Wondering where you can go camping in Pensacola? Here are four spots to try
Most people come to the Florida Panhandle for its emerald green waters and sugary white sand. Seasoned veterans and locals have learned to expand their outdoor ambitions to include waterfront camping, admiring local wildlife and appreciating our other natural surroundings.
Thankfully, the Pensacola area has a wealth of campsites that offer a unique mix of all the above. Big Lagoon State Park lets you camp among our coastal dunes, Lake Stone Campground offers lakeside tranquility, Fort Pickens mixes history and waterfront camping and Blackwater River State Park lets you camp alongside one of the world’s purest sand-bottom rivers.
These campgrounds cater to a wide range of campers, from seasoned veterans to beginners. Activities range from hiking and bird watching to fishing and kayaking, ensuring something for everyone.
Pensacola area state parks: Looking for things to do in Pensacola? Try one of our three state parks
Here’s what you should know about camping in Pensacola.
Big Lagoon State Park
Big Lagoon State Park, located at 12301 Gulf Beach Highway, is one of the more popular camping spots in Escambia County. It stretches across 704 upland acres, which separate the mainland from Perdido Key and the Gulf of Mexico.
The park offers loads of things to do like swimming, boating, fishing, camping, hiking and paddling. It also serves as a gateway for the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. Bird enthusiasts can see more than 23 species of wood warbler and a variety of ducks, sandpipers and black-bellied plovers.
Big Lagoon State Park’s campground features 75 sites that are surrounded by pine flats. Each site has 30/50 amp electric, water, a picnic table and a fire ring/ground grill. There are three full-service restrooms and a dump station. Pets are welcome.
The park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset every day. Campers arriving after dark can call 850-492-1595 prior to closing for instructions and the gate combination.
Camping fees are $20 per night, plus a non-refundable $6.70 reservation fee and a $7 nightly utility fee for RV, cabin, bungalow, boat and yurt units. The utility fee doesn’t apply to tent camping.
Lake Stone Campground
Located at 801 W. State Road 4, Century, Lake Stone Campground sits on the shores of a 130-acre fishing lake. The campground itself is about 100 acres. It provides a tranquil waterside retreat for campers with 77 paved sites for RVs and tent camping.
The campgrounds are equipped with plenty of amenities, like 30/50 amp electric hookups, restrooms, showers, a dump station and a playground. It also has fishing and boating facilities. Fees to rent a spot are $20 per day.
Lake Stone Campground doesn’t have a website, so the best way to get in touch with staff for more information is to call them at 850-256-5555.
Fort Pickens — Gulf Islands National Seashore
Fort Pickens offers the perfect campgrounds for those wanting to enjoy a bit of nature, history and the beach. The campgrounds are part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and are located on Santa Rosa Island, south of Pensacola and Gulf Breeze.
Site amenities include fire pits, picnic tables, a paved pad for parking, heated showers and restrooms. There are both electric and non-electric sites available, but RV campers should be aware of some size restrictions due to low limbs and bushes.
Pets are allowed at Fort Pickens, but they are not allowed on any beaches or inside any building or structure.
Camping fees for electric sites are $40 per night and $26 for tent-only without electric. Group prices start at $20 per person for groups of 10-19 and $30 for 20 or more people.
Blackwater River State Park Camping
Blackwater River State Park is one of the largest campsites in the area by acreage, encompassing 590 acres. It’s located about 15 miles northeast of Milton and is named after the Blackwater River, which is one of the United State’s most pristine rivers. Despite its name, the river is typically transparent golden-brown, offering an attractive contrast to its white sandbars.
With fishing, birding, cycling, hiking, paddling, picnicking, swimming, tubing and tons of wildlife to spot, the Blackwater River State Park is the site for doers. The park’s 30 campsites are nestled among towering longleaf pines. It offers spacious gravel sites with full hookups and can accommodate RVs up to 35 feet.
Amenities include fire pits, picnic tables, a paved pad for parking, restrooms and heated showers. Wildlife enthusiasts can commonly find white-tailed deer, bobcats and turkeys. Less common animals include river otters and alligators. Birdwatchers can spot hawks, warblers, Mississippi kites, red headed and pileated woodpeckers, plus the red-cockaded woodpecker, which is a federally endangered species.
Like Big Lagoon, Black Water River State Park is open 8 a.m. until sundown every day. Anyone expecting to arrive at the park after hours can call 850-983-5363 for the gate combination and late check-in procedures.
Camping costs $20 per night, plus a non-refundable $6.70 reservation fee and a $7 nightly utility fee for RV, cabin, bungalow, boat and yurts.
Does Pensacola have a camping season?
Pensacola’s perpetual summer-like weather means you can reasonably camp outside most of the year. Of course, the most popular times for camping spans from fall to spring, when the weather is cooler and there are plenty of festive events to check out.
Summertime is actually one of the cheapest times to camp at private parks because of the intense heat. Those seeking to hunt while camping will need to look up Pensacola’s hunting seasons, which vary by game.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola camping: Where to find campsites in the Florida Pandhandle
