Camping on the Gulf

We went in December 2022 and then August 2023. We stayed here for two weeks in August. Had a few issues but overall this campground is perfect for gulf beach lovers!

First week was lower crowds but as the labor day holiday approached it ramped up. We did the 2 weeks before labor day and that the week that led up to labor day left on Saturday before labor day Monday. Friday before labor day campers were coming in by the groves! Campers were coming in up until 11pm! Traffic was nuts that Friday in the camp ground with campers coming in and tons of kids on bikes. Really had to obey that 4.5mph speed limit. The beach was crowded enough before the holiday, I can only imagine what that weekend looked like on the sand!

Camp gulfs beach area is maybe 100 yards wide. There are posted private beaches to right and left which means no trespassing although a few broke that rule. You have to claim your spot about 6 am if you want at the water spot other wise you may be 2 or 3 rows back from it. I would get there at 7am and i was on row 2. I heard on holiday weekends its 5 deep by 8am! So be prepared for holiday peak crowds! Next year we booked no where near a holiday nor while school is out for summer. They say June and July is 5 rows deep with no elbow room on the beach!

It was quiet for our stay not sure what holiday noise levels are but it seems everyone has always been respectful during ours. I did notice a change in our trip as we were there for so long we saw campers come and go with some only staying a few days. Large families started pouring in as labor day approached and these folks were a little noisier and not as considerate of that nor the encroachment they would do to your spot on the beach. Some got so close on the beach you think they were with you! Even though there was tons of other spaces but they would choose to encroach on your personal space. Thats why i took my review down a star.

2 days were 100 and 101 actual temperature with index’s in 120 mark so it was hot! And we lost power to our section of camp spots a few times until they had to do an emergency main line breaker replacement. The power was always restored with in 30 minutes and the replacement was done with in a couple days and never happened again. Replacement took all of 10 minutes! The heat plus age destroyed the 200amp mainline breaker to our section. Effected about 4 sites i think. We all had a huge power demand due to the heat plus heating up the main line from the sun heat. Camp gulf was quick to fix the issue and i applaud them for that. It was not painful at all! Both times we went to camp gulf the maintenance guys are johnny on the spot!!! Great Staff!!!

To comment on others about sewer pumps being used in rain. First off its not sewer its storm water! Different! The storm drains are permanently clogged from sand understandably, so they use pumps to pump out these drains when it rains heavy. Small rains the drains are slow but handle the run off. Stay away from site 608 and 609. Thats where a pump sits where it majorly floods. The pump is large and loud so i’m sure those sites would have bad reviews. We were site 606 and it didn’t affect us.

Camp gulf’s complimentary Internet is just ok when its crowded. December we got great speeds. Decreased this time due to the campground crowds demand but still hung in there with 12-25mb down and 2-10 up. Not great but still can stream 4k fairly good. Worse part was it would cut out a second or two stopping your stream but oh well. Complimentary and included = your expectations are met.

Next year we booked site 602 as it looked desirable with some better views than 606. We did 606 twice and its ok. Easy to back a large a rig and pull out of but not much of a view. 602 looks to be an easy back and pull out if too for a 40’ 5th wheel.

Advice:
KEEP IN MIND when booking a site think about where your tow vehicle will go. If you have a 45’ toy hauler do not get a 45’ site you will be jn pain with a large studio audience!!! Backing in to something like that will be a nightmare with high pressure as here it can be tight! Then where will you park your tow truck???? Use google and plan accordingly!!! Please for the sake of others and the love of GOD! We saw one guy take 30 minutes to get a 45’ toy hauler and 23’ dully truck just to get the camper in the tight 45’ spot! Meanwhile blocked up a road for 30 minutes, almost completely jack knifed with truck near 90 degrees to camper!

The staff was all very helpful and kind with anything we needed. The spots are extremely tight so be prepared to make friends with your neighbors. We had a spot just across the road from the beach, so it was nice to only have to walk a few feet to get to the beach. The campground owns that small strip of beach but to the left or right is private. So our section of the beach was pretty crowded at times. The shower house and laundry room was super clean and really nice! If your looking to go somewhere and do nothing but sit on the beach and maybe go to their pool, this is the perfect place.

The beach is stunning- just about the only thing this campground has that makes it worth the trip. This park costs as much as our week at Disney fort wilderness and it’s nothing comparable. Retaining walls crumbling and held up by 2x4’s. Sewage problems that have to be pumped off with equipment when it rains. This equipment stays on the campsites. Has two small pools, one has a slide but the slide is only operated a few times a week for a few hours. The sites are small- you are packed in. Some sites were so close that neighbors couldn’t even open their awnings completely. The location is far from the good restaurants and down town area so plan for a half hour drive each way in traffic for dinners and activities due to the location. Dogs not allowed on the beach at all anywhere in this county including this campground.

We absolutely loved our time here with our two young children. We stayed in the upper area closer to the heated pool and hot tub short walk to the beach, was easy for the kids to play on the beach. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Getting in and out of the sites can be kind of challenging with big rigs. Starlink worked excellent here.

This was my first time here. I spent 3 nights off beach and 5 nites on the beach. Absolutely wonderful park. EVERYONE was welcoming and the staff was great. The park is very clean and well maintained. All the off beach sites are solid on pavers. The beach sites are obviously sand. The beachfront sites can be tight to get into if they are full. I got my 40' 5er in there easily as it wasn't packed. I don't know how difficult it would be to get a 45' 5er in though, may be a little challenge when it's packed. All in all it's a great place and will definitely be back to visit.

We stayed in site 606 and loved it! Its easy to back in and pull out of. We went 12/12/22 - 12/17/22 my only regret is the time was not long enough. The walk to the beach from this site is close! And easy! We lucked out and the folks beside us left then we could get a limited view of the beach from our bedroom window. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Internet was very good, once we figured out which one to connect to.

During our stay we rode out a tornado warning with gusts of 40mph or worse! Scary!!!! Our slide toppers looked like they were going to rip off so we pulled them in. Learned later to put ropes over them with sand bags to pull them down so wind wont get under them! During this time it rained buckets and the maintenance workers worked out in it to relieve stopped up drains and pump water to prevent flooding. I was impressed by this because this was in tornado weather! They seem to work hard.

We were excited about beach glamping been dreaming well before we bought a camper. We booked a trip in august 2023 as soon as we bought our first camper. So we couldn’t wait and booked a quick trip in December. We loved 606 so good we changed our original august site to 606 and extended our trip to almost 2 weeks for that august trip.

We like the sand spots but you cant have animals which wont work for us.

I recommend. It is sandy so be prepared to take shoes off and carefully not track sand in. But its the beach and we love sand!!! It cleans up lol!

Book early because this place is very popular! For good reason - it's one of the best. We stayed for a full week and really took advantage of the amenities which include private bathrooms and glass showers with rainfall shower heads. Laundry facilities were equally amazing. Walk to the beach is 0-5 minutes depending on where your site is at. Beachfront spots are obviously very cool but they are super close to one another and there's a ton of foot traffic in that area all day long. Food truck on site open during the day. Golf carts everywhere but we didn't find a need. Great spot, worth going out of your way to plan any amount of time here. Starlink worked great at our site.

Site was very level and conveniently located near laundry and bath house. Greenery between sites provided privacy and obscured neighbor’s sewer hook-up. Beautiful beach with access point for all campers. We arrived late and they had a great after-hours set-up. Close proximity (driving distance) to groceries, dining, shopping and attractions. Very happy with the experience!!

Two stars for the location and the fact that this is a truly unique experience, being right on the beautiful panhandle beach. It ends there though. We arrived at check in time and were told we couldn’t get to our site because of flooding. Annoying but we understand that weather happens. The attendant told us to park at Walmart and that we would be called as soon as our site was ready. We waited, and waited, so we called. Two hours later and after being on hold for at least 30 minutes we were told we could come. Never got a call. Bad service.

Also, the pools were not heated as advertised. And the wifi is TERRIBLE. It was so hard to get connected I stopped trying. The one time I could connect it was dial up slow.

It’s unfortunate, for the price, this place should be run better. But it’s a great spot and it is always full so there is no need for customer service I guess.

We camped here in December and were pleased to get mild weather with upper 60s & low 70s. Not warm enough to swim, but sunny enough to sit and enjoy the waves and the sun.

Beachfront sites do not have sewer and can be tricky getting into if your rig is lighter. There is lots of sand and our 24ft motorhome lost traction while backing in. We had to go forward and then reverse fast so our momentum carried us into the site. The sites are very tightly packed and you'll be close to neighbors who possibly forward face so you'll be sharing your "porch".

Despite the negatives, being able to listen to the ocean at night and watch the sunrise/sunset from your RV is amazing. We've camped in the gulf before, but never this close to the ocean. This is a definite "must do" if you're driving distance to the panhandle.