Hi there!

 

Now, I did not go camping in Long Key State Park.

I was not going to personally find out if it’s true that there is a rat problem in Long Key State Park.

 

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Apparently, rats in the Florida Keys are a thing.

And, rats are a thing in Long Key State Park at night.

If you go to Long Key State Park during the day, it seems you won’t even notice them.

In fact, I loved Long Key State Park during the day!

If you are looking for a quiet spot to stop off at as you are driving from Key Largo to Key West, Long Key State Park can be perfect!

I went there twice during my 2 weeks in the Florida Keys. There’s hardly anyone around and it’s so peaceful.

There are picnic tables right along the water if you want to stop by Publix and buy some to-go food and then eat it at Long Key State Park.

 

But…

Camping in Long Key State Park?!

Well, it seems that you might notice the rat problem that the Florida Keys has!!!

So here is how I discovered that Long Key State Park might be a terrible place to stay overnight.

 

Let’s put a disclaimer here. On the flip side, maybe you won’t even notice the rats and you will have an amazing experience… It will depend on your tolerance for risk, I guess! One person’s experience doesn’t mean it will be everyone’s experience! I generally have a low tolerance for risk.

 

So first, if you’ve started trying to make Florida state park camping reservations for the Florida Keys, you know that finding any Florida Keys campground availability at Florida state parks is extremely difficult.

The possibly normal way to get a state park campground reservation in the Florida Keys is to check the Florida state park camping reservation website over and over (and over!) again.

Well, that is how I got Florida Keys camping reservations for the Bahia Honda State Park campground near Big Pine Key, the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park campground in Key Largo, the Curry Hammock State Park campground near Marathon… and yes, the Long Key State Park campground.

I had a previous experience of seeing a Bahia Honda State Park campsite open up… and then disappear in what felt like 5 minutes!! I wasn’t planning on booking it because of the dates, but it was crazy to see!

So, when I was doing some sort of camping search to see what was available and I saw that Long Key State Park had availability…

OMG!! What to do?!

Although the dates were less than ideal (it would mean I’d be getting to the Florida Keys sooner than I’d wanted to, and driving more in a single day than I would usually want to in order to get to the Florida Keys), I decided that it was such a rarity to see a Florida Keys state park campground available that I had to book it… NOW! Or else it might disappear!

So that’s what I did.

I booked 1 night for Long Key State Park campground. This was for April 2022.

Then, I decided to search for reviews for Long Key State Park.

And, that’s when I came across the first horrifying review about rats at Long Key State Park.

 

3 horrifying reviews of camping with rats in the Florida Keys

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Florida Keys rats review #1: Camping at Long Key State Park campground with rats

This review is from January 2022.

Thank you, Jo!

 

Here is what Jo said on google maps about rats in the Florida Keys and camping in Long Key State Park:

We stayed 1 night here.

The park was beautiful in the daytime and the park rangers were polite and helpful.

However, overnight we had been greeted by fellow campers who said there was a “rat problem”.

This is DEFINITELY TRUE.

We had rats attacking our tent all night.

Not only did they torment us in the night, I discovered that they had chewed through my car seats to get to the food that we locked in the car.

I would recommend a day trip, but not an overnight stay.

 

WHAT?!

Rats scurrying around the tent, okay, while it would probably (definitely) freak me out, maybe it wouldn’t necessarily be a reason to cancel a camping reservation. (Although I’d REALLY have to think about it, and maybe it would be.)

But CHEWING THROUGH CAR SEATS?!

In the meantime, not knowing much about rats (or cars 😜), I also learned that rats can chew through car wiring and other important pieces that can ruin your car.

I don’t want rats in my car even if they are otherwise harmless.

And I certainly don’t want my car ruined… physically or mechanically!

So then, is it worth the risk to go camping where there is a so-called “rat problem”?!

So then I started looking for more reviews about camping with rats at Long Key State Park.

 

🌞

 

 

Florida Keys rats review #2: Camping at Long Key State Park campground with rats

Then, I came across another horrifying review about camping with rats at the Long Key State Park campground.

This review is from 2016.

So this is a few years ago.

Still, it tells you what rats are capable of.

And, as demonstrated from the more recent Long Key State Park campground review, there is still clearly a rat problem!

And, they seem to still be just as bad where they will eat anything!

Thank you, Jeff!

 

Here is what Jeff said on rv.net about rats in the Florida Keys and camping in Long Key State Park:

We just left Long Key State Park.

Our favorite campground.

Each year we have had rats in our campsite but it was just a nuisance.

No big deal.

Not this year.

They got into my truck.

And did damage.

Why would they chew on a seat belt?

Urine was on every seat.

There was a Rice Krispie treat in the truck.

It was in a sealed ziplock.

I normally remove all eatables each night.

But not this one time.

So I put out a rat sized sticky pad.

Found one large rat.

Modified the trucks interior exhaust vent flaps hoping this was the entry point.

It was not.

After thoroughly cleaning the truck two sticky pads were placed in the floorboard.

No rat this time.

Just rat hair.

The third night the process was replayed and a large rat was in a sticky pad.

Our stay was over so we checked out.

The staff at Long Key are trying hard to control the rats but they are loosing the battle.

I did try the moth balls.

The dryer sheets.

And Irish Spring.

The rats did not care.

My neighbor had damage to his motorcycle seat.

Rats got under his cover and chewed holes in the seat.

I’m not trying to slam the staff.

They are trying to control this.

But if you have a stay planned at Long Key be aware there are too many rats there.

Maybe after the campground is closed for a year next October things will improve.

And I have not found the entry point yet.

 

Once again, WHAT?!?!

I continued looking for more reviews about camping with rats in the Florida Keys.

 

 

Florida Keys rats review #3: Camping at Dry Tortugas National Park campground with rats

And then I came across another horrifying review about camping with rats in the Florida Keys.

This is in a completely separate area of the Florida Keys compared to Long Key State Park.

Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park is a remote island in the Florida Keys.

But once again, this review demonstrates the terrible nature of what rats in the Florida Keys are capable of.

This review was from January 2020.

Thank you, Rebecca!

 

Here is what Rebecca said as a tripadvisor review about rats in the Florida Keys and camping in Dry Tortugas National Park:

I would have given Fort Jefferson, the rangers, the ferry staff a 5 but, if you camp, camper beware.

Yes, between 8:00am to sunset, it’s gorgeous and very interesting.

We were told by the rangers that there is “wildlife” and to ensure that no food or water is kept in our tents.

Normal camping briefing, right?!

Well, after the sun goes down the tree rats come out.

They are literally everywhere, hundreds!

They chewed and mauled through our tent, clawed (with claw marks) on our secured boxes and shredded our shoes.

We had to throw our tent away.

We had rats IN our tent!

We were very very very careful to ensure no food, water or any crumbs were in our tent.

We were going to stay two nights but evacuated the island after one nightmare night ASAP!

We were not warned and if we were, it just is not enough to prepare us for rats chewing through our tent.

Unbelievable!

Be careful!

 

Once again… WHAT?!

Rats damaging your tent so bad you have to throw it away?!

Destroying shoes?!?!

RATS IN THE TENT?!?!?!?!

I will believe Rebecca when she says they were very careful but the rats came anyway!!

Now, prior to reading that review, camping in Dry Tortugas National Park sounds like a dream camping destination!

You are going camping on a remote island that can only be reached by boat or seaplane!

It could have been considered one of the top national park camping experiences!

Except, after reading about this horrifying rat experience in Dry Tortugas National Park, I also have NO desire to go camping in Dry Tortugas National Park either!

Now, it does seem that there are people who go camping in Dry Tortugas National Park and seemingly don’t experience problems with rats.

So, maybe you won’t either.

For me personally, I am not sure I am willing to take that risk, especially after reading these reviews about the terrible things they can do.

And once again, if you go to Dry Tortugas National Park as a day trip, it seems you definitely won’t notice the rats.

 

These 3 Florida Keys campground rat stories were enough to make me NOT want to go camping ANYWHERE there is a verified recent rat problem!!

 

I also later saw another bad review of Long Key State Park after my trip to the Florida Keys.

If I would have seen it before, it just would have solidified my confidence in canceling my reservation!

But let this person provide you with encouragement as they also say that it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t camp at Long Key State Park! (They literally say there are rats but don’t let that stop you.)

Plus, this review is from even longer ago.

So let’s just add this review for the record that Long Key State Park (and the Florida Keys) has a history of rats.

 

Florida Keys rats review #4: Camping at Long Key State Park campground with rats

This review is from 2013.

Thank you, camper from Micco FL!

 

Here is what a camper from Micco said on tripadvisor about rats in the Florida Keys and camping in Long Key State Park:

I find it impossible NO ONE saw the thousands of rats that come out at night.

Granted I was in a tent, not a camper.

No one is even warned to keep their food up and away.

This is your heads up if you are going to camp.

I’m not saying, don’t camp here.

The state park is beautiful.

Everything else about the park is wonderful.

 

Are there rats at other campgrounds in the Florida Keys?

I camped in all of the other Florida Keys state parks that have campgrounds:

I did not have any rat problems in any of these Florida Keys state parks.

Of course, that does not mean there are no rats!

I did see a sign at the Curry Hammock State Park campground indicating that there are rats. (cringe!)

But I did not see or experience any rats at the Curry Hammock State Park campground. I stayed for 2 nights in April 2022.

In the evening of my first night at Bahia Honda State Park when it was dark out, I did see a little animal scurrying across the road in front of the bathroom and it made me cringe a bit because I thought it might be a rat.

It was not a good sign that I saw a rat on my first night and it scared me for what might come!

But that first night was the one and only time I saw something resembling a rat.

I stayed in Bahia Honda State Park for 10 nights.

I stayed at the Bayside Campground in Bahia Honda State Park, and there are a couple of trash cans around the campground. The park staff and/or volunteers take out the trash diligently there. (At least a couple times a day!) I appreciated this since I’m thinking that contributes to keeping the campground free of nuisance animals!

Before I went camping in the Florida Keys, I had also done some specific online searches for rats in Bahia Honda State Park and rats in John Pennekamp State Park.

It doesn’t seem like anyone has complained online about rats in these state parks.

 

And that’s a bit about where NOT to camp in the Florida Keys!

 

More camping around Florida:

 

HAPPY CAMPING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS HOPEFULLY WITHOUT RATS!!

 

 

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