Eco-Tourism: Primitive Camping in Perdido Key

Want to get lost without going too remote or to another country? Go to Perdido Key's Johnson Beach. It's one of the best getaways for someone living in Georgia or Florida.

And great for people searching for primitive beach options.

With it being a 'key' you're surrounded by water on both sides gulf in the front and a lagoon in the back. There is so much to be said about the beauty on Perdido Key beach.

Know the moon phase when you take your trip. We camped out when the moon was a little past a half waxing. So in the middle of the night, probably about 3a, we saw a cheez-it orange moon sink under the sea's horizon.

Oh and speaking of night time, it gets cold in the wee hours of the morning. About an hour after we watched the moon set, we woke up shivering; so pack layers or a solid blanket.

There's beach mice that live on the beach, I never saw one, but think i heard them at night, skating through the sugary sand.

In the late summer, there's a lot of jellyfish. I'm not sure if that is an all year round thing, but in early August, when I went, there were huge jellyfish in the water. enough to keep me too afraid to go too far in. :-( which sucked because I'm a natural born sea baby.

There are two reasons, you want to rise up early on you camping trip: 1. to watch the sunrise. 2. To watch the mutha effin dolphins! They spend the morning wavering over and under the water.


Here's some details about logistics
Pack light! You will end up doing a bit of hiking to get to the official camp site. This is important, because you cannot just set up you're tent anywhere. Walking across the hot sand in up to 100 degree weather is not the biz. Limit your belongings and weight of items and you will thank yourself when you finally reach the designated camping area. There is a sign for the official primitive camping area, YOU WILL NOT MISS IT.

There is a Perdido Key state park and a Perdido Key national park. The national park is where you will camp, there is an $8 fee which can last you 8 days of camping. You will need to register, so that the rangers know you're out there. Apparently, there is an indoor shower at the state park, but I couldn't really tell the difference with limited cellphone signals, so I just took a quick shower at the outdoor showers near the national park pavilions.

Be prepared to hike 2 miles before you get to the official camping site. Once you arrive and drive down the beach road. You will come to a sign that says "No parking pass this point" Initially, you will want to skip that detail and ride all the way to the end of the road, where the pavement hits the sand. Unload you car, then drive back to park legally. Then you will need to walk back to your stuff. That's about 3/4 of a mile. Then once you grab your items it's time to walk about 1.5 miles to the official primitive campsite, which will have a sign letting you know it's official.

Bring you're own wood for fire, don't depend on driftwood or you'll be ass'd out.

Oh and noseums! such pesky little things. They will eat you up as soon at the sun goes down. Just endure.