Fort De Soto Park Campground

We had a great two nights (an October Sunday and Monday night) in site 13 (tent/small camper area) immediately on the water. Close to clean restroom/showers, friendly check in and camp store staff. The overall park is huge and we were glad to have our bikes. Quite a variety of things to do: fishing, kayaking, biking, swimming, self guided fort tour, ferry launch to Egmont Key. The campground was exceptionally quiet and mostly empty. We had beautiful breezes off the water and while we had a little rain, the course sand/pebble footing of the campsites drained well.

The fee sounds high but it gets you parking pass for all the beaches and access to the fishing peer which you don’t have to have a license because they purchased a peer license. So in reality it is a good deal the park is quiet the staff were friendly water side spots are very nice. Had a visit from the neighborhood trash panda but that was enjoyable!

Were blessed to get in here by booking on a Friday morning when they put up the 10% that is held back for Fridays - sites situated around outer edge of a peninsula with some pull-thrus in the middle - lots of palm trees and foliage for privacy and give it a tropical jungle-like feeling - very nicely maintained with easily accessible bathhouses with washer and dryers at each bathhouse - water and electric - would be a 10 on a scale of 1-10 if they had sewer too; however the dump was easily accessible also - we kayaked right off the back of our site and saw several others daily doing the same thing - North Beach was beautiful and visiting the pier and old fort and museum were interesting - nice seafood restaurant Billy's Stone Crab within a mile was very good -

I was so happy to find a last minute site here, all the state parks on the west coast were booked. Our site was in the tent/pop-up/van section. Online it says only room for sixteen feet, not true, I think many of these spots could actually fit the length of an RV, just not the height it width. Our site, 29, was in the middle, but an easy walk to the outside to watch the sunset. No fire rings, but there was a grill for charcoal.

Overall, site and location of campground was five stars, but the shower was so crappy I can't even believe it, especially for the price we paid. The water was a trickle. Couldn't even wash my hair. Really disappointing, especially since we were in the tent area, where obviously people don't have their own shower with them. No doors for the showers, just curtains and you have to hang your towel and clothes outside in the open area.

Not a place I would stay for more than a day.

We loved this park of which the campground is a good base.

Camp Sites: The outside sites were spacious with lots of trees and foliage between creating a private environment. The sites within a circle were a combo but we saw only 3 that were too open. We had site 80 which I would not recommend for class B or C camper vans due to a palm tree in the driveway opening. I would recommend the beach sites for sunsets but the wind on these is very cold in Jan. Site 80 was on the other side and wind was not an issue.

Bath Houses: very clean, well lit and the hottest water I have ever experienced around mid afternoon. My only negative was there was really no place to change clothes privately in our particular bath house. They were not all like this. The washer and dryers worked well.

Loved that pets were in an area that we were not.

The biking is wonderful with 6-8 miles of very well maintained paved paths that include 2 beaches and a historic fort. We were here in Jan so we missed the crowds.

This campground really is magical. Even though we spent most of our stay working from our site, it was so beautiful and relaxing to be here.

Reservations are tough to get, I booked in August for a January stay and still could only get weekdays and had to site hop once. If you go last minute they do have some walk in sites, and I did see some last minute reservations open up for weekdays, so definitely try. Reservation website is annoying to use, but persevere!

I think area 3 definitely has the best sites. We stayed in 228 first. You couldn't see the water well from this site, but you could walk through the plant life and within 10 steps you were on a beach where you could set up your camp chair and enjoy the view. The site was super private and had "jungle-y" palms that we loved. Beautiful sunsets on this side.

We actually enjoyed 184 better which viewed the channel and had beautiful view, but wasn't quite as private. I think the channel views on this side are as beautiful as the ocean views.

I think 202 - 210 are the best views in the campground, but hey, all the water view sites are beautiful, can't complain. Even the interior sites have a pretty jungle feel.

You can't swim at the campground, but to make the most of your experience, rent kayaks. We didn't have time to do this, but Pinellas Kayak Rentals will deliver kayaks right to your campsite to use for a day or a few days, so give them a call right before you get there.

Only 1.5 miles to get to the nearest swimming beach, and a few miles more to get to another. Quick drive, 10 min, to restaurants in Tierra Verde, and 5 minutes further to St. Pete Beach.

Long lines for dump stations. There is a recycling bin right outside the campground.

Perfect signal on our verizon hotspot for work.

We will definitely return next year, but we will reserve 6 months in advance on the dot so we can stay for a full two weeks.

We had high expectations for this park. Never had we visited the west side of Florida and were eager to witness the magnificent beauty we had heard so much about. Not our cup of tea. The traffic was horrible getting there, taking Highway 98 south into Highway 19 with stop and go traffic from Clearwater on. Highway 98 was beautiful coming from the north, but turned terrible as soon as we left the more wild areas of the north. The day’s travel from Manatee Springs to Fort De Soto made us appreciate where our base camp sits and why we left Melbourne almost a year ago.

Fort De Soto Park Campground itself was OK but not exactly dog-friendly. The beaches were off limits and only one section of the huge campground allowed pets. Of course, there are plenty of inconsiderate dog owners who let their little babies bark and bark at everything. Many big rigs which in itself is a warning we will not be happy. A different sort of vibe when the big rigs abound. There was only one bar (going in and out) for AT&T service so again no television streaming for our news of the Trump shutdown, no calling family or friends if needed, and no updating our blog or doing any type of searches for upcoming travels. Very disappointing.

An eight mile bike ride out to the North Beach and Fort De Soto was pleasant, and there were enough sand roads to take Bob the dog for his morning and evening constitutions, but all in all a disappointment. The restrooms were OK, the showers hot, but the water pressure somewhat lacking. Washers and dryers were available at every restroom.

We love to camp at Ft. Desoto and camp there several times a year. They offer water & electric hook up and have several dump stations. Sites 211-218 are some favorites if you have a Travel trailer or larger without pets. The Pet area has a few spots that are nice & on the water favorites are 135-138. With the cost for camping you get a pass to drive out to the beach each day which would be $5.00 per day so it helps with the cost for camping. Most sites are nice sized with some privacy between you.

If you have a canoe or Kayak you can launch them right from your campsite. Most of the year there are Manatees in the bay you can see them when Kayaking. The Cormorant's follow you around in the Kayak it stirs up fish under you when paddling it's so funny to see them swim under you & catch fish. Dolphins are seen there too. There is a boat ramp 5 minutes away if you have a bigger boat & need a launch. Lots of shore birds, Blue Herons, Egrets, Ospreys & many more including Raccoon's (don't leave anything out even for a minute day or night it will be gone).

What a beautiful beach (north beach is my favorite) has an island you can Kayak out to.

Close by are several places to eat, Billy's stone crab house, Tony & Nello's Italian style), Island grill which has a pool you can swim in if your eating or drinking there, Marcos pizza & more. Marcos pizza delivers to the campground which is so nice.