I stayed at Big Lagoon State Park campground 🌞 campsite PICS 🌞 Camping near Perdido Key 🌞 Florida Panhandle travel blog

Hi there!

 

So you are thinking about going camping in Big Lagoon State Park!

 

 

Big Lagoon State Park is one of the Florida Panhandle campgrounds for RV camping and tent camping.

 

 

The Big Lagoon State Park campground is near Perdido Key.

Perdido Key is known as one of the quieter Florida Panhandle beach areas, and you are almost in Alabama.

 

 

Is Big Lagoon State Park near any gulf coast beaches?

Big Lagoon State Park is in Pensacola FL which is one of the beach towns in the Florida Panhandle.

But Big Lagoon State Park is not located directly along the Gulf Coast, so you won’t get any gulf coast beach access from the park.

As you would expect, there is the Big Lagoon that you can see from Big Lagoon State Park. This is a lagoon that connects to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Big Lagoon State Park campground is not directly along the lagoon so it’s not a waterfront campground, and you won’t see the lagoon from any campsites.

But, it is a drive of just a few minutes to get to the day use area where you will find the views of the lagoon.

 

 

At the time I visited in spring 2022, there were parts of the lagoonside areas that were still closed from hurricane damage, but you could still go to see the lagoon.

 

 

And then, leaving the state park, you are a 10 minute drive from the beautiful beaches of Perdido Key!

The Perdido Key beaches are the gulf coast beaches that the Florida Panhandle is known for!

This includes free Perdido Key beaches and Perdido Key beaches that have an entry fee.

Once you get to Perdido Key, there are some free public beach access paths with some parking nearby. To find these Perdido Key beach access spots, you can go to google maps and once you have zoomed in on Perdido Key, move the map in search of “perdido beach public access.”

If you’re camping at Big Lagoon State Park, then you also have free entry to Perdido Key State Park.

 

👆 Your Big Lagoon State Park camping pass will get you free entry into Perdido Key State Park and Tarkiln Bayou Preserve.

 

And then there is also Johnson Beach that is a part of Gulf Islands National Seashore ($$).

 

 

There is no camping at Perdido Key State Park, so Big Lagoon State Park is where to go for state park camping near Perdido Key.

There is also no campground in the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

 

👆 From Big Lagoon State Park, you’ll drive across the bridge to get to Perdido Key!

 

👆 Big Lagoon State Park to a free Perdido Key beach is around a 10 minute drive.

 

👆 Big Lagoon State Park to Perdido Key State Park is around a 10 minute drive.

 

 

👆 Big Lagoon State Park to Gulf Islands National Seashore is around a 10 minute drive.

 

 

 

 

Camping in Florida (and Big Lagoon State Park) in March

I did a 2 week (mostly) car camping trip in Florida in March 2022.

 

 

This was a trip from Orlando to the Florida Panhandle… and back, from Florida Panhandle to Orlando. (Big Lagoon State Park and Perdido Key was the furthest west I went.)

As far as Florida weather in March, you want to be ready for anything, literally!

At its best, overnight temperatures were in the 50s F (maybe even 60s?), daytime temperatures were comfortable, and basically it was perfect Florida camping weather in March!

BUT…

There were also thunderstorms.

And then… 2 nights it was in the 30s.

And specifically, the overnight temperature got down to 31 degrees when I was camping in Big Lagoon State Park! (…at least! As far as I saw!)

 

👆 I slept in my car. Indoor temp was 35 degrees in the morning.

 

👆 Outdoor temp according to the car was 31 degrees in the morning!

 

After I got over the initial shock of seeing 30 degree overnight temperature in the weather forecast (which I didn’t see until just a few days prior and was not expecting at all!), I was actually excited to sleep in this cold weather because I felt like I was prepared!

I was lugging around quite a bit of cold weather stuff that is just always in my car (although I never expected to use it on this trip), and it was like I was finally able to make use of it!

I had a warm night sleeping in Big Lagoon State Park at 31 degrees! I had a 30 degree Ozark Trail sleeping bag from Walmart (recommend!) and blankets.

And the next night also went well when it got down to 34 degrees at the Florida Caverns State Park campground! 😆

 

 

How do you reserve a campsite at the Big Lagoon State Park campground?

 

You reserve a campsite at the Big Lagoon State Park campground through the official Florida state parks camping reservations website.

Finding open campsite availability at state park campgrounds in the Florida Panhandle has been known to be difficult.

But Big Lagoon State Park is one of the “easier” campgrounds to find availability.

Of the Florida state park campgrounds that are located minutes from one of the Florida Panhandle beaches, I would say it is likely the “easiest” campground to find camping availability.

It’s the Florida state park campground that’s located further away from the main Florida Panhandle beach towns, and it does require a drive outside of the park to go to the beach.

Perdido Key is also the quieter side of the Florida Panhandle shoreline, where you are almost in Alabama.

There were days that I saw the Big Lagoon State Park campground was fully booked, but it seemed like openings came by more often.

If the camping trip to Big Lagoon State Park that you want to do is just a few months, weeks, or even days away, and you find no camping availability, cancellations do happen.

You just have to get lucky and search for campgrounds immediately after someone cancels.

Your “luck” will increase the more you search, and the closer you are to your travel date.

In general, you will find the greatest difficulty in finding open campgrounds for Saturday nights.

Naturally, you will also find more difficulty also during busy season… like winter months and spring break season.

But still, searching over and over (and over 😜) really can work.

So, while it’s not something to necessarily depend on, it’s something you can look for.

1 night stays will generally be easier to find than multi-night stays.

 

See pictures below from the Big Lagoon State Park Campground!

 

 

🌞

 

 

 

Here are some pictures from Big Lagoon State Park Campground

I did SUV camping / car camping at the Big Lagoon campground in March 2022. I was traveling alone and I slept in my car.

Your experience may vary!

 

 

👆 When you enter Big Lagoon State Park, you can let the park ranger know that you are there for camping and they will instruct you what to do next. They might check you in as you sit in your car, or they might have you park and enter the ranger station aka campground office.

 

When you check-in, you will get a Big Lagoon State Park camping pass. You do not have to pay any additional fees for entry to Big Lagoon State Park.

 

👆 To get to the Big Lagoon State Park campground, be on the lookout for the camping sign after you pass the entry station.

 

 

Big Lagoon State Park campsite pictures

 

 

Big Lagoon State Park campground has electricity and water.

There is electricity at the campsite.

 

 

There is water at each individual campsite.

 

 

 

There are regular bathrooms at the Big Lagoon State Park Campground.

 

 

There are showers with hot water at the Big Lagoon State Park Campground.

 

 

There is a trash dumpster for campers.

 

If you are tent camping, take your trash to the dumpster at the end of the night!

Or keep it in your car.

You want to keep the animals away.

 

 

 

There is a dump station for RV campers.

 

There may be ranger led activities at Big Lagoon State Park!

Check the bulletin board at the bathroom building to see if there are any activities going on while you are there!

You can also ask a park ranger about it when you are checking in for your campsite.

 

 

 

There is a grocery store 10 minutes away.

 

There is a Publix around a 10 minute drive from Big Lagoon State Park. (map)

You can buy firewood at Publix.

 

 

You can also buy ice at Publix.

You can also buy beach gear.

 

 

 

Big Lagoon State Park campground map

 

 

More about Big Lagoon State Park camping

See more about camping in Big Lagoon State Park from Florida State Parks:

Surrounded by beautiful pine flats, the Big Lagoon State Park campground has 75 sites, each equipped with 30/50 amp electric, water, a picnic table and a fire ring/ground grill.

3 full-service restrooms and a dump station are available.

Pets are welcome in the campground.

Maximum RV length is 40 feet.

Last checked: Florida State Parks, July 2022

 

And that’s a bit about the Big Lagoon State Park campground!

 

More for your trip to Big Lagoon State Park and beyond:

• Perdido Key State Park beach
• Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore
• Best campgrounds in the Florida Panhandle
• Best state parks in the Florida Panhandle
• Best beaches in the Florida Panhandle
• Pensacola to Orlando drive

 

More Florida state parks for camping:

• Henderson Beach State Park campground (Florida Panhandle)
• Grayton Beach State Park campground (Florida Panhandle)
• St Andrews State Park campground (Florida Panhandle)
• Florida Caverns State Park campground (Florida Panhandle)
• Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park campground (camping between Florida Panhandle and Orlando)
• John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (Florida Keys)
• Sandspur Campground in Bahia Honda State Park (Florida Keys)
• Oleta River State Park camping cabins (North Miami)

 

HAPPY CAMPING IN BIG LAGOON STATE PARK!