Demand is high for RV camping near Key West. We can help.

Breathtaking scenery, pleasant weather and a laid-back vibe greet visitors to Key West, but camping here is not easy, nor is it cheap.

Indeed, it’s possible to pay more for a campsite than you would for a hotel room.

Demand is high, especially during the winter season, so plan well in advance. If at first you don’t succeed, keep trying. Cancellations do occur as campers adjust their itineraries.

Here are your best options for an RV campsite near Key West:

Leo’s Key West Campground

Less than a mile from Key West on Stock Island

Leo’s is the closest RV campground to Key West, a short bike ride or a couple of stops on the city bus. And while the rates seem high, it’s actually the least expensive non-military campground within 50 miles of Key West.

Cramped but clean, most of the sites can handle a mid-size RV, but it’s tricky because you have to back into your site from the public street.

There have been some recent changes, including the elimination of a handful of waterfront tent sites, and the bathhouse has been shut down, which means campers must use their onboard bathrooms.

RV sites have sewer hookups, 30/50-amp electric, cable TV and water. Campers have access to a canal with a short paddle trail for your kayaks and paddle boards. Pets are OK.

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Boyd’s Key West Campground

Stock Island, 2 miles from Key West

Boyd’s manages to convey a tropical feel with coconut palms, a swimming beach and waterfront vistas.  There are 150 RV sites with full hookups, including 90 with 50-amp electric service and 30 sites on 30 amps.  Cable TV available, and Wi-Fi is free.  

The campground has restrooms and showers, boat ramp, dockage, laundry facilities and a store with limited supplies. Tent campers have wonderful waterfront views, but the sites are close together.

The campground is gated with 24-hour security. Children are welcome, and pets are OK, with the exception of Dobies, pit bulls, chows, Rottweilers, wolf hybrids and German shepherds. The swimming pool is heated, and there is a poolside tiki with a big-screen TV.

Boyd’s is getting pricey, but when you think about those $500 motel rooms …

City bus service is available, or you can ride your bike into Key West.

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Geiger Key Marina, RV Park and Fish Camp

Geiger Key is about 10 miles from Key West

Geiger Key is far enough away, yet close enough to Key West to provide a laid-back stay “on the backside of paradise.”  The sites are not glamorous, but the overall tropical setting makes up for it.  This small RV park and marina is tucked away behind mangrove islands and palms.

If you are lucky enough to secure waterfront, you can keep your boat outside your door at a long dock for an additional $35 per night ($140/week; $11 per foot over 20 feet). The 37 sites are on a broad gravel base (parking lot, really) with full hookups. 

You don’t want to camp here in a tent, and RV sites are a tight fit.  There’s a laundry, rest rooms, a boat ramp, kayak ramp and dockage.  Kayak rentals are available at the marina, and the kayaking in this area gets high marks.

The waterfront tiki bar (and smokehouse) may be the best reason to stay at this campground. The restaurant is run by the same folks who own the popular Hogfish Bar and Grill on Stock Island.

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Bluewater Key RV Resort

Saddlebunch Keys, 12 miles from Key West

Sites in this upscale RV park are privately owned. Owners make them available for rentals when not in use. Prices are high, but this park outshines all others.

The park is nicely landscaped, much of it by the lot owners, and the sites are spacious.  Many sites are waterfront with docks and tiki huts. There’s a boat ramp and resort-style swimming pool.

Minimum RV length is 24 feet, and all sites have water, sewer, electric (30-, 50-amp), cable TV and Wi-Fi access.  

No tents, no popups or truck campers. Pets OK, but no more than two. Eighteen sites are on a canal; 21 interior sites are in the tropical area; and there are 41 Bayfront sites.

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Sugarloaf Key RV Resort and Cottages

Sugarloaf Key, 14 miles from Key West

Formerly the humble Lazy Lakes RV Resort, this newly rebuilt RV park on a seven-acre man-made lake has undergone a multi-million dollar redevelopment by new owners who took over after the park was destroyed by hurricanes.

The park reopened in October 2023 as Sun Outdoors Sugarloaf Key, transitioning into a luxury resort in 2025 under its current name, featuring 73 full-hookup RV sites and 20 coastal vacation cottages.

Since then, this modern RV park has further expanded to include more sites, more cottages and “glamping” in stationary Airstream travel trailers.

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Sugarloaf Key KOA

Sugarloaf Key, 15 miles from Key West

The southernmost KOA in the United States was rebuilt almost from scratch after Hurricane Irma ripped through the Lower Keys and destroyed almost everything in its path.

This resort-style campground has all the amenities, including a sandy beach, a full-service marina and pool area with a hot tub and poolside bar — and it’s all new.  A handful of tent sites are available for $65 per night, and new Key West-style cabins will now be offered.

The full-service marina has 22 boat slips, and an inlet leads from the marina out to the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, there is a restaurant, cafe, convenience store, game room, miniature golf, laundry facilities and a heated swimming pool.

And Mangrove Mama’s is within walking distance. Read more about the diners and dive bars in the Florida Keys.

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Big Pine Key RV Park

Big Pine Key, 30 miles from Key West

Big Pine Key RV Park, formerly the Big Pine Fishing Lodge and long a staple in the Lower Keys, took a big hit from Hurricane Irma and was sold by the local owners to Cove Communities.

Following the acquisition, Cove restored the property and modernized utility hookups across all RV sites, introducing premium oceanfront “Supersites,” and upgrading the landscaping and recreational amenities, including its signature “rooftop” swimming pool.

The big attraction of this boat-lovers’ campground is access to nearby Looe Key Reef and some fine back-country fishing all around Big Pine and the islands of the Lower Keys.

Presently, there are 97 RV sites with full hookups and 30-amp electric (10 sites have 50 amp), a laundry, dump station and playground. Convenience store on site. Children are OK, but no pets because of the threat to the endangered Key deer.

There are 18 full hook-up sites (FHU) 30/50 amp sites available with boat slip access (at an additional charge).

Boat ramp and dockage, as well as boat rentals and charters, offer access to Lower Keys backcountry fishing and open-water access to the Looe Key Reef for divers and snorkelers.

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Bahia Honda State Park

Bahia Honda Key, 35 miles from Key West

This state park has top-ranked beaches, snorkeling, scenic views, nature trails, boat launch, docks and kayak trails to tropical islands. Boat tours will take you to the reefs for snorkeling, diving and fishing, or paddle the back country surrounding Big Pine Key.

The gravel campground is not that great, other than a handful of bayfront sites that are impossible to book because they are in such high demand. In fact, the entire campground is out of reach for all but the most persistent because of the low cost of a night’s stay ($36).

The popular Sandspur Campground, which includes a dozen beach-front sites, has reopened but still doesn’t accept RVs, only popup tent trailers, vans and tents.

Bahia Honda’s campgrounds are almost always fully booked, although it’s worth monitoring for cancellations.

If you want access to the park’s award-winning beaches and other facilities, consider booking a site at nearby Sunshine Key (expensive) or Big Pine Fishing Lodge and RV Park (moderate by Keys standards) and visit Bahia Honda with a day pass. ($8 for vehicles, $2.50 for pedestrians and bicyclists).

Boat slips are offered in the marina for boat campers. ($2 per foot per night; min $30 per night)

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Sunshine Key RV Resort

Ohio Key, 37 miles from Key West

Sunshine Key is an island city unto itself and one of the largest campgrounds in the Keys. The 75-acre island is surrounded by crystal-clear azure seas, accessible for boats of all sizes and shapes.

This RV resort has been completely rebuilt after it was literally wiped out by Hurricane Irma in 2017. The hurricane completely tore out vegetation, so there is little or no shade unless you make your own.

Sunshine Key doesn’t publish its rates, but when I tried to book a site in July for August or September, the lowest rate I could find online for an interior site was double what it was before the hurricane.

This resort has all the amenities, including a grocery and marina, pool, fishing pier, basketball and volleyball courts, and planned activities for the family.

The campground also has cabins and travel trailer rentals, but the prices are so high, you may as well stay at a well-appointed hotel or on a houseboat in Key West rather than rent a cabin 40 miles away. You certainly won’t be saving any money here.

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*Sigsbee RV Park — Naval Air Station Key West

Dredgers Key, 1 mile from Key West

Only active-duty and retired military qualify to camp here.  As you can imagine, this campground is tough to get into, even if you are military.

There are 93 RV sites with hookups (water, sewer and 30/50 amp electric), 10 sites for tents and 300 sites without hookups in the overflow area, and overflow is where most end up. Townhouse and mobile home vacation rentals are also available.  Only active-duty can make reservations up to three months in advance. For retirees and others, it’s first come, first served.

A retired military friend says campers have access to a very nice (but small) beach with palm-thatched shade huts and kayak rentals. Dockage and boat rentals are avPets OK (up to 2).

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