Florida Keys

[garmp]

DW & I were thinking of visiting the Florida Keys next year, and knowing that they are a popular destination I started to look into the possibilities in advance, or so I thought.
Found out that Florida parks allow bookings 11 months in advance, so even though we aren't looking for a January trip thought I'd try it.
WOW! Surprise! Surprise!
Looked at Curry Hammock State Park, Bahia Honda State Park and Long Key State Park. Couldn't find a friggin' thing. What's the secret to get a campsite?
If I can book 11 months out does my start date or end date have to be 11 months out. Say I want a site March 1 for 5 days should I try to book it Feb 1 the previous year or the 5th?
How do you get in?
Besides we've never near there and don't know what we'd be getting. What's good, what's bad or just lucky to get a spot.

thanks

[wowens79]

garmp wrote:
We are from St.Louis and the Florida panhandle is a lot closer, but the "keys" sounded so alluring. Always heard of their beauty and tranquility, but after finding campsites are at a premium, not only in availability, but in private parks, price have to rethink this all. Bucket list might have to wait.
But even the panhandle parks are getting quite difficult to get a spot.
Oh well, guess it's all those retired baby boomers with their RV's, like us, taking up all the spaces.
We use to get reservations when we could go. Now we go when we can get reservations.
Must evolve I guess.

We camp on the panhandle yearly, but have made the drive to the keys twice, and it is totally different, and is worth the drive on occasion. It’s worth the hassle to try to get a site for a bucket list trip.

All of the coastal FL state parks are about impossible to get into.

[garmp]

We are from St.Louis and the Florida panhandle is a lot closer, but the "keys" sounded so alluring. Always heard of their beauty and tranquility, but after finding campsites are at a premium, not only in availability, but in private parks, price have to rethink this all. Bucket list might have to wait.
But even the panhandle parks are getting quite difficult to get a spot.
Oh well, guess it's all those retired baby boomers with their RV's, like us, taking up all the spaces.
We use to get reservations when we could go. Now we go when we can get reservations.
Must evolve I guess.

[enblethen]

We paid no where near $150 per night.
We got a site for a week for less then $70 a night.

[Swampman597]

Getting winter reservations here have been a problem which seems to get worse. Sometimes I've wondered if a small change would be helpful for the campers who live here and are still raising families and holding jobs who can't plan a year in advance.

Pinellas County (St Pete, Clearwater, etc) has a beautiful CG at Ft Desoto where Pinellas County residents only can make reservations a month earlier than everyone else. If this was applied throughout the state, it would give the residents an opportunity to enjoy our campgrounds.

No doubt a change like this will really piss off the snowbirds and some may start going to TX and AZ instead. However, the typical Florida family will have a chance to go camping too.

Anyone have an opinion on how a change like this would help or any other ideas?

[SpeakEasy]

JoeH wrote:

enblethen wrote:
We didn't have much luck with Florida's state park website or on the telephone. We ended calling Bluewater Key and got site with little problems. We had a site on the canal.

I've been able to get a place at Curry Hammock a few times over the years, but it's very rare- We too go to Bluewater Key and get a spot on the canal

Nice if you can pony up for the big bucks! State park 1 night: about $35. Bluewater Key for one night? $150? more? Stay for a week: $245 or $1050?

I'm retired. I have to make my money last for the next 30 years or so.

-Speak

[JoeH]

enblethen wrote:
We didn't have much luck with Florida's state park website or on the telephone. We ended calling Bluewater Key and got site with little problems. We had a site on the canal.

I've been able to get a place at Curry Hammock a few times over the years, but it's very rare- We too go to Bluewater Key and get a spot on the canal

[bucky]

And don't forget the IT guys running bots that can click in a site like a machine gun.
Lowering your expectations on location greatly increase your chances. Or go to TX instead.

[Guy_Roan]

First there was the "slide method". Then there was the "group work together method" and finally five years ago we bought a fantastic site in Key Largo Kampground and have been happy campers ever since.
I feel for anyone still spending many wasted hours and days with many browsers open and your finger bouncing from one to the next as the US official clock ticks 7:59:59

Guy

[wowens79]

Like everyone said, get ready at 8:00 am and don’t hesitate.

I’ve done it twice and got a site both times, but neither were my first choice, but I did get a site, so have a backup site picked out.

[SpeakEasy]

Yup; you're in for a real learning curve fighting for a precious site at the Florida State Parks in the Keys. The method of going online for the 8:00AM (eastern) lottery is the standard way to get a site, but you have to be really really really really lucky to get one that way. The two or three (normally) available sites each day disappear within SECONDS of the clock striking 8:00AM.

The alternative is to try to get a site through a cancellation. Many people grab their site reservation and do a lot of overbooking, just because it's so difficult to get a site. Then, when they refine their plans as time gets closer, they cancel. Cancellations can happen literally at any time, so there's no way to plan it. Again, you have to be lucky. But in my opinion, the luck needed to get a "virgin" site at 8:00AM is far greater. Join me and thousands of other people vulturing the cancellations.

There are other secrets that I just can't bring myself to tell you about, just because the competition is so fierce. You'll have to figure them out yourself. Sorry! But it's all part of the fun!

We'll be staying a week at Pennekamp and a week at Bahia Honda in late April. Can't wait! We've had these reservations since last May. We'll be staying at Topsail up in the Panhandle at the beginning of April. We got 4 nights there through a cancellation, and we're hoping to expand it to 6 nights. We'll have to move sites after 4 nights, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

-Speak

[welove2drive]

oh no! More competition for getting a site! We want to escape St. Louis are too 🙂
Tomorrow at 8:00 Eastern time you can reserve sites 11 months out. Put in the dates. Then look at the calendar. ONLY your first night has to be 11 months from now. All of the other nights of your stay will be beyond the 11 months. You can see all of the "R" showing how far out the site is reserved and next date available.
As if it isn't hard enough to get a site the "I'm not a robot - Capcha" expires in 1 minute!!! Good luck! - Marcia

[enblethen]

We didn't have much luck with Florida's state park website or on the telephone. We ended calling Bluewater Key and got site with little problems. We had a site on the canal.

[agesilaus]

It's like getting a spot in Yosemite. Be online at the instant the clock ticks over. Have multiple windows open to the reservation site. Start clicking the spot you want, a minute or two before the clock rolls over. And last, have good luck.