Bahia Honda State Park Camping in the Florida Keys: The Complete 2026 Guide

Bahia Honda State Park camping is the closest thing the Florida Keys have to a bucket-list campsite: gravel pads a few steps from the water, gin-clear shallows for snorkeling, and the old Flagler railroad bridge on the skyline at sunset. The park sits at 36850 Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key (phone 305-872-2353), about 37 miles up the road from Key West.

It is also one of the hardest campgrounds in Florida to book. Here's how the three loops, the cabins and the reservation system actually work in 2026.

Is Bahia Honda State Park Open?

Yes. The park is open 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year. But there are three things behind the searches for "Bahia Honda State Park closed today":

• Capacity closures. When the day-use areas fill up, the park closes temporarily and turns arriving visitors away until space opens. This happens on weekends and holidays. Campers with a reservation are not day-use visitors, but arrive with your confirmation handy.
• Sandspur's long hurricane recovery. Hurricane Irma in 2017 hit this island hard, and the Sandspur loop and beach were closed for years while they were rebuilt. As of September 2026 the park lists Sandspur's sites as operational again. The one thing still unfinished is the Sandspur bathhouse, which is being remodeled. Until it's done, the park provides air-conditioned temporary mobile restrooms and showers.
• The visitor center is currently closed. Call the park for updates.

Bahia Honda State Park Campsites: The Three Loops

The park's campsites are numbered 1 to 80 across three loops, and each loop suits a different kind of camper. Getting the right loop matters more than getting the right date.

Buttonwood Campground (Sites 1–48)

This is the big-rig loop and the only one that works for large RVs. Sites are gravel with electricity, water, a picnic table and a grill. The loop has the park's main bathhouse with hot showers and the dump station.

• Waterfront sites are 12 through 25. These are the ones that sell out first.
• Sites 12 and 13 sit by the campers' marina. Site 14 is on the channel.
• Site 45 is a designated hammock site.

If you searched for Bahia Honda State Park RV camping, Buttonwood is your answer.

Sandspur Campground (Sites 49–72)

Sandspur is the oceanfront loop behind Sandspur Beach, and it has the best views in the park. It is also the tightest loop. The maximum rig length is 23 feet, hitch to bumper, because larger rigs can't make the sharp turns. That limit covers the tow vehicle too, not just the trailer.

Sites have electricity, water, a table and a grill. Tents and small campers fit fine. A 30-foot travel trailer does not.

Bayside Campground (Sites 73–80)

Bayside is eight primitive, non-electric sites with a table, grill and water. It has a small restroom, but hot showers are a half-mile away at Buttonwood. Site 73 is a designated hammock site, and one of the park's pages lists site 80 as well.

The catch is the bridge. You reach Bayside by driving under the new Bahia Honda Bridge, which has only 6 feet 8 inches of overhead clearance. Roof boxes, lifted trucks, high-top vans and anything towing a camper won't fit. This is a tent-and-car loop.

Bahia Honda Camping Reservations and Fees

• Book up to 11 months ahead through the Florida State Parks reservation system, or call 800-326-3521 (TDD 888-433-0287). For winter dates, expect sites to be gone within minutes of the 11-month window opening. Be online and ready when your date opens.
• Campsites: $36 per night plus tax, plus a nonrefundable $6.70 reservation fee. RVs also pay a $7 nightly utility fee for water, electricity and sewer. Tent campers don't pay the utility fee.
• Florida residents 65 or older, or who hold a qualifying Social Security or 100% federal disability certificate, get 50% off the base campsite fee. The reservation and utility fees aren't discounted.
• Day-use admission is $8 per vehicle (two to eight people) plus a 50-cent Monroe County surcharge per person.

Bahia Honda is not on Recreation.gov. That system handles federal sites like Fort Pickens on the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Florida state parks use their own reservation system.

For the site map, the park's downloadable map PDF shows the three loops and the bridge. Use the map view in the reservation system to see individual site numbers and length limits. Many third-party Bahia Honda campground maps were made before the Sandspur rebuild, so don't rely on them.

Bahia Honda State Park Cabins

The park has three duplex cabins on stilts overlooking the bay. Each has a full kitchen with cookware and linens, central heat and air, two bedrooms, a living room futon, a full bath, a porch, and a picnic table and grill on a ground-level deck. They sleep six. Cabin 2 has a wheelchair lift and one bedroom, and it sleeps four.

• Rates: $120 a night May 1–October 31 and $160 a night November 1–April 30, plus tax, the $6.70 reservation fee and a $7 nightly utility fee.
• Two-night minimum. No pets, no TVs and no phones.
• The 6'8" bridge clearance applies to the cabin road too. Your vehicle has to fit under the bridge.

Boat Camping at the Marina

The marina has 19 overnight slips with water, 30-amp power, pump-out and full use of the campground bathhouse. The rate is $2 per foot with a $30 minimum. The controlling depth is 4.5 feet. Call 305-872-3210 or hail on VHF 16. Two boat ramps take vessels up to 32 feet, and the ramp fee is $10. Trailer parking runs out on holidays, so book it through the concession in advance.

Things to Do: Beaches, the Old Bridge and Snorkeling

• Three beaches. Sandspur Beach and Loggerhead Beach face the Atlantic. Calusa Beach faces the bay and has two picnic pavilions. There are no lifeguards, so read the warning flags. Stay away from the Bahia Honda Channel, where the currents are strong.
• The Old Bahia Honda Bridge trail starts in the Calusa area and climbs the old Overseas Highway to an overlook on the historic rail bridge. From the top you can see the whole island, and often rays and sea turtles in the water below. Bikes aren't allowed on it.
• Snorkeling at Bahia Honda State Park is some of the best you can do from shore in the Keys, in 4 to 6 feet of water. The concession rents gear and runs boat trips to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. Spearfishing and collecting tropical fish are prohibited.

Pet Rules

Dogs are allowed at campsites on a 6-foot leash, and you can never leave them unattended. They are not allowed on the beaches or in the water, or in cabins, bathhouses, pavilions or the concession building. With a dog you'll see less of this park than you would elsewhere, so read our camping with dogs guide before you book.

Recommended Gear

The Keys are hot, windy and humid, and your tent needs a real rainfly for summer squalls. The Coleman Sundome handles gusty Sandspur nights and fits the smaller sites easily. See our camping in the rain guide for storm-season setup.

If you book site 45 or 73, bring a hammock. The Wise Owl Outfitters Camping Hammock packs small and hangs in minutes. Our best camping hammocks roundup covers the alternatives.

A rechargeable headlamp like the Black Diamond Spot 400-R is worth packing for the half-mile shower walk from Bayside and for stargazing, which is excellent on this island.

More Florida Camping

For more Florida parks, read our Florida state parks camping guide. For springs camping, see Rainbow Springs State Park. For another Atlantic-side beach campground, see Jetty Park at Port Canaveral.