Big Lagoon State Park, Florida

[mobil]

Anyone stay here? Trouble getting around the campground with the Monty? Preferred sites? Thanks.

[pineranch]

Did a drive through last year without RV, it's tight and didn't think they had any spots that would fit the Monty with TV. Pensacola Beach has Ft Pickens which the Monty will fit in. Same Gulf! Poor shape for a Fl state park. I guess Ivan tore it up and all the money went to Topsail.
Mike

[Champ_49]

Did a drive through there last year. I would call it a marginal CG for a Monty. Sites are pretty small and very little room for backing in.

Dave

[mail2us]

We did camp there about 3 years ago with our Montana 3400. Our site was tight as mentioned by others but overall the cg is good, not very good, not excellent. Site had electric and water. Close to the beach area but we drove to it. Waterway between the cg, beach then the Gulf. Hurricane damage some years back with growth somewhat stunted.

[mobil]

Thanks. Guess I'll check out Ft. Pickens. Lookin for a couple weeks in early April before heading back to Ohio.

[padredw]

We have been going to Ft. Pickens for almost 50 years [It will be exactly 50 next year--we first went there in 1962.] It was a state park then, and for many years afterward. In more recent years is has become part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Hurricane Ivan wiped it out and it was closed for several years. We stayed there in May of this year for the first time since its re-opening. It remains a favorite "camping" spot for us.

You should be aware that it is 9 miles down at the end of Santa Rosa Island, so a trip to town will be more than 10 miles at least. That suits us, but would not everyone.

It is directly across the sound from the Naval Air Station, and we have enjoyed the practices of the Blue Angels--used to be on Tuesday mornings. April and May are good months to be there, before the heat and humidity 'kick in.'

[mobil]

Thanks David and Shirley. Ft Pickens sounds good to us. We like to stay at St. Joe Peninsula St. Pk. in the spring but we didn't book in time. The drive to town there is about 20 mi and we kinda like it like that. I was a crew chief on jet fighters in my Air Force stint way back when, so the Blue Angels will a welcome sight. We'll have our kayaks with us and plan on doing some fishing/exploring. I'll try to get booked today.

[padredw]

You will enjoy your kayaks there. You have the Sound on one side and the Gulf on the other. We always try to say in Loop A which is the much smaller campground, but we have also stayed in the larger campground at times. Obviously more people in B,C,D,and E, but I do notice more boats down there. There is a boardwalk from Loop A across to the Gulf. I believe there is also a longer one from the larger campground.

Our other favorite "Springtime" park is St. Andrews State Park at Panama City, but you really have to make reservations early to get one of the sites on Grand Lagoon--like a year ahead of time. Locals fill up the week-ends with reservations. We used to just drive in and pick out our site, but that was decades ago.

We have stayed a couple of times at Topsail Hill, which was a commercial resort which has been made a state park. Slightly more expensive with great campsites, but beach access is not as direct as it is at Ft. Pickens or St. Andrews.

[mail2us]

There is an RV park, unsure of name, directly across from the Naval Air Museum not far from NAS Pensacola too. FYI.

[mobil]

Thanks for the help. We booked site A023 for the first 8 nites of April. After that, we'll take our time heading home just being 'spontaneous' in our travel, as long as we're back by the first of May or so (maybe get a little turkey hunting time with my buds at home).