Tamp Bay Area / Camping
Fort DeSoto
The Fort Desoto Campground is located at the mouth of Tampa Bay on Christopher and St Jean Keys Our campsite had a water view and small beach that was good for fishing or launching your kayak from. The campsite #28 was reasonably flat as most of them are but we did use our ramps to ensure our bed was level. Campsites on the opposite side of areas 1 and 2 were sunny in the morning but had no water view.
We were in the section that said no travel trailers though there were a few smaller ones. The entire campground has lots of trees and some of them have low hanging branches. It makes for more private campsites but will be more of a challenge for larger RVs.
The site had power and water. Visiting in January meant we had a couple of 70 degree days with very few bugs. The wind was a factor on our last morning and we choose to make our coffee and breakfast in our van.
Cost was high at over $40 per night. Camps store seems well stocked and pricey as most them probably are. There was WiFi at the camp office. Don't always trust their website for availability. It said the park was sold out for the second night we wanted to stay. When we checked in and ask about a second night the ranger said there were plenty of sites available for the second night.
In the evening we realized there were a number of raccoons around and they were rather bold. We kept our lantern on to keep the raccoons back while we were up.
There are several miles of flat bike paths that you can use to see the island. There are two fishing piers that you do not need a fishing license to use. There is an interesting little museum and the old fort with several mortars still in place. The displays at the fort are definitely in need of a freshening up.
You can catch the ferry to Egmont Key.
If you have brought your boat there is a massive 800 ft long boat ramp. This was impressive. The largest ones I had seen in the past was only two boats wide.