Your Complete Guide to Florida Beach Camping at Cayo Costa State Park

Beach camping at Cayo Costa State Park is an ideal adventure for those seeking a Florida beach camping experience. Suitable for adventurous beach-goers, couples, and families, the secluded shores of Cayo Costa are calling your name!

This complete guide will teach you everything you need to know when planning your beach camping adventures in Cayo Costa State Park in Southwest Florida. Filled with useful links, resources, and tips and tricks, we’ve done all the hard work to make things easy for you! Happy adventuring!

What is Cayo Costa State Park?

Cayo Costa is a barrier island state park in Southwest Florida filled with thick tropical hammock, white sandy beaches, turquoise blue water, mangrove lined coasts, and enough island to explore for days on end.

The park can only be accessed by boat – giving way to a backdrop of untouched, subtropical nature rarely found along Florida’s gulf coast. Essentially, Cayo Costa is a slice of Florida before the state became America’s tourist beach destination.

Where is Cayo Costa State Park?

Tucked away off the coast of Southwest Florida, Cayo Costa State Park is a stone’s throw from Pine Island – a rural oasis from the busy coastal destinations of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Sanibel Island.

What to do at Cayo Costa State Park?

The secluded park features all the recreational activities you’d imagine in such a natural setting:

• Bring a towel and a chair to soak up the Florida sun as you beach along the sugar white stretches of sand of Florida’s Gulf Coast.
• Discover fully intact shells and sand dollars as the tide rolls out to the open ocean.
• Kayak, canoe, or paddleboard by renting from the state park or bringing your own.
• Snorkel in the glassy waters of the Gulf to discover sand dollars, shells, stingrays, and other marine life.
• Fish with a rod and reel in the bay or off the Gulf Coast. Net fishing is not permitted in the State Park.
• Enjoy a boater’s paradise in the Bay or open Gulf as you exit the Boca Grande Pass. Marinas on Pine Island provide launches and boat rentals.
• Hike through thick tropical hammock to explore a natural barrier island ecosystem filled with wildlife such as rare birds and gopher tortoises.
• Set up a hammock between two palm trees and a tent for your night stay at one of the many campsites available!

When is the best time of year to visit Cayo Costa State Park?

As a general rule of thumb: summer in Florida is buggy and hot. Very buggy. And very hot. And keep in mind: there are no facilities with A/C.

That’s not to say you can’t find reprieve from the heat at Cayo Costa State Park Beat the heat by enjoying the cool waters of the Gulf and the sea breeze at the beach! Not a bad way to cool off, if you ask us.

So if you’re looking to go camping at Cayo Costa State Park, we highly recommend going during cooler months – late Fall and into the winter.

If you’re just going for the day? Any day of the year would be just fine! Even during the summer!

How do you get to Cayo Costa State Park?

As mentioned earlier, the state park can only be accessed by boat. In other words, there are no bridges or roads to Cayo Costa State Park! You can gain access to the island in three different methods:

Take your own boat

The state park has secure docks if you choose to arrive to the island with your own boat. You can even dock for the night if you’re camping on the island.

Kayak to the island

For the extremely adventurous only. We considered this option, but in the end decided to book ferry service instead.

However, if you want to go this route, it’s an 8 mile paddle through the open bay and along a few mangrove islands. The paddle would likely take around 5 hours one-way leaving from Pineland Marina. We recommend kayaking only on a calm, cool day with no wind.

Take the ferry!

Don’t have a boat? No problem! A few ferry services exist solely dedicated to getting you to the island!

We booked a round trip ferry service with Tropic Star Adventures! At the time of this writing (09/2020), the round trip ticket per person was $50, which included space for a 50 lb bag. Parking was an additional $10 per day.

Tropic Star was incredibly accommodating, even altering our booking multiple times throughout the week per our request. Kathy, the front desk worker, was simply fantastic. We highly recommend booking any adventure with their crew!

Selecting a Campsite in Cayo Costa State Park

Staying the night in Cayo Costa gives you two options for accommodation: tent camping or staying in a cabin.

Cabins on the island

Cabins are incredibly simplistic with no A/C, power, or running water. They’re essentially a small room with a few mattresses. Although, outside, each cabin has a picnic table, charcoal grill, and fire pit!

PRO TIP: some cabins have a screened in porch. Be sure to select one if possible to protect you and your group from all the bugs!

Book a cabin on Reserve America.

Tent sites on the island

As for the tent sites, they’re all clustered together in the hammock approximately 100 yards from the beach. Any breeze from the ocean is essentially blocked from the vegetation so it’s important to select a campsite with an ample amount of shade to keep cool.

PRO TIP: When booking a campsite, check the shade ranking. (The two best spots we identified were sites 11 and 12 as they had a mix of sun and shade, openness for a breeze, and easy access to the beach.)

Book your tent site on Reserve America.

What to bring while camping in Cayo Costa State Park

Stay tuned for a future post on what gear we like to use when beach camping for now, here are a few necessities you’ll need when camping at Cayo costa State Park:

• Bug spray! And lots of it! We put this first because during the summer months, the bugs really can be THAT bad.
• Environmentally friendly sunscreen. We love Stream2Sea as it’s reef safe and eco-conscious to our oceans. Plus, you’ll receive 10% your purchase if you use the coupon code “oceanwide” at checkout!
• Your beach camping pack. Tent, hammock, hanging tarp, headlamps, stovetop, sleeping bags and everything you’ll need for a successful camping trip!

Frequently Asked Questions About Cayo Costa State Park

Beach Camping at Cayo Costa State Park: Final Thoughts

Beach camping at Cayo Costa State Park is a relaxing and secluded experience suitable for adventurous beach-goers, couples, and families. Consider these final tips before you go:

• The best time to camp at Cayo Costa is late fall or winter, when the bugs die off and the temperatures cool.
• Tropic Star is an affordable and fun way to get to the island!
• Book a cabin with a screened in porch or a tent site with ample amount of shade.
• Arrive prepared with all your gear!
• Don’t forget copious amounts of bug spray and sunscreen!
• Enjoy but please protect this slice of untouched nature!

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