One of our favorite campsites – equaling the amazing on the beach camping in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore – maybe even better! St George Island State Park is a barrier island park with 60 campsites with electricity, water hookups and a dump station nearby. The campground is located behind historic dunes in the pine forest – with shade! There are no ocean or Gulf views, but the campsites are only a quarter mile from the beach. There are two restrooms with hot showers, a playground and nature trails that meander from the campground – a two mile trail takes you to one of the best sunset views on the island. Pets are welcome but must be kept on a six foot leash controlled by the pet’s owner. Pets are not allowed on the beach or in any facilities.
Beachcombing on this beach was amazing for miles.
Website: St. George Island State Park
Campground/Park Map: Map of the St George State Park Campground.
Reservations: Reservations may be made up to 11 months in advance through ReserveAmerica. Book Online or call (800) 326-3521
Local Park Telephone Number: (850) 927-2111
Showers: ****** 6 Stars on My 12 Point Shower Scale (click the link for info). Two shower facilities have three showers each, including a handicapped shower in each building. The showers are typical of state park showers – unfortunately while we were there, there were a lot of mosquitoes and the cleaning crew insisted on leaving the outside facility doors wide open, which insured that lots of the pesky little critters found their way inside. Not as clean as some. But there was hot water which is always a plus!
Sunset at the end of the 2 mile trail by the campground playground.
BONUS POINTS! This campground is small, very nice and the campsites are fairly private and wooded with shade in the pine woods. It was a delight and we wished we could stay longer. Ride your bikes to the far eastern end of the island on the sand road beyond the furthest east picnic pavilion or hike the nature trail that starts behind the playground for one of the islands best sunset views – take your bug stuff, you’ll need it! We even used our mosquito head nets.
Yes, there were plenty of mosquitos on our sunset hike!
Scenic Value: Yes! The beaches are pristine, the dunes are amazingly beautiful. The squeaky white sand is everything a beachcomber could ask for …
Mosquitos/Bugs: The county sprays for mosquitoes twice a week, the entire island. Enjoying nowhere does have it’s drawbacks! 🙂
Noise Levels: Quiet, no road noise and very little camper noise to disturb the serenity. October was the perfect month for us to visit, the campground wasn’t full and kids were in school.
Eerie morning fog surrounding our campsite at St George Island State Park
Campsite: Kudos! The campsites are well spaced and shaded. The pine/brush forest setting provides privacy and each campsite seems nestled into it’s surroundings.
Claustrophobia Quotient: None! Despite being sandwiched between two larger camper RV’s, we never felt squeezed.
The bridge from St George back to mainland – Apalachicola is the closest “town”.
Access to Essentials: Bring everything with you! Just the bridge is 4 miles back to the mainland. There is a small convenience type grocery store on the island, about 6 miles down from the State Park. The State Park is the eastern end of the island. There are a few restaurants and souvenir shops, along with the usual assortment of fishing/water toy vendors.
Campsite Price: $24 per night with electricity and water. Florida only allows a senior discount if you’re a Florida resident, then it’s 50%. 🙁
I love St George Island!
