Flamingo Campground is just under 40 miles from the entrance to Everglades National Park and about 36 miles from the Long Pine Key campground. Camping at Flamingo as opposed to Long Pine Key provides easy access to activities in the Flamingo area.
Campground: Flamingo Campground – Everglades National Park
Location: Southern tip of Everglades National Park at Flamingo
Site: 31 (T Loop – pull thru)
Cost: $24.08
Services: E
Comments: An open campground with both electric sites and dry camping sites. The electric sites are hard to come by so get a reservation early! There are very few trees for shade but a few sites have some. The sites have a picnic table and campfire pit, LOTS of mosquitos, and a few lovely sunsets!! The campground is in Flamingo which means it provides easy and close access to the hiking/biking trails, visitor center, and marina for boating activities. The area is well known for its kayaking and canoeing trails.
Most of the sites in the T Loop are exactly alike and just differ with services and location and whether they have a tree nearby. Ibis are everywhere around the campground.
The Flamingo area also offers Eco Tents to rent which sit right on Florida Bay next to the campground. They looked quite nice inside with a bed with netting, fan, dresser, and chairs and a restroom nearby with showers. The addition of tents was in response to the many devastating hurricanes the area has endured and they are supposed to withstand a CAT 4 hurricane.
Florida Bay sits between the southern tip of Florida and the Florida Keys. Much of the bay is in the Everglades National Park and comprises almost one third of the park. The marina, visitor center, amphitheater, the Eco tents, and the campground are along Florida Bay.
There is a paved trail (Guy Bradley trail) which leads from the campground and Eco tents to the Flamingo Visitor Center and Flamingo Marina. Along the way we could view the rebuilding of the new hotel, restaurant, and visitor center which are due to open sometime in 2022. The area was damaged by several hurricanes (Wilma and Katrina) back in 2005 along with Hurricane Irma in 2017. The new structure sits above the ground on concrete pillars with hopes that it can better withstand the storm surges and helps to address the rising sea level.
There is a temporary visitor center with a few exhibits and a marina with a small store. The new visitor center is expected to open also sometime in 2022. More on the marina in the next post as we rent a pontoon boat and explore the wilds of the Everglades!
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