There is nothing else like the Everglades–this river of grass–in the whole world. You cannot find it anywhere else but in South Florida. That means, for us FL residents, that you are a very fortunate person indeed.
I’ve never gone camping in the Everglades, but I really want to–and this post started as a personal project in planning for my first trip, but when I started to amass all this information it became clear to me that everything I found out could be really helpful for other people too, so I decided to post it to the blog.
If anybody has additional information about Everglades camping, please drop a line in the comments. Thanks!
The Two Drivable Campgrounds In Everglades National Park
The two main campgrounds in the Everglades is the Flamingo Campground and the Long Pine Key Campground. Both are managed by Flamingo Adventures (direct link, reservations can be made at the Flamingo Adventures website).
Flamingo Campground
Flamingo Campground is located at the tip of the Everglades and you get there by entering through Homestead (see map below for location of Flamingo Campground and all other campgrounds in this article).
The Flamingo Campground accommodates tent and RV camping. They also have Eco-Tents, which is basically a sturdy cabin-style tent on an elevated wooden platform that comes with a bed. Another option is houseboats, which you can use to either hang out at the dock or to explore the surrounding waters.
According to Flamingo Adventure:
The campground has showers, two dump stations, picnic tables, grills and an amphitheater for winter programs. The sites at the T Loop campground include pull-through parking spaces and some limited number have electrical hookups. T-loop has 30A-20A-50A pedestals that DO NOT have water at the sites. Filling stations located next to the dump station. Reservations are suggested for these campsites.
Also, there is no gas for cars or RVs, so make sure you fill up in Homestead. There are limited supplies at the store at the campground, but I’d recommend coming fully stocked with your own gear.
There are canoe, kayak, and boat rentals available. There is also a 7 mile, one-way hiking trail on the eastern edge of the campgrounds that leads to a secluded beach. Be prepared for muck, mud, water and skeeters on the hiking trail.
Long Pine Key Campground
Long Pine Key Campground is also accessed via the Homestead entrance. The bonus is that you don’t have to drive near as far to get there, compared to the Flamingo Campground, but you still get a full Everglades experience.
The campground accommodates tent and RV camping, but it is reported that there are no RV hookups. Amenities include restrooms, cold showers, a dump station and fresh water fill-ups.
Long Pine Key Nature trail passes through the campground area and is a popular place to hike or bike. As always, expect mud and bugs.
Booking and Fees:
To book a site at the Flamingo Campground or at the Long Pine Key Campground and to see the latest pricing information, go to Flamingo Adventures Website or call them at 855-708-2207.
Backcountry Everglades Camping Options
If you’re feeling adventurous, you first need to grab a backcountry camping permit from either Flamingo or Gulf Coast Visitor Centers. During the summer months (not a good time for Everglades camping) the permit is free and during the winter months the permit costs $15 + $2 per person, per day and is good for up to 14 days.
The permit allows you to go backcountry camping in the Everglades, which will require you to get to your camp site by boat, kayak, or canoe.
There are 3 types of campsites:
- Chickee Sites – Located along the bay and rivers that don’t have any dry spots, a Chickee is an elevated 10’x12′ wooden platform that you can set a tent on. You cannot stake or nail the tent to the platform though. A “toilet” is included.
- Ground Sites – Ground sites are mounds that are elevated around its surroundings in an attempt to keep you out of the water. Bugs are plentiful at these sites.
- Beach Sites – The beach sites are located on the coast and give you an opportunity for some of the best beach camping you will get in your entire life.
There is A LOT of planning that needs to go into a backcountry camping trip to the Everglades, which goes well beyond the scope of this article. I suggest that you start here with the National Park Service. They have a lot of tips, guides, and contact information to get your trip planned.
Camping On The Everglades’ Doorstep at Collier-Seminole State Park
Everybody knows that I love Florida’s state park system, which, in my humble opinion, is the greatest state park system in the USA. One of these amazing state parks, Collier-Seminole State Park (direct link), lies right on the doorstep to the Everglades.
It practically is the Everglades (see on map below). The state park is located at 20200 Tamiami Trail E., Naples FL 34114 and can be contacted at 239-394-3397. The website says: “The 7,271-acre Collier-Seminole State Park lies partly within the great mangrove swamp of southern Florida, one of the largest mangrove swamps in the world.”
For some reason, I guess they aren’t allowed to say that the “great mangrove swamp of southern Florida” is the Everglades. A technicality, I suppose. Camping is available here along with lots of paddling opportunities in the mangroves and easy access to the official parts of the Everglades.
Camp On The Everglades’ Doorstep At Picayune Strand State Forest
Near the above mentioned state park, is the Picayune Strand State Forest (direct link, includes lots of good info). This state forest is composed of 72,995-acre, much of it underwater (In the old Florida land scam days, prospective buyers would be flown over this land during dry season and would find their newly purchased land hopelessly underwater during rainy season).
Camping is available here and can be reserved online (direct link).
Camp At Big Cypress National Preserve
The enormous 729,000 acre Big Cypress National Preserve is located north of the Everglades, and basically feels like the Everglades. There are eight front country campgrounds available, which you can check out here.
There are also backcountry camping opportunities available for those of you who have off-road vehicles or want to hike all the way in. Learn about those camping opportunities here.
I could do a mega-post (and probably will someday) on Big Cypress National Preserve, but the above links are more than enough to get you started on planning your camping trip there.
The purple markings are approximate locations of the camping sites; only exception is Big Cypress, in which I was too lazy to figure out the exact locations of all the campsites.
I’m still working on getting the rest of my trip planned out, but in my opinion, the Flamingo Campground looks to the most enticing to me right now, due to it being on the tip of the Everglades and I look forward to driving all through the Everglades to get there.
Although, I plan on hitting up just about all these spots mentioned in the article over the course of the next few years. I can’t wait!
To get more in the mood for the Everglades, I recommend reading the excellent and classic River of Grass and also The Swamp, which examines the many attempts that have been made to destroy the Everglades and now the attempts to save it.
