NP Campground Review – Flamingo Campground, Everglades National Park, FL

A spacious, quiet, green and remote campground right in the midst of the wildest part of Everglades National Park at the very southern tip of Florida. Big enough for any-sized rig. Just be prepared for mosquitoes!!
Link to campground here: Flamingo Campground, Everglades National Park, FL
Link to map here: Flamingo Campground, Everglades National Park, FL
- Site Quality = 3.5/5
Overall this campground has decent campsites with just a few key dings. On plus side the sites are paved with plenty (lots & lots!) of space between campers and large, grassy, green “sitting areas”. Separation is wonderful, but trees are sparse so campsites have limited privacy and mostly open, green views. Main ding is the campground is on the older side & feels rather neglected. Roads/sites can be a tad bumpy and greenery is somewhat overgrown, plus “sitting areas” vary in whether they offer fire-pit, grill or nothing at all (it’s seems rather haphazard). In addition the power at the electric sites can (at times) be iffy. Our first day the voltage varied so much we had to disconnect but then it seemed to stabilize the next day, so that’s something to watch for. Overall there are 234 sites, 104 of which are reservable (you can only reserve a space, not a specific site = sites are assigned upon arrival). The sites are arranged into 3 camping loops (A, B & T) plus a tent walk-in area, each of which have a slightly different feel:- A Loop – This loop is for tents, RVs up to 27 feet or trailers up to 18 feet. NO hookups, $20/night. Mix of back-ins and pull-ins with plenty of separation. A few sites near the check-in booth have decent breeze and slice of water views while those further back have no water views (tree view only) and are more protected (= more mosquitoes). 30 of these sites are reservable, while the remainder are first-come-first-serve.
- B Loop – This loop is for tents, RVs up to 35 feet or trailers up to 24 feet. NO hookups, $20/night. All sites are entirely first-come-first-serve and do not have any water views. While we were here this loop was completely empty and the rear half looked heavily overgrown and abandoned.
- T (Trailer) Loop – This is the only loop for larger rigs (RVs over 35-feet, trailers over 24-feet) so this is the only place you can stay if you’re “beastly” size like us. All sites here are huge pull-throughs with lots of separation and ample space for any-sized rig. 41 of the T sites are reservable** and provide 50 Amp hookups (sites 1-41, electric only, $30/night), while the rest are first-come-first-serve and provide no hookups (sites 42-61, dry-camping only, $20/night). This loop is separated by a line of trees from the Bay so there are NO water views here. Also it’s somewhat protected from the wind which means mosquitoes can be quite bad if it’s hot.
**NOTE/ If you want/need one of the 41 electric sites you should reserve ahead since they are almost always fully occupied. The dry-camping sites usually have plenty of availability. - Tenting/Walk-In Area – The tent walk-in area is a large green field on the southern end of the campground by Florida Bay. Lovely open water-views here and (generally) very good breeze which keeps the mosquitoes at bay.
- Facilities = 3.5/5
Facilities include flush toilets & individual shower stalls. They are somewhat dated, but are spacious and were clean while we were there. Main ding is that the facilities in the Trailer section of the park provided NO warm water (only cold water) in the showers. The facilities in the A/B & tenting loops have solar panels and apparently provide some warm water (depending on time of day), but we did not get a chance to try them. Also if mosquitoes are bad while you are here you will get LOTS of mosquitoes in the showers too. On-site dump station and potable water. - Location = 5/5
There is really only one reason you come to here and that is to visit the southern (remotest) part of Everglades National Park. For that purpose this campground in the perfect location. It’s right at the southern tip of the park with Florida Bay on one side and the wetlands on the other. Nearby visitor center (which is a short bike from camp) has displays, boat tours and kayak rentals. Plus there is easy access to hiking, birding & kayaking trails all around. For enjoying nature activities in the Park you can’t find a better location.
NOTE/ This campground 38 miles from the southern entrance and around 40+ miles from the nearest grocery & gas, so be sure to come prepared with groceries and gas (there is a small camp store onsite, but it only has a very limited supply of stuff). - Pet Friendliness = 3.5/5
A pretty decent pet location with just a few key dings. Pets are allowed all around camp (which is very large) and also by the Bay (tent camping area) as well as on the lovely 1-mile trail between camp and the visitor center (Guy Bradley Trail), but they are not allowed within buildings or on ANY other trail inside the National Park. Also do NOT plan to take pets anywhere near or into the water here -> crocodiles & alligators are all-around and means the water is simply not safe for paws. Lastly, if the mosquitoes/bugs are bad this can be a very uncomfortable place for both humans and paws. So, be sure to call ahead on the skeeter situation before you come.
Overall Rating = 3.9
BONUS ALERT = Stay in one of the remotest & wildest campgrounds in Florida!
Video Overview: Want to see it in living color? Check out our short ~8 min overview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuPTYkfvGBQ
Summary: There is really only one reason to come to Flamingo Campground and that is to camp in one of the remotest and wildest section of Everglades National Park. For this purpose you really can’t find a better location. The campground is 38 miles from the southern entrance of the park and is located right on the southern tip of FL by beautiful Florida Bay. You are biking distance to the visitor center, right next to several lakes/trails and have easy access to literally everything there is to see and do in the amazing nature of the Everglades (birding, kayaking, hiking, boat tours etc.). The campground itself is quite decent with large, spacious paved sites and fabulous separation, but it does look a tad aged & neglected and scarce trees means you won’t have much shade or privacy. Three main camping loops (A, B & T) plus a large tent walk-in area providing a total of 234 sites. Only one of the loops (T loop) accepts big rigs and only 41 of these sites provide electric (50 Amp), so if you want/need electric hookups definitely plan & reserve ahead as they are almost always fully occupied. The remainder of the sites are non-hookup (dry camping only) and a large portion of them are first-come-first-serve so there is generally plenty of availability if you don’t need hookups & just decide to drive in. Biggest thing to watch for is the mosquitoes!!! If weather is cool they are generally not a problem, but if it’s hotter or more humid they can literally drive you insane. This can make it miserable for both you and the paws. Also since this is a National Park dogs are NOT allowed on the water or any of the hiking trails (except for Guy Bradley Trail). There is plenty of space to walk doggie around the campground and by the tenting area so it’s not generally a problem, but you will have to leave pooch in the rig if you are planning to hike, kayak or explore the rest of the park. We loved the location & space/green of the campground and would have loved to stay and explore longer but the mosquitoes were literally insufferable (mid-Feb) and we simply couldn’t endure more than a few days. Without the mosquitoes I think this would be an amazing place to immerse yourself into Florida’s wildest. We’d love to return, but we’ll call and check the skeeter situation before ever we do so again.
Extra Info: ZERO Verizon signal (none, nada, zip), ZERO T-Mobile, but excellent ATT (4 bars). Total 234 sites, of which 104 are reservable. 41 Electric only sites ($30/night – reservations recommended!), while the remainder are no hookup ($20/night). Senior Pass gets you 50% off camping price. There is a FEE to enter the National Park ($25 for 7-days or covered by the Annual National Parks Pass). On-site dump station and water.

















We plan on trying again next fall to make the cross-country trek, getting to Florida in late October. Everglades NP is one of our absolute to do’s. Your review here plus all the neat places you’ve described are giving us fuel for thought. One other sure to go to place is Cape Canaveral. Any suggestions about places to stay or additional sights to see in that area would be appreciated. BTW, we loved the VLA and also The Space History Museum in Alamogordo.
I definitely recommend the Panhandle (see my 2010 travel map) and St. Augustine (see my posts from Nov of last year). Lots more I’m probably missing, but those two areas were highlights for us.
Nina
Good review. Thanks. Is there no way to put on mosquito repellant and be able to not be constantly harassed by them? How long can you stay?
We had all kinds of mosquito repellent on, but they were just too many of them. Netting helps and is probably one of the best options out there. That’s what the rangers and volunteers rely on.
Stay limit is 14 days in the winter season, with a max of 30 says in a calendar year.
Nina
Ugh, mosquitoes ruin everything.
Yeah have to admit it was pretty miserable while we were there, both for us and the pets. Next time we’re checking the skeeter situation before we go.
Nina
Makes me itchy just reading this:) We camped out a few years ago near Tampa and got worked over by no seeums. Any idea how the bitting bugs are down in the Keys? That was one place I wanted to visit, but wonder now if it would be worth it.
No idea. We’re about to find out though as we’re scheduled to be in the Keys next week. So we’ll definitely let you know.
Nina
Great review of a place we love to visit. We’ve been pretty lucky with Jan and early Feb visits in terms of mosquitoes but a warmer winter sure brings them out. Hiw could anyone go there in summer?
Update on Flamingo. Campground is closed because of Hurricane Irma.
Ah, good to know. I’m hoping it’ll open up again in Jan? All the Keys campgrounds were closed through end of year too (everyone who had camping reservations got cancellations), but we’re hoping they will open up again in Jan as well.
Nina
Here in the Florida Keys I use a strong fan to blow away the bugs when I’m sitting outside near power…and a big hand rolled cigar.
Not sure a fan would have helped while we were here, unless it was one of those industrial jobs. That said I love the idea, and definitely think it can help in “regular”mosquito situations. And a hand-rolled cigar is always a bonus. I know many folks who start a smoky campfire for the same purpose. Smoke does, in general, keep the bugs at bay.
Nina