John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Campground

Cool place to snorkel

As soon as we heard about the John Pennekamp State Park's coral reefs, we immediately bought diving suits from the shop located at the Park and dived to see it ourselves. The experience is just one in a million. You get to see a great variety of sea creatures. (colorful fish)

The staff that guide and help you snorkel were very helpful. We had a great time while the sea was calm, then we got informed that the sea will become aggressive so we had to end it fast.

Very good experience.

Great state park with many activities. Easy to get in and out. Area has everything you need.

As the real estate saying goes, location, location, location! That's what you get when you are camping here. Yes the sites are close together, but site we are at is level and very easy to back into with our 28’ Airstream. We will definitely be back here again down the road. Oh, and take the big repellent.

Most of the sites are packed sand covered with pea gravel and most appeared to be level. Sites in my loop had full hookups. I was able to get directv and for the most part had internet connectivity. 2 bars of Verizon, and occasionally 3 bars. In December, the bugs were tolerable. No-seeums in the morning but once the sun came up, they seemed to have gone away. Older showers and restrooms but well maintained and clean. A mix of RV'ers and a few tent campers. In my opinion there was plenty of room between sites. A short walk from my site to the marina and beach. Did take the "glass bottom" boat tour out to Molasses Reef. Totally awesome and highly recommended.

Camped in a 35” motorhome. We are self-contained so cannot comment on restrooms/shower facilities.
Pros –
- Sites are level.
- The campground is quiet at night
- Near the marina, beaches and several short trails.
- The people working in the office are very nice. Did not know many details about kayaking or the trails though.
- Cell and internet on ATT, Verizon and T-Mobile worked well
- Full hookups
- The water is incredibly clear. We enjoyed seeing the underwater wildlife in the marina in our kayak.

Cons –
- Sites extremely close
- Very bad Sulphur smell due to small pond behind sites 19-22. Some people left earlier than their scheduled end date as a result (one was a young family with pregnant Mom). We are in a motorhome so we can keep the windows closed but some campers (in pop ups or tents) cannot.
- Park itself is extremely crowded. Beaches draw many people into the park. By 7:45AM every morning, there is a line at the park entrance. Snorkelers, glass bottom boat tourists and beach goers. The parking lots are full by 11AM every morning. Very busy place.

We needed a place for one night on our way to Key West. John Pennekamp State Park was perfectly adequate for what we wanted. Level sites, full hookups, friendly staff, clean (yet outdated) restrooms, and shaded trails for dog walking. Sites are close together buffered with native Florida plants and trees. It’s a small campground, but we found it to be very quiet with a mix of tents and RVs. The no-see-ums are pretty fierce after sunset, so come prepared. Is it the best state park campground in the Keys? Probably not. However, the amount of available outdoor activities nearby is unbelievable.

In this video, I provide you a walking tour of the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Campground in Key Largo, Florida. Video uploaded here on Campendium for your immediate reference. I share with you our best campsites at the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park full-hookup campground. I show you the day use and concession area, Cannon Beach, and the marina where glass bottom boat and snorkeling tours originate. Verizon cellular service clocked in at 15.2 Mbps download speed and 4.33 Mbps upload speed. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 13.1 Mbps download speed and 3.45 Mbps upload speed. T-Mobile cellular service clocked in at 5.66 Mbps download speed and 2.10 Mbps upload speed.

We stayed here because we wanted to do the kayaking through the mangroves and snorkel boat tour at the park. We are full time RVers and live in a large 5th wheel. The campsites are on the smaller side and very close together. We are 43 feet and fit in site 18, but it was a little uncomfortable because many people around us were in tents or smaller RVs, and maybe it was my imagination, but they seem to look at us funny like we don't belong there in such a big rig. We even heard people commenting about why would we need such a large RV for camping. I know people don't realize we're travelers, not necessarily camping. We work remotely and travel all over the country, and so yes our RV is on the larger side, but it's also our house. Anyway, other than feeling quite conspicuous for that reason, we really enjoyed our stay. Having full hookups was a huge plus! The kayaking and snorkeling were awesome! Check in was quick and easy. Since we work remotely, good cell coverage is important to us. Verizon and AT&T both worked well, T-Mobile was a little slow.

Not much new to say here, its the Keys, great weather and tight sites, hope you like your neighbors. Our sewer line was 2 feet from our neighbors picnic table. Great kayaking, but little hiking. Neighbors were quiet and no one caused any problems.

Great access from Hwy 1. Check-in required us to park and go in to the ranger station. Had some no see ums at night.

AT&T cell service was usable but not great, 1-2 bars of 5G, we got RSRP of -93 unboosted, boosted to -66. No HDTV channels were available.