Fort De Soto Camping On The Florida Gulf Coast

Fort De Soto Camping On The Florida Gulf Coast

Just 20 minutes south of St. Petersburg, Fort De Soto is a beautiful location on the Florida Gulf Coast for beachfront camping. The barrier island not only has a scenic RV campground filled with palm trees, but also easy access to the beach, boat ramp, and nearby attractions.

Fort De Soto Campground

Fort De Soto has a large 238-site campground with pull-thrus and back-ins nicely spaced out in three loops. Their sites 1-85 are for smaller campers such as camper vans, tents, and pop-up trailers, while sites 86-238 can accommodate most sizes of RVs. Several of the sites are pet-friendly and some also have waterfront views.

Each site has water and electric hookups along with a picnic table and charcoal grill. Modern conveniences including restrooms, laundry facilities, and a dump station, are all available on-site.

Fort De Soto Campground. Photo via Campground Reviews. Cover photo: CalMuziClover on Flickr

““This was about our 7th time here at this beautiful campground,” Says one RVer on Campground Reviews. “It can be hard to get a reservation but be persistent and flexible if you can and you should be able to get a spot. The waterfront sites are the best but honestly there are no bad sites here. We were in site 149, which is waterfront with a lovely view of the bay. You can kayak right out of these waterfront sites, if you want.”

Youtubers CampTravelExplore shared their review of Fort De Soto in this video:

Things to do in Fort De Soto Park

While you’re camping at Fort De Soto, take your time and explore the many other attractions in the park. There are lots of recreational opportunities during the day, including:

• Visit Fort De Soto Beach and watch for shore birds. There is a dedicated beach for dogs, as well as a large dog-free beach on the north end.
• Explore the on-site historic forts.
• Rent a kayak or canoe to take out on the water.
• Go snorkeling or paddleboarding
• Launch your boat for a fishing excursion or cast a line off one of the two fishing piers (license required).
• Hike or bike the seven miles of paved trail connecting North Beach, East Beach, the boat ramp, and the camping area. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on this path.
• Take your pup to the dog park.
• Have lunch in one of the picnic shelters.

Nearby, St. Petersburg has several shops, restaurants, bars, and attractions. If you want to branch out even further, Tampa is only 40 minutes away.

Sunset from North Beach

Plan your trip to the Florida Gulf Coast

Fort De Soto can be reached off I-275 and Florida State Road 679 (Pinellas Bayway South) about 20 minutes from St. Petersburg. For such a beautiful location on the Florida Gulf Coast, the campground is relatively affordable at about $40-45 a night. Entrance to the beach area of the park is included with the campground fee.

The campground has 160 reviews on Campground Reviews with an excellent 8.3 average rating. Add it to your route and find more great destinations on RV Trip Wizard and with the RV LIFE App With RV-Safe GPS. You may also want to check out these 15 Scenic Places To Camp On The Gulf Coast.

Nikki Cleveland

Nikki is a writer and editor for Do It Yourself RV, RV LIFE, and Camper Report. She is based on the Oregon Coast and has traveled all over the Pacific Northwest.