Key West and Gulf Coast - State Parks

[Stefan_E]

Hi everyone, I planned to cycle Miami to Key West, taking Key West Express to Fort Myers and then following the Gulf Coast to New Orleans in early May.
I realized now that every Florida State Park along the Keys and the Gulf Coast is booked out for month. Naive I know, but I am from Germany and not familiar with the region.
I have little interest in searching hotel rooms, motels or RV-Sites instead and would rather choose a completely different tour.
Can someone share some experiences if you can rely on the No-Turnaway-Policy for Hikers/Cyclists, especially if you turn up already in the afternoon? I guess not, but feedback would be much appreciated.

[John Nettles]

I did this tour maybe 8-10 years ago.  We did a mix of hotels & campgrounds as a LOT of campgrounds do not accept tents in Florida (it is a "winter home" for many RV people) and the hotels were sometimes about the same cost as an RV park.  At that time, there was no formal policy.  I "think" there is a policy now that says the Park Manager is to use reasonable effort to accommodate but that is basically a non-policy.

We only had an issue at one state park, I think it was Grayton Beach near the town of Seagrove Beach.  They ultimately let us in but it took a 80-year old female rider to use the "age card" to get in. 

Here is the updated route that we used.  We used ACA's Florida Connector Route to get to Fort Meade, FL, then used our routes which prefer lower traffic roads when possible. 
https://ridewithgps.com/collections/55066?privacy_code=HFgE35HJYtftsfKm

Note about these routes:  I have toured for 45+ years & 75k+ miles loaded touring and easily one of the Top 3 scariest times was when we were crossing the bridge from Tyndall Air Force Base (south of Panama City) to Panama just as the base was letting out the soldiers at 4:30pm on a Friday.  Imagine a ton of young guys excited to get to town for drinking and girls.  It was not fun.  I feel the issue was our timing, not the route.  If we had finished prior to 4pm or started after 6pm we would have been fine.  I don't know if it is like that every work day at rush hour but definitely avoid during the evening rush hour going into Panama City.

Another traffic issue is 12 mile stretch between Mary Ester and Navarre.  Tons of 100km/hr traffic with little shoulder.  Doable but definitely not fun.  I am guessing we did it on Saturday early afternoon.

I absolutely recommend the stretch between Navarre & Pensacola Beach via FL-399.  Great scenery.  See pic. I have done this 3 times and each time had a great tailwind.

Be sure to check the status of the bridge closure between Pearlington & the Junction of US-90 & US-190.  Bikes can supposedly get through but cars definitely can not.

Finally, do NOT use the US-90 Danziger Bridge to cross into New Orleans due to high traffic and no shoulder.  You could use the pedestrian walkway but it is a bit tight on a bike with packs.

Hope you have a great tour!  Tailwinds, John

[Stefan_E]

Thank you. Yes, there is a official policy, it’s posted on the ACA website, still it’s probably up to the ranger on duty…
Your answer at least sounds optimistic enough to give it a try.
I’ll be in inland Florida until Grayton Beach, so Panama City won’t be a problem.
Between Mary Ester and Navarre the shoulder seems at least ok on google streetview. They also seem to have added bicycle lanes in some parts.
I’ll  stay away from Danziger Bridge. Thanks for the good advice.

One more question you might be able to answer: is a detour into the Everglades to Flamingo Campground worth it? I even got backcountry permits to hike to the beach campsite. Or is it just flat and mosquitoes and you have basically seen it when cycling to the Keys from Florida City?

[John Nettles]

I’ll  stay away from Danziger Bridge. Thanks for the good advice.

One more question you might be able to answer: is a detour into the Everglades to Flamingo Campground worth it? I even got backcountry permits to hike to the beach campsite. Or is it just flat and mosquitoes and you have basically seen it when cycling to the Keys from Florida City?

Again, the Danziger Bridge was because of the timing I believe.  The rest of the section between Carrabelle and Panama City was nice. 

I have not been to the Flamingo Campground so can't comment on it.

[jcostanz]

It has been several years since I was in Flamingo.  But it is around 50 miles each way on a road without any services.  Little to no shade and no other routes and there is not much west of Florida city until you you get everglades city then Naples.

If I was starting in Miami I would either head north west towards the southern tip of lake Okeechobee  then west or follow the coast to around Palm Beach beforeheading west.

The Florida keys are tough finding reasonable accommodations.  The state park campgrounds are booked usually years

[Stefan_E]

Thank you jcostanz. Well, it doesn’t sound very intriguing to cycle to Flamingo Campground, but I kind of feel the need to see the Everglades once in my lifetime.
I could of course cycle along Tamiami Trail as well and do Shark Valley, I guess that would count as seeing the Glades, too.

[John Nettles]

I rode that way back in 87.  Then the traffic was light but the scenery did not seem too "Everglades" to me.  I did pass a tourist trap that you could pay to see the alligators but that was about it. 

If you want to see the Everglades up close, you might consider taking an airboat tour.  They have a pretty good setup in Everglades City which is only about 5 miles to the south of Tamiami Trail on the western end of the Trail.

Tailwinds, John

[jcostanz]

What I remember of the Flamingo campground from around 10 or more years ago was just a large open sandy area for tents.  For everglades experiences you need to get away from the campground,l. A boat, kayak airboat ect tour would give a better experience.  A 100 plus mile detour may not be ideal.  Taking the Tamiami Trail and the short detour to everglades city is a much less detour.  There are probably more options for seeing the everglades that way.  I remember that there were options to be transported to ground, Beach or raised camping sites in the everglades and just off shore islands (keys) to spend the night.  I usually do this to the islands by kayak every couple of years.

[Stefan_E]

Thank you for the valuable advice. Since I am a little short on time for excursions in kayak or airboat and the Keys seem not to attractive if you won’t to avoid hotels, I will start in Savannah and cycle to Tallahassee via Cumberland Island and Okefenokee NWR and later on Bike Route 90.
Northern rural Florida seems worthwhile too. I also ended my last tour on the Blue Ridge Parkway by going down to Savannah, so starting there gives a nice sense of continuity.

[Westinghouse]

Been all there and done all that. Stealth camping in the Keys is possible, and God bless if you can find a spot to do it. Free spaces even that miniscule were few and far between. Be that as it may, if you search long and hard enough, if you are willing to tread oh so lightly on some town ordinances, you are sure to find something.

The west Florida route could be hwy 41 or 301 or a combination of various roadways.  Then you get 98 to Perry FL. From there your most interesting ride would be hwy 90. There are also 20 and 98. The next thing you know you are in Mobile, Alabama. Big bridge or ferryboat ride are the choices here. 90 would take you along the gulf coast clear across Mississippi. 90 will also run you right down to New Orleans.

You could enter Alabama from Florida two ways. One is hwy 90. The other is the Dauphin Island Ferry in Mobile Bay. That would require taking 90 into Pensacola, and following the extreme coastal roads to Fort Morgan.