You want remote? Try Flamingo Campground in the Everglades! 

We are sure you'll love it as much as we did, despite the four issues we'll explain in a bit.

Everglades National Park is the third largest park in the lower 48 states (behind Death Valley National Park and Yellowstone National Park), covering 1.5 million acres of wetland.

If you do not have an unlimited National Park pass, the entrance fee to the Everglades National Park is $30 and that is good for 7 consecutive days starting from the day of purchase.

As the largest designated subtropical wilderness reserve on the North American continent, the Everglades contains a mixture of complex habitats that are able to support an extremely high diversity of flora and fauna. This is due to the combination of fresh and brackish water as well as the shallow bays and deep coastal waters located within the park.

The park contains the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere, the largest continuous stand of sawgrass prairie, and is the most significant breeding ground for wading birds in North America.

Manatees, American crocodiles, a huge number of birds, turtles, otters, and even panthers all call the Everglades home.

Perhaps the absolute best place to experience the Everglades as an RVer is the Flamingo Campground at the southernmost tip of the glades. Make sure you fill up with fuel before turning off the main road. That's because there is nothing on that road but swamp and no gas stations, even at the end of the road where the Flamingo Campground is located..

We snagged a spot at the Flamingo Campground and enjoyed a wonderful stay there just before the park and campground shut down because of COVID-19 in early March 2020. But now that things are again opening up and RV travel is becoming possible, we're here to say that this is one of the most delightful places we've stayed in a long time.

Here's a video about our stay:

Remote it is!

You drive 38 miles south, till you run into Florida Bay. The only thing on both sides of the road is the Everglades until you reach Flamingo. Then you'll find a boat launch, a marina, tour boats, a small visitor's center and the campground.with two loops. The A loop is for tents only. There are a handful of eco tents right on the bay. The A loop has no hookups.

The T Loop is for RVs and has 65 sites, reservable though https://flamingoeverglades.com/camping/

We booked a boat tour that explored the canals  ($40 an adult). It's an hour and a half ride and we saw lots of crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks. At the boat launch area of the marina, we watched a family of manatees playing in the water.

What's the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?

This is the part of the Everglades where crocs live as the canal, which connects to Florida Bay, is mostly salt water. These are American crocodiles and while they look a lot like an alligator at first glance, there are some major differences. The American crocodile is lizard-shaped with a long, muscular tail and four short legs that have five toes on the front feet and four on the back feet. Adults have grayish-green backs and tails and white to yellowish undersides. Their narrow snout is triangular in shape, and the fourth tooth on both sides of the lower jaw is visible when the mouth is closed. 

The American alligator has darker skin and a broader snout.

Great Everglades hiking trail

The Ahinga Trail a few miles from the main road entrance is an awesome boardwalk tour of a little more than a half mile. The boardwalk winds around lilypad-covered fresh water and has a huge population of alligators. There are lots of colorful birds. We saw roseate spoonbills, wood storks, white pelicans, egrets and blue herons. 

So while we absolutely loved our stay there, there are some things you need to know before going. There are four issues about Flamingo that we want to alert you to:

Issue #1 about the Flamingo Campground in the Everglades

You'll most likely be bugged. Unless the wind is blowing or its the middle of winter, the bugs are bad towards sundown. Remember, you are smack dab deep in the Everglades. On a walk around the campground at sundown in early March, Jennifer had 18 mosquito bites, mostly on her calves and ankles. Lesson learned: Wear long pants and apply bug spray.

Issue #2 about the Flamingo Campground in the Everglades

There's not a lot of shade. You're basically in an open field. If you are there from spring through fall, you'll want electricity so you can run your AC. That means you'll want to stay in the T Loop, which has  30A-20A-50A pedestals. The individual sites DO NOT have water. Filling stations located next to the dump station. There are rest rooms with running water and showers. Because you are right near Florida Bay, there is usually a nice breeze. But still, you are in a swamp in south Florida. It can get very hot.

Issue #3 about the Flamingo Campground in the Everglades

Beware of the buzzards. You heard me right. There is a large flock of resident buzzards at Flamingo Campground in the Everglades and they have developed a taste for the rubber on motorhome windshield wipers. Same like to peck at tires. It's pretty disconcerting to open up the front drapes of the RV to see a couple of buzzards sitting on your hood. Wise campers wrap plastic bags around the mirrors and wipers

Issue #4 about the Flamingo Campground in the Everglades

Internet and cell phone coverage is limited. Only AT&T cell phone service works there. You get zero bars with Verizon. There is no wi-fi.  Remember, you are 38 miles off the nearest main road.  Since we have both AT&T and Verizon we were able to connect to the Internet but  Verizon-only customers are out of luck and even the most robust cell phone booster wont help connect from the Flamingo Campground in the Everglades.

So there you have it. Everything you need to know about this awesome camping spot.

Those four issues were no big deal in our book. But we had done or research and knew what to expect. Now you have, too, and we're sure you'll enjoy Flamingo Campground in the Everglades as much as we did. 

Want more great camping and RV travel suggestions?

Want more information and guidance about visiting Flamingo Campground in the Everglades and places like it? Do you know we have a special 7 Day Adventure Guide to Florida's Atlantic Coast that covers the Everglades, including Flamingo Campground in the Everglades? It's jam-packed with photos, maps and lots of suggestions on where to camp and what to see.

CLICK HERE for information about our travel guide to Florida's Atlantic Coast

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