Learn about Camping in the Florida Keys & Key West
Camping is a wonderful way to get away from it all and experience the natural beauty of the Florida Keys.
Wintertime conditions are ideal, with cool and breezy days. Summertime is hot and a much more breathable tent is suggested (with a rain fly).
If you’d rather not sleep in a tent, a limited number of cabins are available throughout the Keys.
This list is arranged by proximity to Key West:
Boyd’s Campground – Maloney Avenue, Stock Island – Key West doesn’t offer camping, but it’s sister, Stock Island, has an option. Here you’ll find Boyd’s Campground. They offer campsites, as well as RV sites (over two hundred of those), a game room, store, and a small boat ramp (good for canoes/kayaks).
Bahia Honda State Park – mile marker 36.5 – UPDATE: Due to Hurricane Irma, the park was heavily damaged. Currently, the State Park Service has been repairing and rebuilding the park. While the park is now open, camping is only available in two of the four campgrounds. This is an excellent state park, voted one of the top ten beaches in the country by Conde Naste magazine. Snorkeling, beaches, nature trails, and boating are all offered at the park. The campsites are oceanfront, or near oceanfront, and are very popular. Make a reservation well in advance for one. They also offer cabins that can accommodate the whole family. For the camper, you can do no better in the Keys than Bahia Honda.
Big Pine Fishing Lodge – mile marker 33, Big Pine – This lodge and campground is located on the Atlantic (south) side of the Keys and offers a nice rustic option for campers. Also on site is a swimming pool, boat docks, store, and a motel. The flats fishing out front can be very good, especially if you are there early before the light gets too high and the boats and people start to play.
Dry Tortugas-Fort Jefferson – Ft. Jefferson offers very nice primitive camping in the America’s most remote National Park. There are 11 campsites available on a first-come-first-served basis, all located just off of the beach. Each campsite has a picnic table and a grill. Wood fires are not permitted. There is a Park Service charge of $3.00 per night per person for camping. This fee is payable to the National Park Service once you are at Fort Jefferson. (Bring correct change). You can bring kayaks for an additional charge of $35 per kayak. You must bring everything you will need with you including drinking and bathing water. There are no showers, and there is no store on the island.
To get there, you will need to take a ferry or seaplane. Here are the details for transportation to the Dry Tortugas.