Best Camping in the Keys
Love to camp? Here are some of the best places to camp in the Florida Keys to visit on your next family camping trip. We took a family camping trip to the Florida Keys and stopped in the Florida Everglades on the way. Camping in Florida can be hot but it’s fun to explore the islands in the Keys. I share the best beaches in the Florida Keys with breathtaking views and the best snorkeling. Keep reading to learn Where To Camp In The Florida Keys.
Can you camp for free in the Florida Keys?
You can probably find a way to camp for free in the Florida Keys but we paid for our campsite. One way to camp for free is to become a campsite host.
How much does it cost to tent camp in the Florida Keys?
You can tent camp for around $14/night at Bahia Honda and save a ton of money. Bahia Honda is one of our favorite places to visit and I discuss more our day trip to Bahia Honda below.
Can you camp anywhere in the Florida Keys?
There are designated campgrounds in the Florida Keys. We camped at the Jolly Roger on Marathon Key.
The Jolly Roger Campground
We stayed at the Jolly Roger Campground located at the North End of Marathon Key. Our campsite was steps away from the ocean, even though it wasn’t a seawall campsite, it was still nice to look outside and see the water.
At night we would walk down to the “boardwalk” and watch the sunset. The sunsets are beautiful in the Florida Keys!
Our Favorite Amenities at the Jolly Roger:
- Boat Ramp and extra parking for boats/jet skis
- Snorkeling right off the seawall
- Kayak/Stand Up Paddleboarding right off the seawall
- Fishing off the dock areas
- Laundry Facility
- Showers/bathrooms (these are very clean too)
- Private Beach with lounge chairs
- Large tiki gathering area
- Heated Pool
- Dog Park
You’ll want to bring some water floats so you can lounge in the swimming area. I recommend water shoes when snorkeling in the Keys but if you forget to pack them, you can find affordable water shoes at the closest Walgreens (which is where we ended up buying some!). The water shoes came in handy when we biked to Pigeon Key (more on that below).
The Jolly Roger has strict rules so pay attention to those. They do not have a fire ring or outdoor grill station so bring a grill if you want more food options other than using your camper’s indoor/outdoor kitchen. Just pay attention to the rule that you can’t sit a gill or open fire on top of their picnic tables.
There isn’t much shade at the Jolly Roger so you might want to pack some extra thermal window shades, etc if you are staying during the Summer months. It get hot in Florida during Summer!
We brought our dog with us on our camping trip to the Keys and he loved it! The Jolly Roger has a dog park that gives dogs the chance to run and do their business. Our dog made many friends during this trip!
Bahia Honda
We spent the first day of our camping trip in the Keys at Bahia Honda State Park. They have campsites available at Bahia Honda and we even saw tent campers there (in the hot sun!).
Bahia Honda is a beautiful beach with amazing snorkeling. The beach has a rocky area but the water is shallow with sand until you go out further where there are grassy areas and many underwater creatures to see.
The water is a beautiful teal see-through color.
We left our phones in the car so we could really enjoy our family time on this beach. We packed a soft cooler bag with lunch (sandwiches, snacks, and fruit) and plenty of water before heading to Bahia Honda around 9:00 am and we stayed until around 12:00 pm.
There are campsites available at Bahia Honda and if you can get one there you will most likely love it. You camp right on the beach and I saw RV’s and tent campers there.
We have not camped at Bahia Honda so I can’t say much about it other than what I saw.
Pigeon Key
Pigeon Key is a 5-acre Island between Marathon Key and Key West. Pigeon Key has been used for various purposes over the course of history and we were able to visit Pigeon Key during this specific camping trip.
To get to Pigeon Key you must walk or bike 2 miles over the Old Seven Mile Bridge or take a ferry (speed boat). The Old Seven Mile bridge was closed between 2017 to Jan 2022 (we took this trip in June 2022).
We took a day trip to Pigeon Key to visit the island. Many people that visit the Florida Keys pass by Pigeon and miss out on its beauty. It really is the most beautiful Key in Florida in my opinion.
We packed a small soft cooler bag with water bottles, sandwiches, and snacks. We parked at the parking lot that connects the bridge to the island and we biked 2 miles over the bridge. You can easily walk it, but biking will be a lot faster and cooler if you visit during the Summer months.
We wore our bathing suits with water shoes since we planned to snorkel on the island. I filled my backpack with our snorkels and a few beach towels. Having a bike basket really helps to carry essentials for a day trip like this.
When we arrived to the island entrance, we paid a small fee to enter which included a tour. The tour included an hour-long story about the history of the Island and then you were free to roam around and look at the buildings, swim, or snorkel off the pier.
Swimming at Pigeon Key was amazing! The water is beautiful because the island doesn’t get many tourists. We saw many fish and underwater creatures snorkeling under the pier and jumping off the pier was a lot of fun.
They have a shower at the pier so you can rinse off when you are ready to leave. There were a few families with small children that took the ferry to the island, but even if you take the ferry, you can choose to walk back on the Old Seven Mile Bridge.
The bike ride back was fun and we were able to dry off quickly during that bike ride. My kids are 11 and 9 years old in case you are wondering if your kids would enjoy the bike ride on Old Seven Mile Bridge. We all thought that little adventure was the highlight of our trip.
Key West
My husband and I have visited Key West several times and even spent our honeymoon there. Key West is very touristy but if you’ve never been, you really need to visit Key West if you are in the Florida Keys.
Key West is about an hour’s drive from the Jolly Roger campground in Marathon Key. So we packed a few snacks and water and headed out there for the day. I really wish we had brought our bikes but we didn’t plan to go all over the island.
It was very hot walking on Duval Street and it was very crowded. We parked at the end of the street close to the Southern Most Point. Our kids have been there before but were stopped to take a picture to document the experience.
Then we headed to Sloppy Joes (which was at the other end of Duval St. This is when I wished we had biked instead of walking because it was a hot summer day!
We had lunch at Sloppy Joe’s (which is always busy). We had sloppy joes, tacos, and cocktails. The food and service were perfect after that long walk. After lunch, we headed to Mallory Square to Kermit’s to get our favorite Chocolate Covered Key Lime Pie on a Stick. You have to try this when you visit Key West!
There are a few other places we loved to visit in Key West but some places are no longer there. There was a shop called Peppers that was my favorite but after the 2020 lockdowns, they went out of business. They sold hot sauces but also had a bar where you could sample them with tortilla chips. They let you grab some beers from the bar next door and you could sit there and drink and taste all the hot sauces. I really miss that place!
I also recommend taking the trolly around the island to see the various landmarks (Naval base, Hemmingway House, etc. We’ve taken the trolly on a previous trip and it beats walking in the heat!
Key Largo
If you are familiar with the Beach Boys’ song that mentions Key Largo, their song makes it sound like paradise.
We took a day trip to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park because we heard the snorkeling there was good. You can take a boat out to reefs and snorkel but we wanted to snorkel around the beach area.
Although we did see a crab that was at least a foot long, the beach felt dirty and we didn’t stay there very long.
We saw many campers at the park and they also had a little museum that was free to see some of the water creatures which was interesting.
I’m glad we stayed at the Jolly Roger after seeing this campground and I wasn’t impressed with the free amenities.
Wrap up about Camping in the Florida Keys
I hope you enjoyed reading about our family camping trip in the Florida Keys. We visited many of the islands and I’d visit the Jolly Roger campground again.
Watch the Video Highlights of our Camping Trip at the Jolly Roger in the Florida Keys
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