Camping at the Holy Grail of Florida State Parks - Blog

By: BW Admin (5/3/2022)

Date: 4/27/2022 - 5/2/2022

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Bahia Honda state park is one of the most sought after campgrounds in Florida, which can make reserving a campsite there a monumental undertaking in and of itself. This seems to require good luck as much as anything, but we were fortunate enough to book a premium RV site on the water for a few days and headed down to see what all the fuss was about. We were not disappointed.

The park is a beautiful place to spend a few days regardless of where your campsite is, but your mileage may vary greatly on the quality of one campsite versus another. They don't all have water views, and some are closer to the active bridge where the sound of the traffic heading south becomes more noticeable. The sweet spot seems to be the sites on the southern tip of the camping area, which have views of the water and both bridges and are far enough from the road where the traffic noise is less noticeable. The photos in this blog are from site #15, where the view is due south between the two bridges.

We towed the camper and boat down, checking in was relatively painless on a weekday afternoon. There can be lines at the gate at times though as the park is open to the public and they do not have a separate entrance or line for those who are staying overnight. We put the boat in the water immediately upon arrival, there are boat slips for the camping area that are first come first serve. If you are able to get a slip they are a short walk from all of the campsites. They are a stones throw from your site if you can snag one at the southern tip.

Once settled in this is a beautiful place to relax for a few days, especially if you are lucky enough to secure a water view. Our routine mostly consisted of rising early and biking up to the top of the old railroad bridge to catch the sunrise. The view from up there is spectacular. Then we'd eat breakfast and head over to one of the local bait shops for the days supply of shrimp. We'd usually fish around the bridges until lunch time bagging a decent supply of mangrove snapper and other assorted fish. We also took a kayak down for paddling around the park and out to the island behind the south east end of the park. There are nice public beaches on both the east and western sides of the park. We also snorkeled in the channel directly behind the campsite, visibility and current are poor but there are some good sized fish to see down there.

We spent one morning taking the boat over to Looe Key for a snorkeling trip on the reef. If you don't have a boat at your disposal there are snorkeling tours you can book at the park. The reef was impressive and there was quite an array of wildlife on display, there are a few videos of reef sharks cruising the spot below.

The evenings varied between cooking our daily catch at the campsite or trying out some of the local fare. A favorite option is always to take the fish we catch to Lazy Days South and have their chefs prepare it for us. Other favorites are the fish sandwiches at Keys Fisheries, which never disappoint but as this is no secret there are often lines at the order window. If you get tired of seafood try the gourmet pizza at Big Pines famous No Name Pub.

The best part of this trip for me though would have to be chilling at the campsite every evening and taking in those views with a cold beer while the sun goes down. Once the sun fully disappears from the horizon the stars come out, an equally impressive view as you are beyond the range of any light pollution from the city. This trip is highly recommended, definitely worth the time and effort the reservation process may take if you are willing to put forth the effort.

Camping at the Holy Grail of Florida State Parks - Photos

by: BW Admin (5/3/2022)

(click images to view full size)

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The Bahia Honda sand sculpture, by Rick Mungeam. Apparently he creates a new one every now and again.

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Campsite #15 at Bahia Honda state park. Not too shabby.

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Quite the view

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View from the breakfast nook

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Sun setting behind the campsite

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Lat.: 24.658113 / Long.: -81.278533

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Lat.: 24.658076 / Long.: -81.278541

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Birds eye view of the park, from atop the old railroad bridge

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Taking the yak for a cruise around the park

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Close inspection of the old bridge foundation

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This is a small island you can paddle out to about a half mile south east of the park

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Another shot of the island

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The islands lone occupant

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Don't go nominating me for sainthood, but I picked up what trash I could find out there

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Kayak on the eastern beach of the park

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Kayaking back to the campsite under the active bridges

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Mangrove snappers we caught under the bridges around the park.

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These are those fish after Lazy Days South got a hold of them. If you bring them your catch they'll happily prepare them for you. Good stuff, highly recommended.