Find the best West Palm Beach camping for crystal clear waters, sunny beaches, and tropical wilderness.
With warm emerald waters, gentle surf, and amber sand, the star attraction of West Palm Beach is, undoubtedly and unsurprisingly, its beaches. From large public beaches off of downtown to peaceful beach parks with unspoiled dunes and swaying palms, there are many ways to swim, sunbathe, and surf your way through a West Palm Beach camping getaway. Guides and rentals for sports like kayaking, snorkeling, scuba, standup paddle boarding, and fishing are abundant, and there are also excellent hiking and biking opportunities for campers at Jonathan Dickinson State Park and Lake Okeechobee.
For a family-friendly beach day near West Palm Beach, check out Municipal Beach or Phipps Ocean Park. The city’s best snorkeling is at Phil Foster Park’s artificial reef in the Intercostal, a site loaded with tropical fish, while manatee lovers should not skip the Manatee Lagoon. Because of its location on Florida’s arterial I-95, West Palm Beach has a variety of RV resorts and RV parks with full hookups and free wifi that can accommodate big rigs and campers.
This beach park in North Palm Beach has 1.6 miles of immaculate beach backed by mangrove forests, hammocks, and the Intercoastal waterway. Loggerhead, leatherback, and green turtles nest on this beach from May to August, and paddlers may spot manatee, dolphins, and water birds in the area. Kayak and SUP rentals are available on-site.
One of the most dynamic parks near West Palm Beach is Jonathan Dickinson State Park, home to an extensive network of hiking trails through 16 natural communities and nine miles of dedicated mountain biking trails. You can also paddle on the Loxahatchee River. The park’s two campgrounds have tent sites and RV sites with full hookups, picnic tables, grills, and restrooms.
Just west of West Palm Beach, the enormous Lake Okeechobee has excellent bass fishing. The 109-mile Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail circles the lake and makes for a scenic hiking and biking route.
West Palm Beach’s busy camping season is winter, when its mild tropical weather gives visitors a warm reprieve from freezing temperatures in the Northeast. Fall and spring are both pleasant as well, but beware of spring break crowds. Summers in South Florida are hot and humid with heavy rain, making tent camping a struggle. Summer and fall are also hurricane season here, when monitoring weather and storm forecasts is a necessity.