Coastal Campgrounds?

[Paulaparm]

Any recommendations for campgrounds near the water in FL? Preferably not too far south. Starting to think if we can find a place, maybe spend the month of January before heading to the Fort. Thanks for your help!
Paula

 

[Bishoparc]

There are quite a few. Where are you coming from/what route?

 

[Stratman50th]

How close to the water? I mean are you looking for a waterfront/beachfront site or a short walk or drive?

 

[Paulaparm]

Coming from northeast PA. We would probably hit 95 around South Carolina but that's not certain.

 

[Paulaparm]

How close to the water? I mean are you looking for a waterfront/beachfront site or a short walk or drive?

First choice would be a campground that has beachfront. But we are also open to walking or a short drive.

 

[iheartglaciers]

I stayed at Fort Clinch State Park on Amelia Island on my way to Disney. They have two campgrounds, one next to the beach (the sites aren't on the beach, it's down a path) and one next to the river side of the island. At the river campground, there are a couple sites at the end where you can see the river from the site, but most are a short walk. The river sites have more shade than the beach sites. I will also say that the river side has beautiful sunsets! There are videos on You Tube that give you a tour of what the campsites look like.

I remember in my research, Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine looked like it had a nice campground by the ocean, but I didn't have the chance to stay there.

Gamble Rogers Memorial State Park has sites right at the beach (seems to be one of the only campgrounds where the sites are that close to the beach), but I could never find availability. It seems to book up as soon as dates are released!

 

[Teamubr]

I have stayed at 2. I'm sure there are more, but I haven't found true beach front besides these 2.

Camping on the Gulf in Destin. Stayed here several times. The only thing to keep you from backing into the water are some posts. Be prepared. If you think the Fort is expensive, this place makes the Fort seem reasonable. The beachfront sites are VERY tight.

The other is Beverly Beach Camptown Resort on the Atlantic side a little south of St. Augustine. It has a seawall seperating the camp sites from the beach and the prices are better than Camp Gulf.

j

 

[Teamubr]

Here is how close you can get at Camping on the Gulf in Destin..

j

 

[Stratman50th]

We've stayed at North Beach Camp Resort in St. Augustine. You have to walk across A1A to get to the beach.
Before I moved to Florida I was very excited to have one of those right on the beach sites. Now, not so much, LOL! I've turned into a worry wart. I don't want to deal with the salt air corrosion.
We had a spot at Destin West resort last May. Really looked forward to it, then everything closed. Still going to go but had to put it off. I think Destin on season starts in May unlike down here where season starts in October. @Bishoparc, is that right?

 

[Stratman50th]

One thing I'll say is you need to do your research (which you are now) and book quickly. If the Canadian border opens up there won't be any sites to be had by next January.

 

[bama_ed]

One thing you'll have to be aware of is the max length of a reservation at places in Florida.

I know Florida State Parks have a 14-day max length (booking window is 11 months out).

I just got back from Jetty Park at Cape Canaveral which is a short walk to the beach from the campground (just behind the sea grape). Don't know their max length but you have to book nearly a year in advance.

Anastasia SP near St. Augustine is nice and walkable to the beach but be careful to check your specific campsite you reserve for the length allowed because some sites are quite short.

There are two state parks north of Jacksonville that allow camping as well (Little Talbot and Fort Clinch). Never stayed at those.

There is also a KOA in St. Augustine Beach that seems highly regarded.

If money is no object you can find a place to stay for the month of January. But of course that is prime snowbird season and those folks know how to play the game. The more affordable places book up WAY early at the max window so you need to plan nearly a year in advance.

Not on the coast but I would also throw out Lake Louisa State Park south of Clermont on Hwy 27 which is only 30 minutes from WDW. If you can get 2 weeks at a coastal place to stay, LLSP rates are manageable (I like the place and have stayed there for 7-8 one night stays and have a stay scheduled for Jan 2022). Of course I booked it at the max 11 month window. You could do a stay on the coast and then come over to LLSP and "ease into" the start of a WDW/Fort stay. LLSP is nice in January. I can usually get a reservation there when I book at the max 11 month window (14 day max stay of course).

January is the high season for camping in Florida and THE MOST expensive time of year so set expectations accordingly.

Good luck!

Bama Ed

PS - many counties in Florida have public (run by the county park system) campgrounds. Generally fewer amenities, a little more run down, but cheap if you can get one. Manatee Hammock in Brevard County (on the mainland across from Kennedy Space Center) is on the Indian River. Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake in Orange County is just north of the Turnpike from Universal area (stayed here once for 1 night). Pretty lake near campground but it's not the ocean. And there might be others along your route in Florida but you will have to look for them in the county park systems.

 

[PaHunter]

As was mentioned above, after being close to the ocean one needs to wash the trailer from top to bottom. Salt water corrosion happens very quickly. I have seen leveling jack systems destroyed from stays "near" the beach. And yes that time of year is always book as early as possible.

 

[BeachMama13]

Camp Gulf is a pretty place to stay. Just keep in mind that if you have pets, you can't stay on the gulf front sites. Our county doesn't allow pets on the beach. There are also several state parks that are in beach areas.

Another nice place we like to stay is Presnell's in Port St. Joe. It's right on the bay and a short drive out to the beaches on Cape San Blas. Very quiet area, generally. There are also a few single RV spots on Cape San Blas that are close to the beach. (Check VRBO, etc to find them)

I think Destin on season starts in May unlike down here where season starts in October. @Bishoparc, is that right?

We have several seasons here... Snowbirds, Spring Breakers, & Summer Tourists. There's usually a nice break between the Summer Tourists and the Snowbirds--but that's also when hurricane season is more active.

 

[Stratman50th]

There's usually a nice break between the Summer Tourists and the Snowbirds--but that's also when hurricane season is more active.

Yeah, we don't really travel toward the end of Hurricane season. We could have gone the end of summer last year but didn't because of that.