St. Joseph Peninsula – Wandering Dawgs

We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips.

Part 1 of our January, 2012 RV trip around Florida

On this day eight years ago on January 2, 2012, we were camped on the Florida Gulf Coast in St. Joseph Peninsula State Park in Port St. Joe, Florida. It was our second stop of a month long trip wandering around Florida.

Located on the St. Joseph Peninsula on the Emerald Coast of Florida, the beautiful white sand beach was just a short walk from the campsite. The sunsets were spectacular and sometimes we had the beach all to ourselves.

20120102St-Joe-sunset-(5) — St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, FL

20120102St-Joe-sunset-(27) — St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, FL

20120102St-Joe-sunset-(29) — St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, FL

Sadly, the campground suffered a lot of damage from Hurricane Michael in October, 2018. Although the park is recovering, the campgrounds are still closed. More information about the closure can be found here.

We love camping in state parks. Most state parks we have found have big sites, beautiful surroundings, and wildlife.

We didn’t discover state park camping until the only place we could find to stay in Arkansas on our way home on our first RV trip was Lake Dardanelle State Park in Russellville, Arkansas. Our site was big, we weren’t lined up like sardines next to our neighbors, and we had a nice lake near our site. From that night on, we have looked for state parks whenever we travel.

Here are just a few state parks we love.

Custer State Park, Custer, South Dakota – the Black Hills, scenic drives and wildlife.

Mama bison with baby on Custer State Park Wildlife Loop Road in June, 2011

Custer State Park Game Lodge Campground Site 12

Mount Rushmore as seen from Iron Mountain Road in Custer State Park

Along the Needle Highway in Custer State Park

Needle’s Eye on Needles Highway in Custer State Park

Cape Disappointment State Park, Ilwaco, Washington – 2 lighthouses, a path to the beach behind our full hook up campsite, a dog friendly beach on the Pacific Ocean, and a Lewis and Clark museum. What’s not to love?

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, WA

North Head Lighthouse seen from beach at Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington

Blondie enjoyed the beach at Cape Disappointment

A path to the beach was behind our site at Cape Disappointment State Park

Henry enjoying a beautiful sunset at Cape Disappointment

St. Joseph Peninsula, Port St. Joe, Florida in Florida’s Forgotten Coast – beautiful uncrowded white sandy beaches, nature trails, and sunsets.

Enjoying a January day at St. Joseph Peninsula

We could hear the waves from our campsite

We had the beach almost to ourselve

Deer at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

We watched the sunset every night

Stephen C. Foster State Park, Fargo, Georgia – Huge sites in the middle of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Boat ride through the Okefenokee Swamp

Big Pull through site at Stephen C. Foster State Park, Georgia

Alligator in the Okefenokee Swamp

Other state parks that stand out are Itasca State Park in Minnesota, Claytor Lake State Park in Virginia, Beverly Beach and Humbug Mountain State Parks in Oregon, Kentucky Horse Park in Kentucky, and Cattail Cove State Park in Arizona. We’ve also camped in many Florida and Georgia state parks and love them all.

If you are an RV’er or tent camper and never stayed in a state park, give one a try on your next trip. And if you don’t camp, many state parks have cabins for rent and a few even have lodges.