Florida Key Camping Information.A guide to starting your Florida Key camping vacation right. Campgrounds and resources to save you time and money... The Florida Keys usually average between the low 70's to and mid 80's F, although the average daily low temperature in January does drop to 65 F while the average daily high in August is 90 F. So really the temperature is quite nice all year long, especially if you're used to snow. :-) Monthly precipitation varies from about 1.5 inches in February to 5.5 inches in September. Something to be aware of but not obsess about (listen to your radio) is the hurricane season running from June 1 to November 30 annually, but remember, hurricanes don't keep calendars so they can still strike outside of that timeframe. ;-) If you're planning a Florida Keys camping vacation here are some resources to throw in with your camping equipment. Recommended Florida Key Camping Resources/Books: Foghorn Outdoors Florida Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 900 Tent and RV Campgrounds, by Marilyn A. Moore. This book has a feature called "Top 20 Most Unusual Campgrounds" that notes caves, nudist camps, and skydiving campgrounds, to water slides that plunge you into natural springs. It also covers the 10 most luxurious camps (a good idea if your spouse isn't so keen on Florida camping), bicycling areas, family and beachfront campgrounds, as well as best campgrounds and more. At 630 pages it should keep you busy on your trip. ;-) Insiders' Guide to the Florida Keys and Key West, by Victoria Shearer: For those interested in adding some recreation to their Florida Key camping trip, take a look at this book. Although it can be optimistic in some of it's reviews (i.e. it could do a better job of pointing out negatives about a business as well as the good points) it will save you a huge amount of time in being able to narrow down what it is you'd like to see. With 496 pages on Key West and the Keys it covers a lot of information. My guess is that it will give you ideas about things you hadn't even thought about. Frommer's South Florida including Miami and the Keys, by Lesley Abravanel: If you're looking for things to do in and around the Florida Keys including Miami, maybe a night on the town or a suggestion of where to eat, then you'll want to look here. One of the nice things about Frommer's is they update their books every year, so even though you may come across something that no longer exists you know that the chances are small. They also have a great reputation for their travel books. Florida Key Camping State Parks If you're looking to do some Florida Key Camping I'd go to ReserveAmerica.com as they have a site that's easy to navigate. They have clickable maps that you can use to find Florida Key campgrounds close to where you're planning to go, they give great descriptions of the campgrounds, and allow you to make reservations online. There is a small fee but with camping increasing in popularity it's a good idea to book ahead. Be aware that different campgrounds might charge cancellation charges, for no-shows, etc. But really it's not that big of a deal, after all a reservation is a commitment on their part that they'll hold the lot for you, and if they had to eat it every time someone didn't show up then there's a chance they wouldn't be around for you to camp in the first place. It just makes economic sense, doesn't it? :-) John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park offers 47 campsites with 50 amp service and water. Driveway lengths vary from 20 to 50 feet. Maximum vehicles is 2 and the max. number of people is 8 per site. 9 sites will allow for a one-sided pullout. No pets are allowed. Open all year. Hot showers, flush toilets, and laundry is available within a 3 mile drive. Long Key State Park offers 60 sites with electric and water. All the sites are in one row along the ocean too. Driveway lengths vary from 15 to 45 feet. There is a maximum 2 vehicles per site and between 4 to 8 people are allowed per site. Hot showers and flush toilets are available and a laundry is less than 20 miles away. No pets. Open all year. Note it can get buggy. Bahia Honda State Park offers 80 sites and 6 cabins, cabins accommodate up to 6 people. Driveways vary from 0 to 71 feet. Maximum 2 vehicles per site and 8 people. Water and electricity are available. Hot showers and flush toilets are available, and laundry facilities are within 10 miles of the park. Open all year long. No pets are allowed in overnight areas. Biting insects can also get quite ugly. Although the following are technically considered camping, when you add a marina, satellite TV, and/or a hot tub it's really more of a resort-type atmosphere. Keep this in mind when comparing it to the State Parks. The Florida Key camping parks below can run about 100% to 400%+ more than the State Parks depending on the time of year, whether you're camping in an RV or tent, where your site is located, and what amenities the site provides. This is NOT an endorsement of KOA or Boyd's, it's provided for your information only. I hope you've found my Florida Key camping page helpful.
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