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The Emerald Coast- Beach Camping at RV Camp Gulf (Part 2)

| Updated May 31, 2023

Beach camping along The Emerald Coast should be high on your traveling to-do list.

It's one thing to stay along the spectacular beaches of the Florida Panhandle's Emerald Coast. It's another to camp on the beach.

So that's why we bit the bullet and spent way more money than usual to stay in one of the choice beach spots on RV Camp Gulf, a very popular private campground in Destin, Florida.  

I know, I know, it's a ridiculous amount of money. You can book a beachfront condo or hotel room for the same price. Or less…

Beach camping at Camp Gulf on The Emerald Coast
You can't get much closer to the water than this

But we did it. It was on my bucket list. So we spent four nights there, wheels on the white sugar sand, yards away from the crystal clear waters. Actually, we spent two nights in one spot, two nights in another.

Beach Camping at RV Camp Gulf

RV Camp Gulf has some 220 or so camping spots but only 16 of them are right on the beach. Those are the high price premium spots and they are packed close together.

We were in our Class B Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL at the time, and it was sandwiched between a monster Class A skyscraper and a huge Fifth Wheel in spot #805 for the first two nights.  With our awning out, it came within about five feet of touching the side of our neighbor to the west. To the east, the Fifth Wheel was bout a foot away from our driver's side.

Here's another view of site #805, showing how close together the sites are.
Here's another view of site #805, looking back from the beach

The other two nights we were on the very first spot to the east, site #815. That number doesn't even show on the map of the campground. That's because it is the smallest and trickiest to park in. A Class A couldn't do it. I don't think a Class C could, either.

But our campervan fit just fine. And this was our favorite spot because, while we had a travel trailer very, very close to us on the west, there was nothing to the east but sand.

Site 815, our favorite, is perfectly suited for a Class B with no neighbors on the east
Site 815, our favorite, is perfectly suited for a Class B with no neighbors on the east. Keep a broom handy to brush out the sand you will inevitably track into your rig.

We loved those beach spots, despite the cost and the packed-in closeness to our RVing neighbors. It's not something we'd do a lot – because of the price – but living on the beach like that was pure heaven. Once we got past the sticker shock.

The 16 beach sites at Camp Gulf are close together. Can you spot our campervan wedged in between the Class A skyscrapers?
The 16 beach sites at Camp Gulf are close together. Can you spot our Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL, wedged in between the Class A skyscrapers?

This was our second stay at RV Camp Gulf. We stayed at one further back on a concrete pad with a patio a while back, about a five-minute walk from the beach.

Because of country regulations, dogs are not allowed on the beach. Thus, RV Camp Gulf's beach sites are not rented to those who have pets.

A humid, hazy sunset at Camp Gulf
A humid, hazy sunset at Camp Gulf

The Vibe

You need your own beach chairs and awnings. Most of our fellow beachside campers had big canopies they erected in the sand right in front of their RVs. Trust me, you need an awning or canopy. The Florida sun is intense.

There's a great ambiance and sense of community along those beach sites. We met a couple from Louisiana who camped in a Fifth Wheel, painted in LSU's colors. Their beach canopy matched.

A group of Texans took up three spots. They brought a margarita machine and a statue of a steer. Yup. You heard right. One morning, not long after sunrise, they were out in front of their rigs practicing steer roping.

These Texans were our neighbors practiced morning steer roping on the beach
These Texans were our neighbors who practiced morning steer roping on the beach

Other campers, from the non-beach sites further back, wander down throughout the day, using the two access points for the beach.

A guy from Tennessee marveled that anyone would pay so much for a spot “when you can have access to the same beach for a third of that cost and by taking only a short stroll.” I can see his point but, hey, camping on the beach is what I wanted. And that's what I got.

When you add in taxes and fees, expect to pay more than is quoted. But call them if you want specifics because, in our two stays, we found the rates fluctuating wildly because of the season and, no doubt, demand.

Besides the beach, Camp Gulf offers clean and private restrooms and showers, a community room with daily activities, two swimming pools, and a full-service camp store.

Wheels in the sand at Camp Gulf
Wheels in the sand at Camp Gulf

Other Places to Stay and Visit in the Area

We liked RV Camp Gulf. A lot.

In a previous post, I talked about three much more affordable state parks on the Emerald Coast that we also enjoy on visits here. They, however, are not on the beach. To get to the water, you need to take either a long walk or tram ride.

I'm told there is also beach camping at the far eastern end of the Emerald Coast, near Panama City, but we haven't spent much time in that area so I can't give any suggestions there. We'll check those spots out next visit.

The Forgotten Coastline

Further east and a bit south of Panama City is an area of the panhandle known as the Forgotten Coastline. There are two awesome state parks there a stone's throw from the beach and a charming little private campground called Ho-Hum in the village of Carrabelle. 

The Forgotten Coastline is really not a part of the Emerald Coast, however. The water's not that turquoise color and the beach isn't as powdery.

Destin West RV Resort

There is one more private Emerald Coast campground that we've stayed at – the Destin West RV Resort, which isn't in Destin at all but is located on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, west of Destin.

We had an awesome spot there, yards away from the shore of the 27-mile long Choctawhatchee Bay. The spots at Destin West are well spaced, with picnic tables and patios and the resort has its own heated pool and more amenities than you can count.

It's across busy Highway 98 from the Gulf of Mexico, though. But if you stay there you have access to everything at the Ramada Inn across US 28, including its waterfall pool, health club, and beach.

Best Time to Visit The Emerald Coast

Winters along the Emerald Coast can be chilly, down to freezing at night, with temps in the 50's many days. Summers are the busy time. Fall – September through November – is the best time to visit.

Mike and Jennifer's Favorite Places in Florida – all 3 ebooks!

The Emerald Coast- Beach Camping at RV Camp Gulf (Part 2) 1

We RVers may wander far and wide but it’s true for most of us that we end up with some favorite “Go-To” places – places that draw us back again and again.

Florida is one of those places for us. And we know it is for many RVers looking to get away and explore during the winter. 

That's why we've created three guides, covering Florida's Atlantic Coast, the Gulf Coast, and the Keys. 

Each of these guides is a seven-day guided exploration of one of the coasts. And each stop is a curated view of the best things that we’ve enjoyed on this trip and want you to experience.

Altogether these guides are over 300 pages of content! 


Mike Wendland

Published on 2021-08-13

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

5 Responses to “The Emerald Coast- Beach Camping at RV Camp Gulf (Part 2)”

August 17, 2021at8:16 am, Jerri Nagy said:

I really enjoy reading your reviews/recommendations about the different places you stay but it would be very helpful if you would include whether or not these resorts/parks/campgrounds are RV age restricted. Its getting harder and harder to find nice places to stay if your RV is older than 10 years even if it is good shape.
Thanks for all the useful tips and articles.

Reply

December 14, 2015at2:56 pm, SurfDog said:

Looks just like the campsites on Lake Michigan at Grand Haven State Park, although those are less than $30/night! Check it out in the summer. Fabulous area! West Michigan’s Gold Coast!

Reply

November 21, 2015at2:49 pm, Doug &Glenda McClendon said:

Hi mike Doug &Glenda from south Texas wanted to let you know about south padri island. One of the last beaches in the US that you can drive and camp right on the beach for free. We spent our honeymoon there in 1971 and it still looks the same.

Reply

September 06, 2015at10:10 am, Robert Dawson Sr. said:

Thanks again for another great report ,it’s so nice to travel along.

Reply

September 06, 2015at9:13 am, Angela Gill said:

It sounds like for the money spent you did get alot of a resort type environment. And you did say it was on your bucket list. So, it sounds to be a win win situation.

Reply

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