5 Terrierific Dog-Friendly Places to Camp in Florida

The month of June is National Camping Month. It is a time to adventure into the great outdoors and sleep under the stars. Whether your camping trip involves backpacking, RV-ing, driving to a secluded spot or just setting up a tent in the backyard, it is still a great opportunity to experience the tranquility of nature.

Though Florida’s weather is not ideal for tent camping year round due to the heat and humidity, it still offers some of the most diverse habitats for camping and exploring. Don’t believe us…just ask the 6 million people who camp in Florida each year.

5 Terrierific Dog-Friendly Places to Camp in Florida

5. Highlands Hammock State Park

One of Florida’s oldest State Parks, Highlands Hammock offers RV and family camping, primitive camping and soon, equestrian camping sites. We prefer the primitive sites here as the campground is less crowded and the sites are bigger. The park is host to the State of Florida Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, offers good opportunities for biking and some fun hiking trails where you can walk among wild-growing Florida oranges and grapefruits.

4. Silver Springs State Park

Formerly Silver River State Park, Silver Springs State Park was a tourist area well before the park’s opening in 1987. The park has 59 spacious sites in two campgrounds all with water and electric hookups, a fire ring, barbecue grill and a picnic table. There are several hiking trails but the real fun is paddling the Silver River where you can see alligators, wild boar and remnants of Colonel Tooey’s old “Jungle Cruise” boat ride – families of Rhesus monkeys.

3. Myakka River State Park

Its namesake, the Myakka River is designated as a Florida Wild and Scenic River and it flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks and pinelands. The park is known for amazing canoeing and kayaking alongside water birds and all size alligators. It is also home of one of the very first Canopy Walks built in Florida with a 76 foot observation tower that provides a magnificent view of the park.

Myakka River State Park features three campgrounds of 90 sites with water and electric hookup, a fire ring and picnic table with several sites offering hammock camping.

2. Anastasia State Park

Anastasia is one of our all-time favorite parks to go camping. The beach, though not dog-friendly (as all beaches in Florida State Parks are protected), is comprised of the most pristine white sand you can imagine. Wildlife sightings can occur at any moment in the park – we have seen Gopher Tortoises running in the picnic area and we canoed with dolphins in the Salt Run.

And, if you want to venture outside the park, historic St. Augustine and its restaurants are dog-friendly as are the grounds of historic Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.

1. Everglades National Park

You can’t visit Florida without experiencing at least some part of the Everglades! Everglades National Park campgrounds are situated on the southernmost part of mainland Florida on the Florida Bay. The main campground is set back from the Bay with solar powered lightning and restrooms that are quite dim at night so you can see every star in the southern sky. When we last visited, the beach area campground was closed thanks to campers who did not follow the rules of parking in designated areas and actually drove on the beach. Truly a shame because those campsites, though very exposed to the sun, have an amazing view of the Bay.

Do you have a favorite dog-friendly camping spot?