How can you not love the Florida
Keys? Unlimited sunshine, strong drinks,
and beautiful sunsets.
Oh, I know… the prices. Especially the cost to stay the night in a
hotel. A few months ago, I reviewed the
cheapest places to stay in Key West. But you know what’s even cheaper than $105 a
night for a hotel room? As low as $36
for a campsite. So, without further
adieu, three campgrounds with unlimited sunshine and beautiful sunsets (you’ll
have to bring your own drinks!).
Bahia Honda State Park, Mile Marker 37 (between Marathon and Key West)
Many of the campsites here are on
the water, providing either a view of the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, or
the bay.
For $36 a night, we snagged a site
on the bay.
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| Across the way, cabins that will set you back about $122 a night |
Bahia Honda State Park is beautiful
and provides activities like snorkeling, swimming, and wildlife viewing.
My first warning? A lot of the sites are gravel so beware.
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| If you have an air mattress, now is the time to bust it out. This gravel is no bueno for a good night's sleep. |
My second warning? Even with 80 campsites, this park still sells
out quickly. A quick check of
Reserve America (how you book a night of camping in all of the state parks) shows nothing is
available, not even in the month of May, which is traditionally “off season” in
the Florida Keys. Book as far out as
possible.
Total Cost: $36/night + $8 vehicle entrance to the park = $44
John Pennekamp State Park, Mile Marker 102.5 (Key Largo)
This park is considered “America’s
First Undersea Park.” John Pennekamp has
only 47 campsites and they sell out very fast.
Since it, too, is a state park like Bahia Honda, a night of tent camping
will run you $36.
The main allure of John Pennecamp
is the snorkeling and diving – the boat trips from Pennecamp almost always take
you to Christ of the Abyss.
(Courtesy of You
Tube: CyclingWorks)
This underwater statue was the
third sculpture cast from the same mold that created the original Christ of the
Abyss in the Italian Riviera. The second sculpture is located in Grenada (thank you Wikipedia).
Total Cost: $36/night + $8 vehicle entrance to the park = $44
Kings Kamp, Mile Marker 103.5 (Key Largo)
Frank and I stumbled upon this
campground a few weekends ago when we went hang gliding and couldn’t find a single place to stay all the way from Islamorada to Key
Largo. Even the nearby campgrounds were
booked. So, we had no choice but to stay
at Kings Kamp,
and boy, were we glad!
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| Frank's setting up shop at our campground - with the Florida Bay in the background |
Not only was this private
campground cleaner than most state parks, it offered spectacular views of the
sunset.
To make matters even better, it
was just a short walk to Key Largo “nightlife” like Senor Frijoles,
Sundowners and Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill. Though the price is more expensive than
camping at state parks, the convenience factor of being able to walk places.
Total Cost: $50/night
Other campgrounds where I haven’t
stayed (but want to) include:
- Long Key State Park in Long Key
- Curry Hammock State Park in Marathon
- Sugarloaf Key/Key West KOA near Key West
As long as you are a prepared camper (like a wrote about a few weeks ago here), you’ll have a blast in the Keys and save a bundle.
