There is a supply and demand problem for campsites in the Florida Keys. Not a lot of sites and everybody wants to go. Luckily, this article will give you an edge to successfully book your dream camping trip to the Florida Keys.
For starters, here are the 18 available places to book campsites at (with links to respective web-pages for more info):
⛺️ Bahia Honda State Park (Tent/RV/Cabins)
⛺️ Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge (Tent/RV)
⛺️ Boca Chita Key Campgroud / Elliot Key Campgroud (Tent – requires boat)
⛺️ Boyd’s Key West Campground (Tent/RV)
⛺️ Curry Hammock State Park (Tent/RV)
⛺️ Dry Tortugas National Park (Primitive Tent Camping, must take ferry or plane)
⛺️ Fiesta Key RV Resort (RV)
⛺️ Florida Sea Base Adventure In The Florida Keys (On-Site Glamping Tents)
⛺️ Grassy Key RV Park & Resort (RV)
⛺️ John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (Tent/RV)
⛺️ Jolly Roger Travel Park (Tent/RV)
⛺️ Key Largo Kampground and Marina (Tent/RV)
⛺️ Long Key State Park (Primitive Tent Camping)
⛺️ Sugar Loaf Key / Key West KOA Holiday (Tent/RV)
⛺️ Sun Outdoors Islamorada (RV)
⛺️ Sun Outdoors Key Largo (RV)
⛺️ Sun Outdoors Marathon (RV)
⛺️ Sunshine Key RV Resort & Marina (RV)
The rest of this article will detail strategies for snagging a highly competitive campsite at one of the Florida Key State Parks
How To Reserve A Florida Key State Park Campsite
Competition for booking these sites are fierce. These tips will help you out:
👉 FL state park sites are reserved at https://reserve.floridastateparks.org/. Make an account (free). Play around with the website so you know how it works.
👉 Campsites can be reserved up to 11 months in advance, so be ready to do just that or you will not be camping in the Keys.
👉 You can book the furthest 11 month date out plus up to 13 more days after that.
👉 Sites become available to book at 8:00am Eastern Time sharp and not a second sooner (I’ve tried). If you snoozed and tried to book at 8:00am + 1 second you are waaaaay too late.
👉 Only exception is you may be able to find available tent sites in August when it’s about 1,000 degrees out.
👉 Try booking on 2-player mode (you and your spouse are each poised at a laptop at 7:59am with a fingers hovering millimeters from the clicker
👉 Wait 15-20 minutes after 8:00am to see if sites become available again. Somebody may have screwed up in the booking process (This is how I booked my 8 day trip to Bahia Honda).
👉 Make sure you are logged into your account before trying to book. Because if you aren’t logged in and manage to book, the site will ask you for your credentials and chances are you won’t remember your password and will then lose the site (still bitter about this).
👉 It doesn’t hurt to check for cancellations every now and then. People camping next to me in Bahia Honda got in this way.
Personally, I zeroed in on Bahia Honda State Park because:
- a well-traveled friend told me this was in her Top 10 Places Of All Time
- its close proximity to Key West
- state parks are way cheaper than private campgrounds and RV parks
- I don’t have an RV
- look at the park below (our trip was amazing)
My 8 day trip to Bahia Honda cost $350.70 ($43.84/day) during Christmas Vacation. Great times, and a better rate can’t be found anywhere else in the Keys!
If you at first do not succeed, try and try again. Persistence is rewarded. A little luck doesn’t hurt either, so good luck!
(Updated 12/11/22)
It was luck! I’ve been trying for a month to get a site and haven’t been successful yet and I was already doing all of these things. Someone is bound to make a mistake eventually…I hope!
Hang in there! It will be worth it. Best camping trip I’ve ever been on.
The people one campsite over from me got lucky too. They booked the site just one week ahead of time because somebody cancelled.
Got lucky, went on site, first try, found 2 week slot open one year out.
Grabbed 5 days! Hopefully I don’t forget when it’s time to go.
Awesome!