Gulf State Park Campground

We were only able to get 2 nights in a row (without having to sitehop) here and reason is - they allow long term stays in the winter. Wow! I can see why people would want to book a few months here. Our site was a long back in with the sewer too far forward (so we just dumped on our way out of the site) and at trail and a service road / trail behind us. Wasn't super impressed with the site at first as we were on the main road and there were cars & trucks going by constantly. And not slow either... but then I walked some of the trails - fabulous! The beach is gorgeous! The boardwalk trail was awesome - saw turtles, an armadillo, an alligator & two bald eagles in a tree. Having a bike here would be great. Nature Center was awesome and staff in check in & Nature Center very nice! The waterfront sites are very nice & far enough apart.

PROS

Quiet

Minimal streetlights

Site 435 level

Asphalt parking pad is extended as an area for the picnic table

Pedestal BBQ in good condition and free of ash upon arrival

Moveable metal and wooden picnic table

Super clean climate controlled bathhouses

Very nice, large, park laundromat with coin changing machine. Detergent sold at camp store. Recycling available at dump station

Super bike trails

Good park WiFi

TMobile 3 bars

CONS
No senior or vet discount

15.25% resort fee charged

15% sales tax charged

$5 reservation fee charged

Site 425 no shade - we were HOT in January!

No info provided that state park does not provide campfire rings. Campfires are permitted but you must bring your own campfire ring/pit

Picnic table top rotted leaving large holes

Two roll-off compactors for the campground located at the dump station near the entrance/exit. If you are not camping in that area you are in for a hike

After spending a month in more rustic campgrounds across the us with beautiful nature yet fighting for any tv reception and trying to use one measly bar of cell coverage for internet access it’s nice to take a break in civilization.

Nice, big campsites, wifi faster than at home, pools,pickleball, tv reception, restaurant and good weather. The washrooms are clean and nice, and good showers too.

It’s just really nice to have a break.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars was from the road noise. That would quiet down at night. Also so many taxes tacked onto the base price including resort fees. However, with that being said, we would definitely come back. Trails galore! There is a swimming pool, tennis courts, etc. Sites are well spaced and very clean. They do have someone at the gate house 24/7. Gulf State Park has free bikes to use. Need an app to use them. Beaches are amazing. Not a perfect campground, but close!

This place is a very well run State Park campground with something for almost everyone.

All campsites are FHU and big rig friendly. Majority are back ins but angled so easy to get into. There are some pull through. Roads are all paved as are sites. Sites are generally open though some on the edges of loops have a little more privacy. There are a number of waterfront sites which are definitely desirable for wildlife watchers.

Utilities were all good, water pressure was decent. Verizon and AT&T were both good enough to support streaming. There were about 30 OTA channels. Facilities were all maintained and everything was very clean.

Lots of resort like amenities here, pool, pickle ball, tennis etc. There is a decent store and a nature center. Outside the campground but still in the park is the beach, pier, hotel, cabins and restaurants.

The park has 28 miles of paved trails and additional miles of unimproved trails. Trail markings and maps are excellent. You can get to the beach and pier without crossing a main road thanks to boardwalks. Trails extend beyond the park as well, we rode our bikes to a different coffee shop each afternoon.

The campground is huge, the park is even bigger so bring a bike. Don’t have a bike? No worries, they have free bike share stations all around the park or you can rent a bike, e-bike and even a bike with a child trailer.

Wildlife viewing is excellent, we saw
Alligators, Eagles, herons and more.

Price is the only thing keeping this from being a 5 star campground. A week here is nearly 4 bills after fees and taxes.