SP Campground Review – Curry Hammock State Park, Marathon, FL

February 5, 2018 by libertatemamo 3 Comments

A small, and fabulously relaxed state park by a gorgeous beach in a great location Middle Keys right next to Marathon, FL

Link to campground here: Curry Hammock State Park, FL
Link to map location here: Curry Hammock State Park, FL

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   This is a teeny campground with only 28 sites, and pretty much every site is lovely. All sites were completely re-graded after Hurricane Irma and new electric pedestals were installed so they are large, flat, firm gravel-base sites with excellent power and water (50A/water only. No sewer here). The sites are arranged in a single circle by the beach, separated from the main day-use area by a coded entry gate. All sites are back-in and each site has a nice “sitting area” with brand new picnic tables, grill and poles (to hang lanterns or a clothes line). Pad sizes are large (~45 to 70 foot long), and nicely angled to the main road, making them easily accessible for bigger rigs. Fifteen of the sites have a separate area beside the main pad to pitch a tent (#1-9, #20, #22-25, #27) and around eleven sites (#8,9,11,13,15,16,17,19,21,22,23) have full water views out the rear/side. Beach access is a small path between sites #13 & #15. The only minor ding? Hurricane Irma ripped away most the vegetation in camp so there is only limited privacy between sites, and since this is often a windy area (it’s a popular kite-surfing location), this also means there is limited protection from the wind. On plus side, the low-lying vegetation has opened up full water views to all sites on the beach side.
2. Facilities = 4.5/5
   Good facilities here. They include flush toilets & large, individual walk-in shower stalls with benches for your clothes. The shower water took a while to warm up, but pressure was decent and they were spacious and wonderfully clean while we were there. On-site dump station by the exit across from campsite #26. NO laundry facilities.
3. Location = 5/5
   Location is fabulous here, with just one very minor ding. Curry Hammock is located at MM 56 on it’s own little key (Little Crawl Key), making it the perfect spot to visit just about everything in the Middle Keys. It’s just ~5 mins drive from Marathon which has all the shopping, groceries, & eating you could want. Plus there are several great sightseeing options close-by (Turtle Hospital, Crane Point, 7-Mile Bridge, Dolphin Discovery Center). In addition the main bike trail into town is accessible right across Hwy 1 which means you can bike (separately from the road) all the way to 7-mile Bridge. Lastly within camp there is plenty to keep you busy including 1/2 mile of beautiful beach as well as water activities such as kayaking & kite-surfing (it is a popular kite-surfing spot). The only slight ding? It’s just a 1/2 mile down from Hwy 1 so you do get *some* road noise in camp on calm days. However it’s mostly quiet and relaxed, and if the wind blows (which it often does here) you don’t hear the road at all.
4. Pet Friendliness = 3.5/5
   Pets are welcome in camp and on the short trail behind sites #2-8, but unfortunately (like most FL state parks) they are NOT allowed anywhere on the beach or in the water. So, sadly there is no-where you can take doggie for a water dip near camp. For the best doggie play drive south to Sombrero Beach (off MM47) where you can happily swim & hang with doggie all day long. Also MANY of the restaurants and bars around the area accept dogs in their outdoor areas, so feel free to bring them along for outings to eat and drink. Poo bags are provided in-camp.

Overall Rating = 4.4
BONUS ALERT = Camp right by a beautiful beach in the FL Keys

Video Overview: Want to see it in living color? Check out our ~14 min video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtvBHzCvSEk

Summary: What a great little park! Curry Hammock is a beautiful park located on it’s own key (Little Curry Key) right smack in the Middle Keys.  The campground is teeny, a small circle of only 28 sites located right by the beach (Atlantic Ocean side), and it’s just lovely. Sites were completely re-graded, and new power pedestals were installed right after hurricane Irma, so when we stayed here in Jan, 2018 everything looked brand new. The sites are all large, firm, gravel-base back-ins with nice sitting areas containing picnic table, grill & poles (for lantern & clothes line). Not much vegetation around (unfortunately the hurricane ripped most of it out), but this also means full water views have opened up to all the sites on the beach side (#8,9,11,13,15,16,17,19,21,22,23). The beach is accessible right between sites 13 & 15 and is just gorgeous (it’s a great place to catch the sunset every night), plus there’s a wonderful bike trail located right across Hwy 1 (by the exit) that goes all the way to 7-Mile Bridge. Very little day-use traffic here too, so it’s generally a superbly relaxed place to hang out. The only slight dings? You are only 1/2 mile from Hwy 1 so on calm days you do hear *some* road noise. Also this is a popular kite-surfing area which means you OFTEN get wind here, and since most of the campground vegetation is gone this means there is not really any protection from the wind in camp. Lastly, like most FL State Parks dogs are not allowed on the beach itself. There is a short doggie trail behind sites #5-8, plus you can walk around camp, into the day-use area and across from the entrance on the bike trail, but you cannot bring doggie onto the beach or into the water. However all these are minor inconveniences for a fabulously relaxed and superbly beautiful location! We found this to be the MOST relaxed campground we’ve stayed at in FL Keys and absolutely loved it. We totally dug our water-view site (despite a few windy, rocky days), absolutely loved the beautiful beach (I took tons of sunset shots), totally enjoyed the next-door bike-trail and really loved the great Middle Keys location. A beautiful little park well worth staying at if you can snag a reservation.

NOTE/ If you want to stay here reserve WELL AHEAD! Reservations open 11 months ahead and sell out seconds after 8AM EST open each day. So, be persistent and look for last-minute cancellations. 

Extra Info:  Good cell signal (2-3 bars LTE for both Verizon & ATT), plus T-Mobile worked great (Binge On worked). Total 28 sites, of which 25 are reservable on-line. All sites are water/electric only (NO sewer) and cost $38.50/night. On-site dump station.