Tent camping in the Florida Keys is still the dream, but it gets more challenging every year as development creeps further into treasured hideaways and hurricanes batter the shoreline.
My favorite tent campground at Long Key State Park took a solid whack from Hurricane Irma in 2017, and then Hurricane Ian in 2022 finished it off. Tent campers can still camp here, but those cherished beachfront sites of yore are history and may never be replaced.
Bahia Honda State Park’s Sandspur Campground, another Irma victim, reopened in spring 2022, and its shoreline sites are once again the cream of the crop. But there are only
Tent sites in the Florida Keys are few and far between, and they are getting expensive. Since the pandemic eased, campground rates throughout the Keys have gone through the roof.
There is no free camping in the Florida Keys unless you are in a boat and mooring offshore. Pitching a tent on a beach is illegal. Tents are allowed on some bridges for anglers as shelter from the sun, but you must stay with your tent at all times or it will be removed.
Tent camping in state parks
State park campgrounds in the Florida Keys are a challenge to book. While it’s possible to snare a last-minute cancellation, planning ahead gives you the best shot. Flexibility on dates and long-range planning are your keys to success.
Florida residents can book state parks camping up to 11 months in advance. The window narrows for non-residents to 10 months, giving residents a 30-day head start.
Are you interested in RV campgrounds? Here’s a story about 18 Florida Keys RV Parks
Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
While Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park has never been my favorite campground for tent camping because of its gravel pads and preponderance of mobile homes and travel trailers, it’s manageable for tent campers who love to snorkel and dive.
Lay down a ground cover and get yourself off the floor with a cot. You’re not in the woods, but all of the sites back up to dense vegetation. Shade is more available on the west side at the rear of the campground, Sites 24 through 40.
The big attractions at Pennekamp are the dive, snorkel and glass-bottom tour boats leaving from a marina a short walk from the campground, and there are many private dive and snorkel outfitters on Key Largo, where this state park is located.
The park has a couple of decent beaches for swimming and snorkeling from shore, although the treasured dives are offshore along the protected reef. Pennekamp is the nation’s first and largest undersea park, encompassing 70 nautical square miles.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Mile Marker 102.5 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037. Phone: 305-676-3777. Camping fee: $36 plus $7 for water and electric. Two tents permitted on each site. Reservations are accepted up to 11 months in advance for Florida residents and 10 months in advance for non-residents online at reserve.floridastateparks.org or call (800) 326-3521.
Related story: Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Curry Hammock State Park
Curry Hammock is a beautiful campground with access to a picturesque beach and water sports, including kite-surfing and kayaking.
The campground is far enough away from the busy Overseas Highway that traffic noise is minimal.
While the gravel pads on all 28 sites are best suited for RVs, most sites have a sandy tent pad. Tent campers should avoid sites #3, 10-19, 21, 26, and 28.
The best sites for tents are on the beach, sites # 6-9 and # 22-25. Each site has a picnic table, grill, water and electric service. There is a central restroom with hot showers.
All sites are $36 per night plus a daily utility fee of $7, and a $6.70 reservation fee per stay. Florida residents 65 and up enjoy a 50% discount.
Curry Hammock State Park, 56200 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050. For park information, call (305) 289-2690. Camping fee: $36 plus $7 for water and electric. Reservations accepted up to 11 months in advance for Florida residents, 10 months in advance for non-residents online at reserve.floridastateparks.org or by phone (800) 326-3521.
Related story: Curry Hammock State Park
Long Key State Park
The cherished beachfront campground at Long Key State Park was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017, and the final nail in the coffin was delivered by Hurricane Ian in 2022.
But tent campers can still find a place to roost at three oceanfront primitive sites with a short hike on the Orb Trail from the parking lot.
Each of these tent sites comes equipped with a picnic table, grill and hammock stand; there are no electric or water hookups. A restroom with cold outdoor showers is available to campers. Pets are OK.
The beaches at Long Key State Park are sparsely covered with sand and the sea is shallow, great for wading to cool off. You’ll often see small groups of people offshore with beach umbrellas stuck into the ocean bottom for shade.
There are several kayak trails worth exploring, including a mangrove tunnel on the main trail, and you still may see remnants of hurricane debris scattered in the backcountry.
Long Key State Park, 67400 Overseas Highway, Long Key FL 33001. For park information, call the ranger station at 305-664-4815. Camping fee: $22.50. There is no utillity fee. Reservations up to 11 months in advance for Florida residents, 10 months in advance for non-residents, by booking online at reserve.floridastateparks.org or calling (800) 326-3521.
For a related story, go to Long Key State Park
Bahia Honda State Park
There are two campgrounds at Bahia Honda State Park that appeal to tent campers, Sandspur and the Bayside Campground.
The oceanfront Sandspur campground reopened in 2022 after suffering severe damage from Hurricane Irma in 2017. When it reopened, availability opened up to short trailers (23′ max) and pop-up tent campers. Larger rigs cannot navigate the tight curves in the campground loop.
The 17 Sandspur sites each have a picnic table, grill, water and electric service. The hard gravel surface makes it difficult to drive tent stakes into the ground at Sandspur, so a stake-less tent works best here. You might also consider a pop-up shelter for protection from the sun.
The sites are nicely spaced to allow for privacy, and all but three are oceanside sites with views of the Atlantic. Only the last site (#72) has a sandy beach below it; the rest overlook a picturesque shoreline with embedded coral rocks that form tide pools.
There are another eight primitive tent sites in the Bayside Campground, which is on a cove near the park’s rental cabins. Although not on the ocean and without utilities, these sandy sites are more in keeping with a tent campers waterfront dream.
The main Buttonwood Campground is not tent-friendly because it is dominated by motorhomes and travel trailers, not to mention the gravel pads, although you will see an occasional tent make it work.
All of the Bahia Honda campsites are close enough to the Overseas Highway to hear some traffic noise.
Bahia Honda State Park, 36850 Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key FL 33043. For the park ranger station, call 305-872-2353. Camping fee: $36. The $7 daily utility fee does not apply to tent campers. For camping reservations, book up to 11 months in advance for Florida residents, 10 months for non-resident, online at reserve.floridastateparks.org or call (800) 326-3521.
Related story: Bahia Honda State Park
Dry Tortugas National Park
This campground is off the charts — 70 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. Home to a Civil War-era fort that later became a federal prison. Today, it’s a national park with camping.
The only way for campers to get there is on a ferry from Key West, an adventure in itself.
You have to bring everything, including your water, and you have to bring everything back, including your garbage. (Max 60 lbs.) There are no facilities. None. Still, it’s very popular and you should plan ahead.
Each campsite has a picnic table, elevated grill for charcoal fires and hooks to keep gear above ground. There are no showers and only composting toilets, which are closed mid-day. Cell phones, wi-fi? Fuhgeddaboudit.
The 15 campsites are first-come, first-serve and cost $15 per person per night. While there are no reservations for a campsite, you must make reservation for you and your gear on the ferry.
The campground is bird-watching paradise and surrounding islands are bird sanctuaries, off-limits to humans, although you can paddle out and observe from a kayak — if you bring a kayak with you. There are no kayak rentals on this tiny island.
Call ahead to the Yankee Freedom to reserve a seat on the ferry and arrange for transportation for your kayak (only three kayaks are allowed per trip). Expect to pay an additional charge. Bring snorkel gear. Maximum weight for gear on the ferry is 60 pounds.
Dry Tortugas National Park, 70 miles west of Key West. Camping fee: $15 per campsite (cash). Ferry reservations: Yankee Freedom III, 240 Margaret Street, Key West, FL 33040. (800) 634-0939. Go here for frequently asked questions.
Related story: Camping at Dry Tortugas National Park
Tent camping at private campgrounds
Private campgrounds in the Florida Keys are getting expensive, even for tent campers, with tent sites priced upwards from $65 a night to more than $100.
But it may be your only option if the public campgrounds are booked solid, as they often are, and it is still cheaper than RV sites or hotels, which are double or more in price.
Key Largo Kampground and Marina
When I last visited this campground, I found the primitive tent sites to be shady and comfortable with a few exceptions.
While this private campground is geared towards RV camping with waterfront sites and private dockage, tent campers do have space to breath along the property’s outer fence. RV’s are not allowed on those sites.
Probably the most attractive feature for tent campers is the availability of dockage for boats (costs extra), and water access to fishing and snorkelers, not to mention its proximity to the Miami-Fort Lauderdale urban center (about an hour or so).
There are 35 tent sites with a picnic table, grill and 20-amp electric (household power). Tents with electric and a grill are $75/night. An oversized tent site or a water-view site is $90. The pads are pea gravel.
Key Largo Kampground and Marina, 101551 Overseas Hwy, Key Largo, FL 33037. Phone: (305) 451-1431. Camping fee: $75-$90. (2024) Reservations online at keylargokampground.com or call 305-451-1431.
Big Pine Key RV Resort
Formerly known as the Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge and Campground, the Big Pine RV Resort has a spacious “rustic” camping area for tent campers with no amenities.
On busy weekends, you won’t be alone because overflow parking is allowed for RV boondocking when the main RV campground is full.
Tenters share three water spigots but cannot hook up. There are 72 tent sites, including 13 oceanfront sites and 14 on the boat basin. Dogs and generators are not allowed in the rustic campsite area. No ground fires are permitted.
The campground is only a few miles south of Bahia Honda State Park and has a boat ramp with excellent access to kayak trails and excellent fishing. Snorkeling is popular on nearby Looe Key Reef.
There’s an unmarked trail on the south end of the campground that twists and turns into a mangrove forest, and you never know what you’ll find out there. I came across a raft abandoned by Cuban migrants in the mangroves as they snuck ashore. It may still be there.
You can also walk or ride a bike down Long Beach Road to the Coupon Bite Aquatic Preserve and hike out to pristine beach. Be aware that residents of Long Beach Road are very protective of their private property, so tread carefully.
Big Pine Key Resort, 33000 Overseas Hwy Big Pine Key, FL 33043. Camping fee: $58 and up (Summer 2024). Reservations can be booked online at covecommunities.com, or call (305) 872-2351
Boyd’s Key West Campground
Boyd’s Key West Campground is on Stock Island, within the borders of City of Key West but not on the main island, a short bike ride away. A city bus also serves the community.
The tent sites in the primitive camping area are close together, separated by low privacy fence, but they offer spectacular waterfront views.
Primitive sites are available with or without water and electric hookups.
Boyd’s has a boat ramp with docks, a heated swimming pool, four bathhouses with dishwashing stations, free Wi-Fi and a poolside tiki hut with TV.
A few blocks from the campground on Front Street is the Hogfish Bar and Grill, a popular local hangout with great food, overlooking the harbor where Key West’s fishing fleet now docks.
On the other side of the harbor off Shrimp Road, are the houseboat docks, a fascinating neighborhood worth visiting. These houseboats once lined the seawall on South Roosevelt Boulevard near the airport until they were forced to move two decades ago.
Far from wilderness camping, and it’s expensive, but you don’t have many choices this close to Key West.
Boyd’s Key West Campground, 6401 Maloney Avenue, Key West, FL 33040. (305) 294-1465. Camping fee: Primitive tent sites without electric or water are $65-$85 (seasonal) for two campers, tent sites with water and electric are $80-$110. Each additional camper is $15. Reservations available online at boydscampground.com or call (305) 294-1465.
Sigsbee Park Campground (Military)
The only campground on Key West is the Sigsbee Campground within the Key West Naval Station complex, which means you can’t get access unless you are active duty or retired from any branch of the service.
The campground has 93 RV sites with hookups (water, sewer and 30/50 amp electric), 10 sites for tents, and 300 sites without hookups for tents and RVs in the overflow area.
Sigsbee Park has a small beach with tiki huts, kayak rentals, dockage and boat rentals, Wi-Fi. The Navy Exchange (PX) is near all camping areas.
Active duty, their dependents, and reservists can make reservations 12 months in advance. Retired military, their dependents, eligible veterans, DoD civilians, and retired DoD civilians can make reservations 6 months in advance.
Sigsbee Campground, 4113 Arthur Sawyer Rd, Key West, FL 33040. Camping fee: Varies. Reservations can be made at www.DoDLodging.net or by calling 877-NAVY-BED.
Related Florida Rambler articles:
- Guide to 18 RV Campgrounds in the Florida Keys
- Florida Keys Mile-Marker Guide
- Archive of articles about the Florida Keys and Key West
Bob Rountree is a beach bum and camper who has explored Florida for decades. Bob and his wife Kathy live in South Florida and roam the Sunshine State in their RV with kayaks and bicycles on board. A retired news editor for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Bob co-founded FloridaRambler.com with fellow journalist Bonnie Gross in 2010.