11/10 Gamble Rogers Memorial State Park, Flagler Beach, FL

This also is one of my favorite campgrounds.  The biggest reason is that it is the only state park in Florida (other than Fort Clinch) that is directly on the Atlantic Ocean.  It has a lot of disadvantages because the beach part of the campground is very long and narrow and is very close to Highway A1A, so there is a lot of road noise day and night.  Also, sites are not paved, and the sand somehow tracks into RVs a lot easier than the sand did in Fort Clinch.  And like Fort Clinch, it is very difficult to get a spot here.  There are other campgrounds directly on the Atlantic like this one is, but they cost about 5-6 times as much!!  

This state park was named after a folksinger who lost his own life while saving the life of a swimmer at this park.  

 

Gamble Rogers is about three miles south of Flagler Beach and about 20 miles north of Daytona Beach.  One of the nice things about this area is that the main highway was built directly along the ocean, so there was no space to built the huge hotels that are common farther south.  This means you can drive along the coast and have a terrific view of the ocean.  You can also own a home or rent a place to stay that is directly across from the beach, which is very unusual in Florida. 

 

 

As you can see from the photos below, this is a very basic campground.  The highway is right behind the RVs on the right, and the ocean is directly in front of the ones on the left.  There is a newer and much larger camping area across the highway.  It does have a view of the inland waterway, but there is nothing like being directly on the ocean, so the beach campground is much more popular.  

 

 

 

My motorhome is the multi-color one on the left about halfway to the restroom building in the distance. 

 

 

I got my reservation 11 months ago, and was lucky to get this site where there was not much greenery blocking my view.   The maximum stay in Florida State parks is 14 days, so I made my reservation for the maximum. 

 

 

You are not allowed to walk on the dune areas anywhere in Florida, but my site was right next to one of the walkways to the beach.  

 

 

 

It was very rough when I arrived here, with strong winds, as you can see from the nearby walkway. 

 

It's hard to tell, but these waves are 5-7' tall.  This photo below looks towards Daytona Beach.

Only a few people on the beach. 

A few birds looking for a meal. 

 

 

The second week here was much warmer and calmer than the first week, as you can tell by the lack of clouds and smaller waves.  People even started fishing and walking on the beach.

I am heading farther south in a couple of days.  I have spent most of my time indoors while I have been here, but it has been great that I have had such a good view out of my front window!