Fort DeSoto Park – Exploring Florida One Campground at a Time

We made reservations for the campgrounds in Fort DeSoto Park exactly six months in advance of our June stay. It is a very popular park and snagging a spot can be difficult, especially because Pinellas County Residents have a seven-month window giving them a head start. With our reservation in place, we impatiently waited and counted down the days until it was our turn to stay at the park. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about their experience at this park, I only hear the raves. We researched everything that the park offers, the campground, the beaches, the fort, and the kayaking. Shortly before the trip, we found out that we were able to bring our 13-year-old nephew along to share in the fun. So, we did even more research to ensure that he would enjoy it too. By the time we headed to the park, our expectation of the fun was set so high that it was going to be hard for the park to live up to the expectations. The weekend was even better than we expected.

The Campground
Fort DeSoto Park and Campground is located at the corner of the Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. As we drove across the causeway, we noticed the huge boat launch at the front of the park and great areas to launch kayaks over to Shell Key. Almost right after the boat launch, we found the campground. The campground sits inside the V Shaped island of Fort DeSoto, providing protection and calm waters. Many of the sites are along the water, some with boat accessibility, many with kayak launch accessibility, and some inside sites not directly on the water. Our site was directly on the water in the pet friendly area and we could launch our kayak from the site. The water area by our campsite was a no wake allowed, so it was super calm for kayaking. We saw a lot of people on the outer loop that had tied up their boats right at their sites. No matter where you are, likely you will be pleased. When we backed into our campsite, we had that “wow” moment as we looked through the trees to the water. It is the best feeling when you first arrive to a campsite.

The campgrounds are made up of three areas. Area One has 85 tent and small pop-up sites, right along the water. Area Two has 78 pet friendly sites, of which about half are along the no wake zone waterfront. Area Three has 71 sites, most are on the water and perfect to tie up your boat right at your site. The sites are all electric and water, but no sewer. The campground has a check in office, a general store, and two dump stations. Although the sites do not have a fire ring, you can either bring your own or rent one from the camp store. The camp store was small, but had all of the last minute essentials you might have forgotten, including fire pit rentals and bikes. While we were purchasing delicious ice cream cones, we watched a last-minute syrup purchase save a fellow camper’s morning pancake breakfast. It was late morning, so completely acceptable that we were enjoying ice cream while someone else was just eating breakfast. The area has a lot of trees and brush, keeping the sites private. The campgrounds are separate from the rest of the park, so you will not have the traffic of day guests inside the campgrounds.

Activities Inside the Park
There are so many things to do inside the park, so we did not need to leave the park during our visit. The park had a great camp store, gift shops, restaurants and bait and tackle down by the beaches and pier. As the name of the park indicates, there is a fort to explore inside the park. The fort, built in 1898, is located right along the beach and the fishing pier. You can explore the inside of fort, the canons, walk along the top of the fort, and look out at the Gulf of Mexico. It was interesting to learn the history of the fort, while taking amazing pictures. From one of the fishing piers within the park you can take a ferry over to Egmont Key State Park. The only way to reach the park is by boat, but you can see the island off the coast from the beaches at Fort DeSoto. Egmont Key State Park is located at the mouth of the Tampa Bay. It is the perfect place to explore the ruins of Fort Dade, which was constructed during the Spanish American War, and the Egmont Key Lighthouse.

The beaches at Fort DeSoto are unbelievably gorgeous and quite diverse in nature. They have dog friendly beaches, fishing beaches, the beach by the fishing pier, and of course North Beach. All the dogs looked like they were having an amazing time at the dog beach! We did not spend too much time there because our dogs do not like to get their feet sandy and wet. We did walk out on the fishing pier and were lucky enough to see a manatee swim under the pier and right by some of the swimmers in the water. For us, it was North Beach that won our hearts. The sand is white and soft, the water is turquoise and calm, and the sandbar creates shallow water to wade through safely. North Beach is epitome of Florida Beaches and why people from all over the country come to enjoy the Florida Gulf Coast. We spent more time than I would have expected at the beach. The only thing I will change for next time is bringing a float to lounge in the shallow water.

As much as we enjoyed the beach and the fort, our favorite activity in the park was kayaking. We spent a lot of our time kayaking while we were at Fort DeSoto. We rented kayaks through Pinellas Kayak Rentals, so that we had them at our site the entire stay at the park. We launched from our site and over at the beach to start closer to the mangrove tunnels. If you can transport your kayaks around the park, there are places to put them into the water all over the park. We did not make the paddle over to Shell Key Island, but that is on our list for next time. The park does offer kayak rentals, but we opted to use a company outside of the park so that we would not be limited by the hourly fee and single launch location. One thing to keep in mind during your visit is the popularity of this park. During peak times you must keep in mind the crowd levels of the day guests as you determine your activities. The crowds would mainly impact the beaches, fishing piers, and perhaps the ferry’s to Egmont or Shell Key.

Exploring Outside of the Park
The park is located just south of Tampa. If you want to explore the surrounding area, you will find beautiful beaches and delicious food. You can drive ten miles north to St Pete Beach or just a little further up to Treasure Island and Clearwater. We suggest stopping by John’s Pass for some great dining, shopping and boating. If you feel like exploring the city, you can head over to Tampa to explore Channelside or perhaps catch a show at Amalie Arena. If you are in the area at the right time of year, you can watch the Tampa Bay Lightning play a game. If you were as excited as us by the Fort and want to explore parks, there are quite a few in the area, including Honeymoon Island State Park, Myakka River State Park, or Fort Foster State Historic Site at Hillsborough River State Park. This is a great area to explore and there is so much more than I have mentioned above. All of these are as close as 10 miles away and no further than 60 miles.

You Will Want to Come Back
No matter your interests, there is something for everyone when you visit Fort DeSoto Park and surrounding areas. You can learn about the history, enjoy a boat ride, observe the wildlife, relax on the beach, fish on the pier, ride a bike, or kayak all over the park. Perhaps you need a little time to relax in the campsite. We loved the view from the campsite as the sun set over the water. As much as we enjoyed the park, our nephew loved it even more. We like to think it was his cool aunt and uncle that made it so fun (insert eye roll here), but we know it was the beach and the kayaking. We hope you have an opportunity to visit this park and that you enjoy it as much as us! We are already plotting our next visit.