Extended stay recommendation, Fl Keys in Feb
Hi all - We will be retiring at the end of 2016 and for our first free and easy retirement adventure wanted to head to the Keys for a few weeks and then to Ft Meyers area for a few days before meander...
Forum Discussion
You'll probably find the Keys state parks fully reserved for the end of the year, but you can always keep looking at the reservation site for cancellations. (The keys parks are John Pennekamp, Curry Hammock, Long Key, and Bahia Honda, and they run about $40 a night for water and electric, bathrooms, dump stations.) You can also try just showing up and asking about openings. Long key is especially laid back...we head down there next week for a few days.
But it would be good to have a backup plan or two since roadside pull off or parking lot camping isn't feasible down that way. Since you don't care about electric, one place to know about is Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge. Not really laid back, but could fill in if you need a place. They are full every winter with seasonal people who have been coming for many generations, but they do have a section with no hookups that had openings the whole time when we stayed there one winter. No generators, no dogs. The little key deer roam freely in the campground.
We like Jolly Roger at Grassy Key on Marathon, which is on the Gulf of Mexico side with some sites on the water, and try to run down there for at least a few days if not longer every year. There are a lot of seasonals, but they always seem to have openings for short term stays, too.
Others here have their own favorites they can suggest, but all commercial campgrounds will cost quite a bit more than the state parks.
By the way, the state parks have limits on the length you can stay, so you can't arrive and plan an extended stay if you get a site. Maybe two weeks.
But it would be good to have a backup plan or two since roadside pull off or parking lot camping isn't feasible down that way. Since you don't care about electric, one place to know about is Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge. Not really laid back, but could fill in if you need a place. They are full every winter with seasonal people who have been coming for many generations, but they do have a section with no hookups that had openings the whole time when we stayed there one winter. No generators, no dogs. The little key deer roam freely in the campground.
We like Jolly Roger at Grassy Key on Marathon, which is on the Gulf of Mexico side with some sites on the water, and try to run down there for at least a few days if not longer every year. There are a lot of seasonals, but they always seem to have openings for short term stays, too.
Others here have their own favorites they can suggest, but all commercial campgrounds will cost quite a bit more than the state parks.
By the way, the state parks have limits on the length you can stay, so you can't arrive and plan an extended stay if you get a site. Maybe two weeks.
