Camping Near Sebastian: Campgrounds, Fees and Rules

Camping near Sebastian is limited to four public sites: Sebastian Inlet State Park, Donald MacDonald Park and Campground on Roseland Road, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, and Middleton's Fish Camp Park on Blue Cypress Lake.

Every other public park around Sebastian is day use only. Wabasso Causeway Park, Dale Wimbrow Park and the Sebastian Canoe Launch each post No camping under County Ordinance 205.03.16 and No overnight parking under County Ordinance 205.03.19, so a tent or van on the Wabasso Causeway or at the Sebastian Canoe Launch is out of bounds.

Sebastian Inlet State Park's campground has 51 sites, all with water and electrical hook-ups, a fire ring with grill and a picnic table, within walking distance of the inlet and the Atlantic beach (Florida State Parks).

The campground takes RVs up to 40 feet and has accessible sites, accessible restrooms, a dump station, a Wi-Fi hotspot near the marina and laundry for registered campers. Reservations go through the Florida State Parks reservations website or the call center at 800-326-3521. Well-behaved pets may stay in the Sebastian Inlet campground, but the park's pet policy keeps them off the beach.

A rougher option sits on the lagoon side. Florida State Parks lists primitive camping at the Campbell Pocket Marina, where most sites are walk-in or carry-in and a couple allow a vehicle to drive up and drop off gear. Canoes and kayaks can be launched at Campbell Pocket, which makes those sites a base for paddling the Indian River Lagoon shoreline.

Bridge work is the main risk for a 2026 or 2027 booking. The Sebastian Inlet State Park page warns that construction on the Sebastian Inlet bridge along Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, scheduled from May 2026, may change the campground entrance and that the impacts may lead to cancelation of camping reservations. The Sebastian Inlet District reports that the Florida Department of Transportation began mobilizing for the replacement on June 1, 2026.

Campsites at Sebastian Inlet cost $28 per night plus tax, plus a nonrefundable $6.70 reservation fee, and RV units add a $7 utility fee that does not apply to tent camping (Sebastian Inlet hours and fees). Florida residents 65 or older, or holding a qualifying Social Security or federal 100% disability award certificate, get 50% off the base campsite fee, with proof required. Park admission is $8 per vehicle.

Late arrivals need a plan. Campers arriving after sunset call the park on the day of arrival at 772-589-9659 for the gate combination (Florida State Parks). Since November 12, 2025, the South Ranger Station at Sebastian Inlet State Park keeps standard hours of 8 a.m. to sunset, with after-hours access there only for registered campers or annual pass holders with an after-hours permit, while the North Ranger Station stays open 24 hours a day.

Donald MacDonald Park and Campground at 12315 Roseland Road charges $25 a night for primitive sites 1 to 26 and $35 a night for electric sites 27 to 30 (Indian River County).

The county campground sits on the St. Sebastian River in northern Indian River County and is open 365 days a year. Every site has a fire pit and picnic table, and the park has an observation boardwalk, a boat launch and restrooms with hot showers. The county page lists 26 primitive campsites, including one group or double site, and describes 5 sites with electricity, while its fee line names only electric sites 27 to 30, so the powered-site count is worth confirming at (772) 226-1875 before booking.

Donald MacDonald rules are strict. Stays top out at two weeks with a one-week break between visits and no more than 6 total weeks a year. Check-in is after 2 p.m., check-out by noon, quiet hours run from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and each site is limited to 2 vehicles and 2 tents. Pets must stay on a 6-foot leash, generators are not allowed, firewood must be brought in, and only small hospitality fires are allowed in the fire pits.

Big rigs are steered elsewhere. Indian River County says RVs over 30 feet are best suited for the Indian River County Fairgrounds Campground, so the 40-foot limit at Sebastian Inlet State Park is the closer choice for larger motorhomes. The boat ramp at Donald MacDonald closes at sunset even for campers.

The Roseland Road campground also works as the end point of a river paddle. Indian River County suggests launching at the Sebastian Canoe Launch, 9800 Canoe Launch Cove on the South Prong, and allowing three to four hours to paddle north to Donald MacDonald Park, Dale Wimbrow Park or the lagoon, with a drop off and pick up arranged ahead of time.

Yes: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park has six hike-in primitive tent sites, two off County Road 507 in Brevard County and four off County Road 512 in Indian River County (Florida State Parks).

All six St. Sebastian sites are hike-in only. Firewood collection is prohibited, so campers pack in all food, water and firewood and pack out all trash, and hammock camping is allowed. Five of the six sites take groups of up to 20 people at $5 per person, per night, payable by cash or check. Reservations are required by phone: 321-953-5005 Monday through Thursday or 321-953-5004 Friday through Sunday, with a tag number for each vehicle staying overnight.

Gate times shape every trip. The County Road 512 and County Road 507 entrance gates lock at sunset and open by 8 a.m., and campers receive a combination. Horse campers have three options: Storytelling Camp, also called Horsemen's Headquarters, in Brevard County with five paddocks; Ranch Camp in Indian River County with four paddocks; and Eagle Camp, a ride-in site 5 miles each way from the parking area. Riders must carry proof of a negative Coggins test.

Access is changing this fall. The preserve page lists a road improvement project from October 5 to November 5, 2026, with no weekday access from the Babcock entrance and staged Monday through Thursday closures between I-95, the Manatee Overlook and the volunteer village. The hours and fees page keeps the preserve open 8 a.m. to sunset with no entrance fee and asks campers arriving after 5 p.m. to call the park the same day for gate instructions.

Middleton's Fish Camp Park, a 23-acre Indian River County park at 7400 Blue Cypress Lake Rd., offers primitive camping on Blue Cypress Lake in the far west of the county (Indian River County).

The county lists two boat ramps, a floating dock and restrooms with showers at Middleton's Fish Camp. It describes Blue Cypress Lake as the largest lake in Indian River County, about ten square miles, and as the origin of the St. Johns River, with more than 200 osprey nests along the shoreline. Rules at Middleton's bar pets, alcohol, fires and swimming, which makes it the only county campground near Sebastian where a dog cannot come along. The county lists no camping fee or reservation process for Middleton's; the phone number on its park page is (772) 226-1875.