Henderson Beach State Park Campground

Henderson Beach is a recent addition to the State Park system and is doing a commendable job protecting and restoring the natural environment on this small parcel surrounded by high rises and attractions. It’s a respite from the chock-a-block commercialism of US 98. The campground is well-designed with sites being nooks of privacy created by native shrubs. There is a quarter mile path and boardwalk to the white sand Gulf beach. Bathhouses are in good repair with hot water and good pressure. Coin operated laundromats in each of the two bath houses. There is free WiFi near bath houses and good OTA tv, but Verizon was weak. After a 1mile bike ride on the busy and fast US 98 bike lane, there is a 10+ mile bike path on Scenic 98.
While conveniently located off US 98, the highway noise pervades the camp. Other than the beach and a half mile nature trail (distant from camp), there are no hiking trails. Dogs are not allowed on beach nor boardwalk, so dog walks are limited to asphalt roads in camp and day use area and nature trail.

If you read through the reviews from 2018 till now, you’ll notice a marked change in tone. The reason? Helicopters. There’s a tour operator across the street who’s flight path is across the campground every 15 minutes. I’ve stayed at this campground maybe a dozen times in the last couple. The helicopter action has just gotten ridiculous. There’s always been traffic noise from Highway 98 and the sites closest to the highway suffer the most, but it was tolerable if you just turned on a fan or a noisemaker. Still a great place to stay at night and a great beach. The bath house is pretty good. The sites has mentioned by everyone a stunning and private.

We will not be staying here in the summer anymore. The access into the park is horrible for campers. This year access for day use for henderson and topsail were free and there seemed to be NO CAP. We went from topsail to henderson. All the amenities for paying campers get taken over by day users. Its very frustrating. It's hard to get into the Park with a trailer when day users are clogging up the entry. You may not have experienced this yet but when you do you will be frustrated too. They could at least have someone at the entrance to the road holding back cars until the campers get off the highway with their trailers.

Definitely one of the best and well setup campgrounds I’ve been in a very long time. Sites are very clearly demarcated and large enough for ANY rig to fit. Everything is paved or gravel (super handicap friendly) and the restroom/laundry is impeccable. Located right off the main road (slightly noisy at rush hour), it’s easy to run into town or grab dinner within a 10 minute drive. Check in time was a bit unclear, but we were permitted to check in early.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a bad review of this park & it’s obvious why! It really does check all the boxes: beach access, spacious/private campsites/fast wifi at the bathhouses …. Etc

There were a couple of issues for us that unfortunately the park can do nothing about.
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1. Helicopter tours are constant … the helipad is directly across the atreet from the park and they can book 20+ tours a day. EVERY day. Each tour is 10-20 min long. U can do the math! Very disruptive & constant.

2. The traffic/road noise from the main thoroughfare outside the park is REAL. I never knew so many Floridian had after market exhaust noise enhancers 😹. Pending which way the wind blows u can sometimes feel like ur on a racetrack

Hopefully, u’ll be spending ALL ur time on the beach so u won’t have to worry about campsite noise. And what a beach it is!

Yes, the sites are great. Large, graveled, with plenty of room in between each site and lots of vegetation for privacy. 5 stars for the park itself. Get a site as far away from the highway and close to the beach for the road noise. Here’s the downsides. Starting at 7am, you get planes flying overhead. This can be from the military or airport. Next up are the tourist helicopters.They are based right in Destin and it’s every 5 minutes as they fly over the coast and park. The residents and park have been fighting this company for years. It ruins the quality of life here. Then the road traffic. You are right next to a very, very busy highway. And then on the weekends, the bar that backs up to the park may have live outdoor music (it’s not every weekend but it goes until 2am). This is the loudest park I have ever been in. Remember you are in a very popular beach tourist destination. The beach during the summer is absolutely packed and the line of cars once you go out to get back in is long.

We stayed here a couple years ago right after we bought our RV, and absolutely loved it. Not sure if we were still in the honeymoon stage of camping or if things have changed, but this time has been rather disappointing.

Pros:
Easy check-in;
Large secluded level sites are nicely separated by foliage;
Sites are cleaned after each guest;
Electrical & water hookups are well placed and maintained;
Camp hosts are always available and working to make sure sites are in good order;
Beach is pristine;
Restaurants & plenty of shopping right outside the park.

Cons:
The constant noise from close by helicopter tours and 98 traffic ruins any semblance of relaxation when sitting outside. Thus, we really didn’t get a chance to enjoy the beautiful large site. It starts early each day and (traffic noise at least) goes well into the night.
Site 3 in A Loop was so close to 98 that it sounded like we were next to a racetrack all night. Site 59 in D Loop was better.

The excessively loud thumping music from nearby venues interferes with peaceful evenings on the weekends.

The boardwalk to the beach is being rebuilt so no direct access this time. However it was only a couple minute drive from the campsite to the public parking area to then walk over the walkways to the beach.

It’s so hard to get into this campground, so I’m sure most people don’t mind the noise or are at least willing to overlook it in exchange for the location. And I know that I know they won’t miss our business, but we will probably not be back.