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Campsites are located along the narrow beach. The channel offshore of the site is deep and swift with numerous oyster bars on the bottom. This site can be very buggy when calm and is exposed to westerly winds in stormy weather. Camp well above the high tide line.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness Area, found within Everglades National Park, is the largest subtropical Wilderness in the United States. Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee, American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther.
Everglades National Park designates campsites to prevent resource damage and to improve visitor experience by focusing camping impacts on resilient sites. There are currently three distinct types of campsites within the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness or other areas managed as Wilderness— chickees, ground sites, and beach sites.
Chickee Sites
Chickee sites are located along waterways and bays where dry land is inaccessible for camping. Comprised of elevated wooden platforms with roofs, chickees give campers a unique experience of camping above the water's surface. Chickee platforms are 10 ft by 12 ft and are built to hold a maximum of 6 people or 1 group per platform. All of a group's tents must fit on one reserved platform. A portable toilet is provided at each chickee. Campfires are not allowed. There are 17 chickee sites in Everglades National Park, twelve of which are double-chickees.
Ground Sites
Ground sites are located along interior bays and rivers, typically on mounds of earth a few feet above the surrounding mangroves. Ground sites can accommodate larger groups and can hold multiple parties. Campfires, as well as wood, charcoal, and coal-fueled grills and stoves are not permitted, so the use of gas grills or gas stoves is required. There are 13 ground sites in Everglades National Park.
Beach Sites
Beach sites are located on the coast and provide opportunities for camping on the sand along the shoreline. Coastal breeze during ideal conditions makes insects scarce at times. Beach sites are the only type of campsite in Wilderness where campfires are allowed, but fires must be built below storm surge line. There are 15 beach sites in Everglades National Park.
Any wilderness camping outside of designated campsite types listed above (ex: Shark River Slough) requires a Special Use Permit from the Chief Ranger’s Office.
A permit is not required for nights camping/sleeping aboard boats that are anchored out of sight of chickees and 1/4 mile from occupied beach or ground sites.
Groups over 6 people may call the Gulf Coast or Flamingo Visitor Centers with questions regarding accommodating large group reservations.
This permit allows the permit holder and their group to overnight camp at designated campsites within the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness. Reservations can be made online, year-round, 90-days before trip start date on a rolling basis. Reservations open daily at 10:00 am Eastern Standard Time. Making separate reservations for each night is not necessary. One permit/reservation per trip.
Your reservation confirmation email will serve as your permit. You are NOT required to pick up a phyical permit in person.
February camping on this key was fantastic. Nice on shore breeze all day and night kept the bugs away (lucky). The surf can definitely get rough during high winds and tide changes on the gulf side, so caution is advised if you kayak here with a loaded kayak. There are no facilities (other than a port-a-potty that is supposed to be serviced, but sometimes because of weather is missed), no water, no electric, and no cell service here. At night the stars were amazingly abundant (we camped during a new moon) and were treated to shooting stars etc. There can be quite the tide change between low and high tide, so make sure your boat is either well secured or dragged well above the high tide mark or both. The raccoons come out at night and scour the beaches during low tide for food, and lick the dew from the leaves for fresh water just before sunrise. This place is truly wild and beautiful...and remote.
Great place to camp don’t forget to make reservations and keep your fire below the high tide mark we got busted by fwc (fantastic officers by the way stern but fair) because we didn’t know we had to make reservations out about the fire hope this review helps someone avoid our mistake
Always a national geographic experience! Dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays. Really wild.
