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Anybody Ever Trailer Into The Fla. Keys?

PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 10:57 am
by DaveMann
I'm going to be starting a 6 x 12 cargo conversion pretty much for 2 to 4 day trips to the keys to go diving. The cost of diving plus motel just makes it too expensive. I'm only a 2 1/2 hour drive to Key Largo and I suppose I could come back home at night, but come on. Really? I need to spend the night down there in order to have any fun. So I got this crazy idea that I would build a stealth camper and park in the lot of the dive shop with which I am doing business. Now . . . here's what I've heard -

Key West has a strict prohibition against overnighting in anything other than a house or hotel. Big deal. I don't dig Key West all that much anyway. I'm an Islamorada, Marathon, Largo, Big Pine area kind of guy. I hear the Monroe County Sheriff's Dept tends to frown on campers anywhere but in a campground (which are all over priced because - Fla. Keys!), but I'm not sure there is a carved in stone law.

So I'm wondering - any of you ever go down into the keys? What have you heard or done or seen?


Dave Mann

Re: Anybody Ever Trailer Into The Fla. Keys?

PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 5:34 pm
by daveesl77
We go down fairly often. The various State Parks are great but often almost impossible to get a site. HOWEVER, if you go mid week anytime other than the dead of winter or pretty much anytime during August, many of them allow for walk-ins and have a fair number of open spots for a night or two. Our favorite is Long Key SP, as every site is right on the ocean, I mean right on it, like 2 feet way. Bahia Honda, for trailers, is ok, but is a bit crowded, but you can put a teardrop in the tent sites (no electricity). Curry Hammock often has a decent number of open sites, but you have to get there before say 10am to have a good chance at one. Go to the below link to find the parks in the keys, there are a lot of them. The costs are pretty decent for the location - about $35-40 per night at full cost, but they all have electric and water at most sites and numerous shower houses.

https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks ... /southeast

dave

Re: Anybody Ever Trailer Into The Fla. Keys?

PostPosted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 10:15 pm
by DaveMann
Long Key SP sounds perfect - halfway between Islamorada and Marathon, ocean front views, and not bad prices. For all that I could put up with the heat, humidity, and smell of rotting sea grass in August :lol:

Now what's this business about hours: 8 to sunset? Are you locked in at night? How's that work?


Dave

Re: Anybody Ever Trailer Into The Fla. Keys?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 8:13 am
by daveesl77
That's the official opening hours of the park. Campers are given the access code for both the park and campground.

dave

Re: Anybody Ever Trailer Into The Fla. Keys?

PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 8:45 am
by DaveMann
Thanks, Dave. Good to know.