Fort De Soto Park Campground
County Park
Write a Review 3500 Pinellas Bayway S Saint Petersburg, FL 33715 727-582-2100 Official WebsiteGPS: 27.6348, -82.7182
Overview of Fort De Soto Park Campground
Campsites 86 - 164 allow pets.
Last Price Paid: $48
Reported by Kathy on 6/30/2024
Longest RV Reported: 40 feet (Class A)
Reported by Peace on 3/21/2021
Number of Sites 236
Pad Type gravel
Reservations yes
Elevation 0 ft / 0 m
Max Stay 14
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Fort De Soto Park Campground
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. 727-582-2100
JM asked on 12/17/2022
Does anyone know if there any way to see Fort De Soto's available campsites for your dates without having to check ea...
Dd asked on 5/31/2021
Any tips or tricks as to how to score a site here? Many have shared their frustration with the reservation site even...
Psychgirl74 asked on 5/26/2021
Hi! I made a reservation for Fort De Soto in Area 1, which is supposed to be for tent camping and trailers under 16 f...
Anna asked on 4/19/2021
Does anyone know if Fort De Soto Park has beach wheelchairs for rent?
Reviews of Fort De Soto Park Campground 65 people have reviewed this location.
“Like camping in the tropics...”
Reviewed 2/1/2021
Nightly rate: | $40 |
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Days stayed: | 7 |
Site Number: | 110, 141,158, 161, |
RV Length: | 25' (Class C) |
It's not just the campground that makes this great, it's all of Fort DeSoto with a huge boat launch area, numerous kayak/paddleboard launch sites, kayak & bike rental, miles of beach & multi-use trails, wildlife, a dog beach, Fort & museum...the list goes on. For first-timers here are a few pointers: Sites 86-164 is the only secti... more
It's not just the campground that makes this great, it's all of Fort DeSoto with a huge boat launch area, numerous kayak/paddleboard launch sites, kayak & bike rental, miles of beach & multi-use trails, wildlife, a dog beach, Fort & museum...the list goes on.
For first-timers here are a few pointers:
Sites 86-164 is the only section where pets are allowed. This area has only one-way in with the exit being midway back directly back out to the highway. This is the only way to get back to the dump station & entrance.
Coming from St. Pete, there are two tolls ($0.75 and $1.00 for cars, more for RVs) to get to the campground. There is a $5 fee to enter Fort DeSoto park itself (1 mile past the campground entrance) but your site tag covers the fee for your day of arrival through departure.
Sites 1-85 (non-pet area) is much better suited for smaller/lower rigs as there are many narrow areas with low branches, Even a class C will hit lots of low hanging stuff.
Currently, the office is closed - the hosts post your pass on the electrical box so just proceed directly to your site. If you are moving sites, they may issue your new site tag if you ask in the morning.
The only issue I had was with cellular - seems Verizon is your best bet (based on other reviewers) but my AT&T hotspot was very slow. While T-Mobile was better out in the open, inside and under all the trees it was also very slow. The vegetation and trees are so dense, while there are many OTA stations, it is difficult to pull them in consistently. Even with a MIMO antenna and booster, my ability to connect was very intermittent.
Wandering Pulse would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Excellent”
Reviewed 1/15/2021
Nightly rate: | $43 |
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Days stayed: | 7 |
Site Number: | 10 |
RV Length: | 15' (Teardrop Trailer) |
No contact arrival, just go to your assigned campsite from your email, your parking pass is affixed to your power pedestal. Glad to see they separate and enforce the pet free camp area. The family a crossed the road from us were asked to leave the non pet area for brining a dog. It was really nice camping with out the sound of... more
No contact arrival, just go to your assigned campsite from your email, your parking pass is affixed to your power pedestal.
Glad to see they separate and enforce the pet free camp area. The family a crossed the road from us were asked to leave the non pet area for brining a dog. It was really nice camping with out the sound of barking yipping dogs all day.
This is an alcohol free camp, I had heard of employees doing cooler and cup checks looking for beer or wine. With that said, we never had an issue, but we were not howling at the moon either.
The campsite was great, shaded most of the day and backed up to the sound side and a short 20 yard walk a crossed a mowed grass area to the water. Just far enough from the neighbors, but you can see and hear them. The surface was hard packed sand and clear of debris on our arrival.
Power and water quality was good and no issues with either. There is a heavy raccoon population, just be aware.
The shower house was clean and the water pressure was good with plenty of hot water. The restroom side could have used a could of more stools as I found the three to be occupied ever time I went to use them. If
They did not seem to enforce limits on per campsite occupancy as one of our neighbors had 4 tents and guessing 10 people on the site. They did not bother us so it wasnt a big deal.
If I had a complaint it would be they need to close the gate and only allow campers into the campground, there seemed to be a high number of drive through tourist types
Bear would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Park”
Reviewed 12/30/2020
Nightly rate: | $43 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 90 |
This a great state park to visit and explore. Amazing sunset experience on north beach. Plenty of trails to bike/hike/run. Several beaches and piers to visit. Dedicated dog beach. This park is also a great place to fly a kite. The campground is well maintained but always seems to be busy. A lot of sites crammed in here. Obviously some ... more
This a great state park to visit and explore. Amazing sunset experience on north beach. Plenty of trails to bike/hike/run. Several beaches and piers to visit. Dedicated dog beach. This park is also a great place to fly a kite. The campground is well maintained but always seems to be busy. A lot of sites crammed in here. Obviously some are better than others. Most offer some privacy between sites with natural foliage. We come here for what the park has to offer not necessarily the camping area itself. Hot showers are great and you regularly see workers maintaining all the facilities. A few tolls on the way bring some quarts for exact change tolls.
Summertime620 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Awesome place”
Reviewed 12/11/2020
Nightly rate: | $30 |
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Days stayed: | 2 |
Site Number: | 106 |
RV Length: | 22' (Travel Trailer) |
Great spots surrounded by trees . Great playground And dog beach! Office is closed so make reservations online. Be ready to wait at the dump station too. One of our favorite campgrounds , wish we could have stayed longer
Laura L would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Nice location”
Reviewed 12/8/2020
We used the tent/pop-up side. Our site and location were great. We'd come again for sure. Overall I gave it 3.5 stars. Why not 5? A couple of reasons: One, the showers were not hot. Tried several times letting the water run. No luck. Normally perhaps not a huge deal, but these ended up being the coldest days of the season so... more
We used the tent/pop-up side. Our site and location were great. We'd come again for sure. Overall I gave it 3.5 stars. Why not 5? A couple of reasons:
One, the showers were not hot. Tried several times letting the water run. No luck. Normally perhaps not a huge deal, but these ended up being the coldest days of the season so far, and not having at least one day with a semi-hot shower wasn't good.
Two, I continue to be amazed that resorts of any kind, five-star or otherwise, still over-employ the use of industrial-grade leaf blowers. We go to a campground to relax...to get away from things like the noise and disruption of mowers, trimmers, blowers, etc. The last thing we want to deal with while we are sitting enjoying coffee is over 2 hours of some dude blowing every single dust speck he can find with a backpack blower. Every site that wasn't occupied...including the ones around us...was blown clean.
Besides the noise, there was now dust and sand over everything. Inside the tent, on top of the tent, on top of any gear we had outside, etc. I fondly recall the days of camping before leaf blowers. You would only hear the soft sound of a large rake being pulled across a site. No noise. No dust. No disruption. In addition, when I looked at the sites he had blown clean, there was no longer any sand buffer on the ground to soften any bumps.
This continued in the roadway (heaven forbid a car should have to drive over any debris), every walkway, the bath areas. Everywhere. (Note - I rated "Noise" as one star. This is entirely because of the issue above. Get rid of that and the place is quiet as can be)
If management reads this, I implore you...step away from the machinery.
Regarding our site, while this didn't affect the score, it was disappointing to see the damage done to the trees by other campers. I lost count of the nails and screws embedded in the bark. Also a great deal of evidence of hacking and sawing. And of course people who had carved in their initials. Stupid.
There was also a bit of poison ivy going up a few side trees.
Lastly, you either bring your own small fire pit, or you rent one. During our time there, we could not get one. We'd check in at the store but none to be had. The price also increased from $3 to $5 per day. Do yourself a favor and bring along at least a small galvanized bucket.
PS: Due to Covid there was little sign of any management. The only people we ever saw were running the store. I wasn't going to waste their time asking about hot water and leaf blowers. I didn't see that as their responsibility.
gfak40 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Underwhelmed”
Reviewed 6/7/2020
Nightly rate: | $40 |
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Days stayed: | 9 |
Site Number: | 92 |
RV Length: | 30' (Travel Trailer) |
First, let me just say we live in Tampa and have been to Fort De Soto many times just to go to the beach. This was our first time camping there. Before you make a reservation, look at the campground map carefully and do not settle for a site that is not waterfront or pull-through. The sites that are not either of the above are not wor... more
First, let me just say we live in Tampa and have been to Fort De Soto many times just to go to the beach. This was our first time camping there. Before you make a reservation, look at the campground map carefully and do not settle for a site that is not waterfront or pull-through. The sites that are not either of the above are not worth $40/night.
Reservations: Residents of Pinellas County can make reservations 7 months in advance. Everyone else can make reservations 6 months in advance. 10% of sites are set aside for walk-ins and they open up every Friday morning. The reservation system was recently upgraded, but it’s still no Reserve America. If you’ve never used it, be sure to sign up for an account first, log in, and browse the system to see how it works so you’re ready to go when it’s time to make your reservation.
Arrival: There are several tolls on the way to the campground. However, there are no tolls on the way out. If you’re camping in the pet area, make note of the entrance. It’s on the left across from the office. You’ll need to go through the dump station on the left to access the camping area after you check in.
Pros: Clean restrooms and showers with great water pressure and plenty of hot water. Washer and dryer at each bath house, $1.75 - $2.25 for washer (depending on soil level) and $1.75 for dryer. Garbage cans every few sites, emptied daily. The sites that are on the water have beautiful views. Most sites feel very private with lots of tropical foliage. Empty sites are cleaned thoroughly between guests. Your camping pass includes access to the fishing pier and the beaches, which is otherwise $5/day per vehicle. North Beach beach is absolutely beautiful and there’s a fort to explore. No license is necessary to fish from the pier. Bait and concessions are available. Take the ferry to Egmont Key or Shell Key for the day. The camp store* has basic grocery items, ice, souvenirs, and hand-dipped ice cream. Fire pits are available to rent for $3/night. Kayaks, bikes and paddle boards can be rented at a different location within the park.
*As of 6/7/20 a mask is required to enter the camp store. One family is allowed in at a time and you must stand 6 feet apart in line.
Off-leash dog beach and dog park pros (also see cons): If your dog likes to swim and play with other dogs, it’s great. Dogs have free run of the dog beach and socialize a lot with other dogs and people. Be prepared for other people’s dogs to come visit you and share your dog’s water bowl. Bring a lot of water for your dog and keep your food put away. There are fenced areas for large and small dogs adjacent to the beach. They offer a dog wash area (no soap allowed) to rinse your dog before getting in the car to go back to your campsite.
Cons: Our site (92) backed up to a tidal backwater area that flooded while we were there and our site seemed to be the drainage path for the road. Usually we manage well in the rain, but this site was so wet that the rain we experienced made sitting outside, even under the awning, impossibly uncomfortable and covered everything in wet sand. There was literally a stream running through the site. Our neighboring sites did not have the same issues. Unfortunately all the “bad” sites are located in the pet area of the campground. Most of the nicer sites are in the non-pet areas.
The campground roads need to be graded - they’re full of huge potholes at this time.
Tight turns and low-hanging limbs in campground areas.
Off-leash dog beach cons: Hectic on nice days, and some dogs can be unpredictable and aggressive with owners who don’t control them. On our last day there, our dog was bitten by a very aggressive older dog who ran up to him and snapped at his face without being provoked. It was bad enough that I don’t think we’ll visit that dog park/beach again.
Overall it was an okay experience. It would have been better if we were visiting from far away and hadn’t already spent a lot of time there. We’d stay there again in a waterfront site only.
Aurora would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“My favorite campground in FL”
Reviewed 3/7/2020
Nightly rate: | $40 |
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Days stayed: | 4 |
Site Number: | 229 |
RV Length: | 21' (Travel Trailer) |
The waterfront sites at this park are my favorite place to camp. You can kayak right from your site. Ours was a great size and private. Camp store has bikes and fire pits for rent. There is also a bike/kayak/paddle board rental location closer to the beach. I spent one day kayaking and it was a beautiful trip. St. Pete has lots to do w... more
The waterfront sites at this park are my favorite place to camp. You can kayak right from your site. Ours was a great size and private. Camp store has bikes and fire pits for rent. There is also a bike/kayak/paddle board rental location closer to the beach. I spent one day kayaking and it was a beautiful trip. St. Pete has lots to do when you are looking for time away from the campsite. Downtown is worth a visit. There are several museums including the Chihuly, which was amazing, and a few cute shops and restaurants.
Heather and Bob would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“It's amazing. ”
Reviewed 2/4/2020
Nightly rate: | $40 |
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Days stayed: | 14 |
Site Number: | 117 |
RV Length: | 34' (Fifth Wheel) |
We were able to snag a 14 days in the same site while at De Soto - a true feat! Especially since we did it by snagging a cancellation only 3 weeks before arrival. It wasn't 'the best' site in the park... but I would argue that there isn't a bad site in the park - there are just 'super amazing', 'amazing', 'sweet', and 'better than a si... more
We were able to snag a 14 days in the same site while at De Soto - a true feat! Especially since we did it by snagging a cancellation only 3 weeks before arrival. It wasn't 'the best' site in the park... but I would argue that there isn't a bad site in the park - there are just 'super amazing', 'amazing', 'sweet', and 'better than a site in another park' sites. Our site backed up to the bathroom, had a view of an inlet out the back, and the playground off to the side. The bathroom offers 3 showers with awesome pressure and amazingly hot water and several toilets. Outside of each restroom a washer and dryer are available for use - $1.75 per wash, $1.75 per dry.
Fort De Soto offers 10% of their sites in a pseudo 'walk-in' fashion. While you no longer have to wait in line in front of the camp office to try and reserve a walk-in camp site (yes, this used to a thing on Friday mornings), you will need to wait until a Friday morning at 7am (East Coast Time) to snag a walk-in site. 10% of campsites in the park become available every Friday morning at 7 a.m. and can be secured online beginning at 7 a.m. Any remaining sites can be secured in person at the Camp Office after 9 a.m. These hold back sites can be reserved up to 7 days. Also, you can reserve a site for any date within the coming 7 days from a Friday - it doesn't have to be consecutive from that Friday date. And, these hold back sites are sometimes the best sites in the park! We heard rumor that within the next few months, Fort De Soto may be changing their walk-in policies again (to none?) so do check before banking on scoring a walk-in spot.
As a big rig, driving through the camping loop was a bit 'hairy'. We brushed several palm leaves. Backing into our site took some doing - but with some patience and two tries, we were able to get in. We acted as 'eyes and direction' for another solo bigger rigger later in the week - our advice is that if you're solo or uncomfortable with tight back in situations - hunt down someone who has a big rig and ask for their assistance.
Our opinion points to the 'best of the best' sites being in the 'no pets' loop in Area 3.
The running/exploring here is awesome. A paved trail running the length of the Isle and several sandy road trails near the beach. Or just running on the beach. Which is covered with starfish, conch shells, and other ocean gems.
The major drawback of Fort De Soto is that every time you leave... you have to pay at least one (likely two) tolls to get back in.
Liz & Jake would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Pelicans diving, fish jumping, palm trees swaying”
Reviewed 1/23/2020
Nightly rate: | $45 |
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Days stayed: | 5 |
Site Number: | 99 |
RV Length: | 32' (Class C) |
Fort de Soto is one of the best campgrounds we've stayed in. The sites are large and filled with trees and palms. We were lucky enough to get a water view site for easy fishing, watching the birds, and beautiful sunsets. The trees were perfect for a hammock and a fire in the evening was really nice. We loved the bike path to the b... more
Fort de Soto is one of the best campgrounds we've stayed in. The sites are large and filled with trees and palms. We were lucky enough to get a water view site for easy fishing, watching the birds, and beautiful sunsets. The trees were perfect for a hammock and a fire in the evening was really nice. We loved the bike path to the beach and fort. Our dog, Etta, loved the huge dog park for little dogs and the very nice dog beach. The drive into St. Petersburg is easy. We also booked a pontoon tour of shell key where we saw dolphins and found several sand dollars. This is a great area and I highly recommend Fort de Soto. It fills up early. We booked the day reservations opened.
Lynne would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Lovely campground and park.”
Reviewed 11/20/2019
Nightly rate: | $36 |
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Days stayed: | 10 |
Site Number: | 147 |
Large campsites. Friendly and helpful staff. Love the dog park and piers. Have Consumer Cellphone and coverage was almost nonexistent.
Ann would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Beautiful groubds- Sh*t People Run it”
Reviewed 12/12/2018
Nightly rate: | $45 |
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Days stayed: | 1 |
Site Number: | 90 |
Beautiful grounds, sh*t people run it. The park itself has well kept grounds with beautiful camping spots. Sadly from the lady at the office to the grounds keepers all we got was redness. Everyone there seems to hate their job. Maybe because FL minimum wage is barely $8 and Florida is not a cheap place to live. Also be aware that g... more
Beautiful grounds, sh*t people run it. The park itself has well kept grounds with beautiful camping spots. Sadly from the lady at the office to the grounds keepers all we got was redness. Everyone there seems to hate their job. Maybe because FL minimum wage is barely $8 and Florida is not a cheap place to live.
Also be aware that getting to this place will cost you $5-7 as there are 3 tolls and you have to pay to get into the park even if you are camping.
Price for camping that is being advertised is way lower than what you will actually pay. There is a 7% tourism tax and 5% sales tax. So all of a sudden $33 turn into $45.
Also the place seems to have unbelievably strict rules from no alcohol anywhere in the park to "curfew" that starts at 10pm. No generators are allowed at any time and trails in the park are shut down at dusk.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Noise was an Issue”
Reviewed 11/11/2018
Days stayed: | 3 |
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Site Number: | 206 |
Accommodations were good and facilities were clean. However, the neighboring site had an unbelieveably loud A/C unit set up (ran louder than my generator does) and it ruined the ambiance of the evening. Dinner by the campfire and a relaxing night turned into a headache. Would rate more highly if noise complaints could be addressed more... more
Accommodations were good and facilities were clean. However, the neighboring site had an unbelieveably loud A/C unit set up (ran louder than my generator does) and it ruined the ambiance of the evening. Dinner by the campfire and a relaxing night turned into a headache. Would rate more highly if noise complaints could be addressed more thoroughly by staff. In 25 years of camping we have never heard an A/C unit in this poor of condition... would pay to have it repaired.
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- 50 Amp
- 30 Amp
- 20 Amp
- water
- Partial Hookups
Recreation
- fishing
- playground
- recreation trail
- swimming beach
- water access
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- dump station
- general store
- laundry
- restrooms: flush
- showers
- trash
- water available
Pets
- pets
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