Contemplating trip to Florida Keys

brandonrv wrote:
Get on I10 and just stay on it the whole way imo.

You'll hit San Antonio, Houston (though this part sucks)

Baton rouge, mobile, pensacola

To name a few. And lots of decent rest stops and even more rv parks.

If on IH10 and coming in to San Antonio, take the Loop 1604 around the north of the city and get back on IH10. I have never been to KW, but a friend said avoid travel on weekends due to traffic.

Keep in mind that of the nice campgrounds, Boyd's is closest to the touristy section of Key West and Boyd's is at the 5 mile marker. The KOA is at the 20 mile marker. I'm not sure, but Bahia Honda is even further away from Key West. If you plan on going during the summer, call ahead and check to make sure that the seaweed is not bad. For some reason it is really bad on the shorelines down there right now. It is rotting and smells like rotten eggs. When I drove back through Bahia Honda Key Tuesday morning, the smell was so bad that it made me sick to my stomach.

Just got back from the Keys today. WARNING.....Do not attempt to go the Keys in the winter months. Our "Snowbird" friends from the northern states and provinces like to live in south Florida and the Keys during the winter, and they all return home at the beginning of the summer. This was a fairly good time to go, if you can tolerate the heat. Key West was not that crowded. We stayed at Boyd's RV park this past Sunday and Monday nights. We paid $112.00 per night. Leos RV park was just a few blocks away and cheaper, but not very nice. Boyd's has well maintained sites, store and well maintained pool and recreation area. They do need to spend a little bit extra money and pay for larger garbage dumpsters, as the small ones they had were all overflowing into the streets. We are from Northwest Florida and have beautiful beaches up here. The Keys cannot compare to our beaches, but the Keys have a beautiful coral reef and crystal clear water that is great for fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving (not swimming at a beach). Key West is a typical tourist trap recognized by many souvenir shops and one of the Ripley Museums downtown. Do not attempt to drive your motorhome in downtown Key West, regardless of what Trip Advisor and other sites tell you. We tried. Big mistake. Lots of one way, narrow streets with low hanging tree branches. We toured from Pensacola down the forgotten coast of Florida, gulf coast side of Florida to the Everglades, across the Tamiami trail to Miami and down from there.

Check on gate closing times at Bahia Honda State Park. When we stayed there, they closed the gates at 8pm, so we had to leave Key West by 7pm(ish) to avoid getting locked out. That may have changed. Sunset on top of old bridge at Bahia Honda is breathtaking.

Larry & Penny Thompson Campground in Miami.
IT is a county park in southwest Miami. Nice but full in winter.

AeroP

If you qualify for the Navy campground, it is actually in KW, unlike Bluewater which is 12 miles away. FHU at navy is $23 a night and many right on the water and none more than 500 feet away. NO tiki huts but the marina on base is a big tiki hut, of course if you want you own BW and Boyds will gladly charge $100 a night and up for a site.

The navy sites are not huge but adequate and you won'the be there much anyway.

We spent 4 winters there at navy and you can't beat it.

We went. A lot of history, a lot of interesting things there. We stayed at Blu water keys very nice and the host at the time were great. DON'T THINK that all there is is the key west. Much more to see. I enjoyed the area except for thre obvious holding of hands there. I would like to go back but probably not Key West. LARRY

I 10-I 75-Florida Turnpike to Homestead to rt 1`. Mind the speed limit and do what the locals do as in the Keys they don't have anything to do but look for Criminal RV'rs seems like. Stayed at Bluewater. If you go in NOV it is cheaper than in the winter months. There is a KOA about 5 mi N of the Bluewater but it doesn't have Tiki huts and docks to fish off out your door. Be very careful where you park in Key West as the Keystone cops love to ticket people. Use the lot next to Cuban Queen Coffee. It is also illegal to drink in public in KW but you can ride your bike drunk. The CG at the Navy annex is for sardines and they limit your stay and it's usually full but clean. Take a fishing trip with a sport fisherman, (they don't keep the fish) but you'll catch fish I guarantee.
http://floridakeysflyfishing.com/about-capt.-bob.html When you meet Captn Bob, don't misjudge him for a brainless yuppie. He took us 18 miles west and we caught about 100 fish including, Spots, Redfish, and Sharks were everywhere. We also tried for Bonita but they were too fast. Hes a great teacher and a good guy. Tell him Karl & CC say hi from N VA. You can also fish with a heavy rod off the old bridges. Use a live shrimp and put the hook through his head, use a small hook and throw your fish back in on the backside of where you caught it or the sharks will get him.

We have been wintering in the Keys several years now. We love it so much that we ended up buying an Rv lot at Venture Out Resort in Cudjoe Key. Rv sites are very hard to get in the Keys and getting one in a state park is next to impossible during the winter months, and nearly impossible other times. :)

There are quite a few private Rv parks, but most people book next years site before they leave.

A few places off the top of my head are Grassy Key, Fiesta Key, Sunshine Key, Bluewater Key, Venture Out (privately owned but some owners rent their site. you need a realtor to find one for you) Jolly Roger, Breezy Pines, Big Pine Key fishing Lodge, Geiger Key Marina. You can do a Google search on these places and see what you think.

Plan on $100 a night winter rates and not much less other times. It's not cheap, but is so worth it!

Check out my blog if you want to see some pictures from the Keys. (I take a LOT of pictures) Just do a search on Florida Keys from my blog.

http://florida-georgiacamping.blogspot.com/

You asked about when to go. Winter is high season because the Keys are far south enough to avoid cold/freezes that sometimes hit north and central Florida. Then spring break and Easter are busy too.

I think a nice time to go is mid April through May for pleasant weather before the heavy heat and humidity of summer hurricane season. Less crowded when snowbirds have left and schools are in session.

The four state parks are great and a bargain at about $40 a night but sell out online 11 months to the second (I am not exaggerating) in advance for winter. Other seasons sell out very quickly, too. Sometimes you can pick up a day or two, a canx, or just show up and get a site. But not everybody wants to drive all the way down there without a reservation in the winter.

Of the state parks, Bahia Honda has the nicest beach and is the closest to Key West which is worth a visit at least once.

Florida has all kinds of great state parks along the Atlantic Coast near I95 as you drive south. Others all over the state, too - many in the center, along the West Coast, and the Panhandle.. Pick up the magazine-size state park directory and your free orange juice at the welcome center when you cross the border. Bring bug repellant.

While you're in the area, visit Everglades National Park. You can reserve a site with electric hookups (AC will be welcome most of the year) at Flamingo Campground.