The State Parks With Island Campsites
Camping on a private island, with water separating you from the mainland, offers a unique experience. Several state parks protect such islands, accessible only by boat, ferry, or kayak, each featuring campsites with their own shoreline. These locations often lack RVs, headlights, and cars, allowing you to enjoy the sounds of waves and a campfire beneath the stars. Here are some of the top state parks in the U.S. where you can set up a tent on an island.
Cayo Costa State Park, Florida
Cayo Costa epitomizes island camping, being a 2,500-acre barrier island off the Gulf Coast near Cape Coral. It lacks bridges and roads, so visitors arrive by private boat, kayak, or ferry. The island offers nine miles of pristine white-sand beaches, rustic tent sites, and simple cabins just a short walk from the water. Offshore, manatees and dolphins swim by, sea turtles nest on the sand, and shelling is renowned. Note that Hurricane Ian heavily impacted the island in 2022, suspending ferry service and overnight camping during recovery. Always check current conditions before planning your visit.
Angel Island State Park, California
Angel Island offers one of the most breathtaking views in the country, making it hard to top. As the largest natural island in San Francisco Bay, it is a state park accessible by ferry from San Francisco or Tiburon. Its limited hike-in campsites provide stunning vistas of the city skyline, Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz. During the day, visitors can bike around the perimeter or explore the historic immigration station, while at night, the island becomes a peaceful retreat with the vibrant city lights visible across the water. This combines wilderness camping with a front-row seat to urban marvels.
Rock Island State Park, Wisconsin
Reaching Rock Island demands true dedication, which is why campers are drawn to it. Situated at the tip of Wisconsin's Door County peninsula, it requires two ferry rides to access, and once there, no cars or bicycles are permitted on the island. Visitors carry their gear on foot to one of the walk-in campsites, which are surrounded by hiking trails, a historic stone boathouse built by an Icelandic inventor, and Wisconsin's oldest lighthouse. The complete lack of engines makes Rock Island one of the most peaceful campgrounds in the Midwest.
Warren Island State Park, Maine
Warren Island offers a quintessential island camping experience. Located in Maine's Penobscot Bay near Lincolnville, this spruce-covered state park has no public ferry, so visitors must arrive by private boat or kayak. The island features 12 campsites, a few Adirondack lean-to shelters, drinking water, and moorings on its sheltered side. With no stores or services, campers need to bring everything and pack out all trash. In exchange, visitors enjoy a peaceful evergreen retreat nestled within Maine's renowned sailing waters.
Assateague State Park, Maryland
Assateague provides island camping with a unique highlight: wild horses. As Maryland's only oceanfront state park, it is situated on Assateague Island, a lengthy barrier island renowned for its free-roaming ponies that traverse its beaches and dunes, sometimes even passing through the campground. Accessible by bridge rather than by boat, it offers the most convenient access among this list, featuring drive-up beachfront and bayside campsites. Falling asleep to the sound of crashing waves and waking up to wild horses grazing nearby is a rare experience not available at many campgrounds. Remember to keep a safe distance from the ponies, as they are truly wild animals.
Kelleys Island State Park, Ohio
You don't need to travel to distant coasts to enjoy island camping. Kelleys Island, the largest American island in Lake Erie, can be reached by a short ferry ride from Marblehead. It features a state park with a lakeside campground. Besides the tent sites, the island's main attraction is a series of glacial grooves carved into limestone bedrock, believed to be the largest accessible examples worldwide — a testament to the ice sheets that once sculpted the region. With options for swimming, kayaking, and quiet beaches, Kelleys offers a surprisingly easy and rewarding island retreat right in the heart of the Great Lakes.
Big Bay State Park, Wisconsin
Big Bay State Park is located on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands and the only one with a year-round community, amidst the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior. A car ferry from Bayfield connects visitors to this park, famous for its extensive sandy beach, lagoon, and dramatic sandstone sea caves shaped by the lake. Camping here offers the experience of falling asleep to the sounds of Superior's waves and waking up to some of North America's purest, clearest freshwater. This destination provides a rugged, northern-style island camping adventure that promises to be unforgettable.
