast, Tomoka is a nature-lover’s paradise offering countless areas to launch your choice of watercraft, multiple miles of hiking trails, splendid fishing spots to cast a line from, semi-private shaded areas perfect for a secluded picnic as well as, of course, an idyllic spot to pitch a tent or park your RV camper and enjoy some outstanding experiences underneath the stars. 

To begin with, what’s with that name ‘Tomoka?’ Well, this unique name heralds from the Timicuan native American tribe that once dwelled here (and can be traced as far north in Florida as Jacksonville – look for Timucuan Preserve). This indigenous tribe thrived in this area due to the abundance of fishing and hunting that abounds as well as being just a perfect spot to establish and build an Intracoastal-led community. Once you get on the water, you’ll be sure to enjoy the 13 mile kayak / canoe trail that is so popular here. 

As for the campground itself, it’s a simple thin, but long and narrow 1-way loop intersected in 3 places that you will discover here at Tomoka SP that offers up some 97 spots for camping. All sites come with a picnic table (some in better condition that others), water and electric lines, wooden T-post w/ 2 hooks perfect for holding a garbage bag in one hook and recycling in the other as well as in-ground fire ring all set upon level sites with hard packed sand. There are 3 very clean and well-organized community restroom / shower facilities, which seemed like just the perfect number, given the total of sites in the campground, with each offering up coin-operated washers and driers as well as vending machines. There’s also a visitors program building that offers up educational seminars and group activities that change week-to-week. A proper dump station is also located at the front of the loop. 

Don’t have a kayak or canoe? Forget something? Need some advice on where to float your boat? Want to get some good local advice on where to go and what to do? Then look no further than Tomoka Outpost, which you’ll come across about halfway through the state park. This cantina-like river-front mini-mart has you covered with both groceries and sundries as well as kayak and canoe rentals. If ever I saw a missed opportunity for a bar / restaurant, Tomoka Outpost would be it. All you need to do is look at the Intra-coastal (or Tomoka River) waterfront real estate that this place occupies, along with its nearly exclusive ability to serve up food & drink for at least a 10 mile radius, before you begin scratching your head wondering why they haven’t set up a proper restaurant and bar. With a near 100% occupied campground space here, along with the day-trippers, it is astounding to me that this hasn’t been though of before now (and forgive me if it has, but not realized for reasons I don’t understand). 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) When you grow tired of trying to conjure up that next meal from what remains inside your RV mini fridge or from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler, then check out the few restaurants that exist for you to try out, wherein I recommend River Grille on the Tomoka for Cajun-inspired seafood or Houligan’s, which is basically glorified bar food; (2) If you don’t mind a slightly longer drive to get there, you’ll want to head to Ormond Beach where you should check out Jimmy Hula’s for arguably the best tacos in all of Florida, Lagerheads Bar & Grill, which is a neighborhood joint which is a down-to-earth seafood eatery or Lulu’s Oceanside Grill that offers up some pretty amazing live music on the weekends; (3) For the best sunset, head on over to Tomoka Outpost and have the Captain pull you a pint of their fresh draught, made especially for them, and munch on some boiled peanuts; (4) Don’t forget to stop by the northern stretch of the peninsula, where you can spy the Tomokie statue, which depicts Oleeta, an Indian war princess who is taking aim at Chief Tomokie with murderous intent as the chieftan had defied the sacrilegious prohibition of imbibing from the sacred Cup of Life, or so the legend goes; (5) As there is sand everywhere here in Tomoka SP, I highly recommend that you bring a box or matte that you can leave all your shoes and flip flops at outside of your tent or RV, otherwise, you’ll end up with sand everywhere inside; and (6) Hats off to the Ranger staff here at Tomoka SP – you are easily the best group of nature professionals I have ever had the pleasure of engaging with while camping. Keep up all your great work! 

Happy Camping!

What a peaceful and relaxing visit to this beautiful campsite. Dog friendly! Really nice fishing spots to relax by the water. Oh but wait… if you forgot an essential, the outpost is sure to have it.

I really wish one thing! That someone would repair the Indian statue!

Stayed here one night while traveling home from Miami. Camp sites seem very private due to vegetation and trees. Showers and restrooms are clean

Clean, well kept. Nice bathrooms, beautiful views, woody separated spots, fire.pits, picnic tables, fishing just feet away. 7 ur old loved earning her Jr ranger badge. Great experiences.

Site was shady and secluded for the most part. Verizon coverage was good for hotspots for working remotely.

Beware the road to the sights are tight! The sites themselves were very nice, spacious, mostly shaded, and plenty of room between yourself and the other campers. Facilities were well kept. Decent trails and fishing spits. Overall a great stay. Will be back!!

Stayed for a weekend. Easy check-in and friendly staff. As mentioned in other reviews, some campsites are pretty narrow and tight. We also had to deal with soft sand. Otherwise a very nice place overall.

This park has just about everything you could want from a Florida State Park. Hiking, MTB trails, kayaking and canoeing, and some of the most private campsites I’ve ever seen. To start, there is the Tomoka Outpost. This fantastic little store has just about everything you might need for your stay. Treats, drinks, souvenirs, and kayak and canoe rentals. There is a boat launch as well for those that travel with their boats. You can kayak the Tomoka River or put in on the other side of the inlet by the fishing area for a more calm and relaxing experience. Almost every site has ample privacy but be cautious when you’re booking as some of the sites will not fit bigger rigs >25’. You are only 2 miles from Ormond Beach which is just beautiful! Publix within a 15 minute drive makes it all the better. I highly recommend this park for your next visit to the east coast!

There are tons of spots most with trees in between. At night it can be quite noisy with the traffic from the road going by. There are tons of spots to launch your kayak from. Fishing areas. Little islands to explore. Our favorite local place.

Riverside campground Mature vegetation with lots of shade. There are 97 sandy sites with w/e. Variety of site sizes, privacy and quality. Road in is one way and narrow in spots. Found it difficult to back in. Sites have fire pit, picnic table. Disappointed that sites are not groomed like most others in Florida. There are three standard bathhouses with laundry. Wash$2. Really nice capstone with firewood,, snacks, etc. Boat launch, lots of areas to fish. At the end of Park is chief Tomokie Historic statue. Hiking and biking is good. A few miles to gas and groceries.

I think this is the perfect park to spend a weekend! Friday evening, we had beers overlooking the water curtesy of the cute camp store that has beer on tap. Saturday, we kayaked and fished in the morning and took a walk in the evening. Sunday we slept in and packed up. Facilities were clean. We will be back!

This campground is one of the prettiest we’ve stayed in. We are always amazed walking through the campground how the mature foliage creates a really nice environment. The majority of the sites have great privacy, most with lush foliage between and behind the sites. The sites are hard packed sand and the ones we’ve stayed in have all been mostly level. Nice short path to the river from the campground and a nice walk on park roads (sand) down to the main water area. The sites on the entry side (one way road through campground) are a little quieter - the sites on the other side have some road noise. This trip we were in site 49 and 30. 49 was nice and quiet as it is in the far end of the loop. Site 30 has the convenience of the laundry right across the street and the path to the water right next to it.

1 giant loop very shaded sites. River down one side so bugs could be a bit much in the late summer. No playground for the kids. Bathrooms were some of the cleanest I've seen. Tmobile had full service.

We are locals and even so, staying in our beautiful park was amazing. Beautiful walks, lots of water access for fishing and watching wildlife, the historical Tomoki statue, and the BEST camp store, Tomoka Outpost. We had cold beer and boiled peanuts and watched the river from their deck. Campsites and facilities were clean and the staff was beyond friendly. We’ll be back!

Good

Absolutely gorgeous park and campground. We loved it and would definitely return. My son and I rode our motorcycles in not realizing there would be a lot of soft sand to drive through and at the campsite. Luckily we both have center stands so it wasn't much of an issue.

We went over 4th of July weekend. Took 2 kids and our puppy tent camping, but the site had an electrical hook up, so we had power. The sites are all super sandy, so be prepared for that. Some sites are more shaded than others, some collected more water when it rained, but we all still had a blast. 10 for 10 would recommend.

Great private campgrounds. Clean bathrooms. Friendly staff. We love how you feel isolated, but there is city life within a few minutes.

This is a beautiful park but be prepared to have every inch of your camper covered in sand. They have a great camp store with kayak rentals. We could put our kayaks in from our site.

From the initial encounter with the ranger at the entrance to the staff running the camp store everyone was super-chill. Campground was well maintained and our neighbors were all well behaved. Next to Blue Spring State Park in Orange City Fl. this park had the best separation between sites of any Florida State Park we’ve experienced. I would say that there is more available for the smaller rigs and possibly no room for monster 5th wheels. I would think really big rigs would also have trouble maneuvering the tight roads here. The park has a boat ramp that allows access to the Intracoastal Waterway and the relatively short Tomoka River and Tomoka Bay. The camp store is right next to the boat ramp and is where you can rent kayaks, buy frozen bait, and some fishing tackle. Best of all they have a couple of local craft beers on tap and some outdoor seating where you can sip your beer and watch people launch their boats. There are hiking trails and you’re in close proximity to Ormond and Daytona beaches. If you’re taking a motorboat out from there and aren’t blessed with local knowledge of the waters do yourself a favor and ask the staff at the store they have maps and were very helpful with tips on navigating the waterway.

This is a very pretty state Campground. The sites are level and shaded with good foliage. Nice clean bathhouse.  Great place to Kayak, bike or hike. Located a bit north of Daytona. Beaches are a couple miles away.

First stay here, loved this place. Typical Florida. Lots are fairly close together but lots of foliage affords privacy. Lovely facilities. Some reviews on various sites stated good cell coverage. As a FYI. It is great for voice coverage but data sucks - even with a WeBoost.

Good place for camping

We returned to Tomoka in early Feb after staying there in January. This time we spent 3 nights in site 84. We still love this beautiful park, but I will say we did not enjoy this side of the campground as much as our previous stay (site 4). This side of the campground has very loud road noise - it’s not highway noise, but definitely not as relaxing as the other side of the campground. Other than that, we still love the campground. Easy to walk around and love being able to walk (or drive) down to the Halifax River for beautiful views and nice sunsets. Sites are mostly level and great cell coverage.

One of the best state parks we have visited. Clean facilities, access for boating on the river and secluded private sites. A absolute must visit.

I really enjoyed Tomoka state park! The outpost was so fun! They have their own beer brewed for them, which was very tasty. You can rent kayaks and canoes via the outpost. The sites are private but not far from the neighboring sites. The road isn’t paved and can be quite bumpy during/after rain. I recommend bringing a bike to get around. The walk from the campsite to the outpost/water can be a trek without one.

We stayed in site 4 in early January. The site had good separation from the neighboring sites and was level. The campground was mostly quiet. There are a couple of small trails right in the campground to see the Halifax River, but to have better views and water access you can walk or drive down near the trading post/picnic area. It seemed like most people were at this park for water activities and/or fishing. We enjoyed just watching the sunset over the river. If you are a pet owner and looking for a dog beach (most beaches in FL don’t allow dogs), Flagler Beach is a short drive from the campground.

Arrived here for a four night, tent stay. The ranger at the entrance was exceedingly graceful when asked to switch from site 31 to 32. The site is nearly level for a 10x12 tent. Partially shaded. Good. Battling the outer bands of TS Eta was no big deal on night 1. Great service from Capt Scott at the Tomoka Camp store. More to follow....

Beautiful park! I wish we could stay longer. So happy we are coming back again on our way back in 2 weeks!