John Pennekamp Camp Area

Excellent campground with beautiful sites. We are tent campers and stayed in the "RV/Tent" site, full hookups with plenty of room for some friends who stayed with us. The park itself can be crowded during the day but by 4 o'clock the beach-goers seem to clear out and things quiet down just in time for the sunset. Wonderful snorkeling right off the beach with plenty of small creatures in shallow & clear water. We rented the 24' motorboat to tour the reefs at our leisure which was worth every penny! Staff are lovely and keep the place ship shape, we also enjoyed the program at the visitor center. US 1 is very close by for easy access, but can also be noisy depending on traffic levels. We will be back at every opportunity! Rooms: 5/5 | Service:

One of the best in Florida , amazing clean restroom ,landscaping top Notch , staff hospitality pure genuine, beautiful trails after you finishing one awesome stop a go meals. Chef 👍 Every thing adventurous person needs.. Lots of vegetation for the green lovers …Adventure for all👍👍👍👍👍⭐️ Do remember not feed wild life

As a camp host at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, I couldn't be more thrilled with my experience. The staff here was simply amazing - always friendly, helpful, and incredibly organized. Out of all the state parks we’ve hosted at, this one stands out for its exceptional management and dedication to making sure both guests and hosts have the best possible experience. The natural beauty of the park, combined with the top-notch support from the staff, makes hosting here an absolute joy. Five stars all the way!

4 stars only because of the season. This is a hard review to write because it's early September with day time temperatures in the mid 90's cooling to mid 80's at night. Our camp site has no shade like most others. If you're lucky to have one with a little shade it's way too hot for sitting outside, plus the no s'eems, mosquitoes will eat you up come sun set. I salute all the tent campers that are here. The plus side to this is that the Park is not crowded. Our snorkeling trip to Christ of the abyss had only 18 people aboard, and when we got to the reef there was only one other boat on site. The water was clam & refreshingly nice with good visibility. Hate to be a Debbie downer here , but the reef is not as healthy as it was years ago. All those beautiful pictures of the reef you see are from the past. Growing up in Marathon in 60's and visiting every couple of years we have seen the changes in water quality along with a decline in marine life throughout the Keys. For anybody who's driven over the old 7 mile bridge and had to stop in the middle because the actual drawbridge was open to let a sailboat pass knows what I mean. If you still want to make some memories, always support the State Parks they're here to protect & preserve our natural resources.

Full hook-ups and able to fit our 35' fifth wheel and truck. A bit tight, but we did have room for a seating area. Unfortunately we couldn't sit outside to enjoy it because the no-see-ums were relentless. A short walk from the campground to the beach areas and kayak launch. Good value and great location, but we likely wouldn't go back.