Curry Hammock State Park is a close second to Bahia Honda

Curry Hammock state park in the Florida Keys is a nice day trip but should you camp here is the question.

The Florida Keys are great and the Florida state park management is one of the best but where does Curry Hammock State Park fall?

Earlier this week I spent four days at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys, you can read that review here.  Today we moved a short 15 miles or so north, to Curry Hammock. Both are Florida state parks but there are big differences.

My initial impression of Curry Hammock was that this park was the younger little brother to the better Bahia Honda. Curry Hammock has its positives and its cons. Let’s start with camping.

Bahia Honda is a much better RV camping experience. Trees separate the campsites nicely to the point you don’t see the people from the other campers. At Hammock, they are closer in proximity and are separated by shrubs and bushes instead of trees so when an RV is pulled into the spot, you know it.

Bahia Honda is much quieter as a result whereas Hammock tends to be a little noisier. Hammock has a single loop of campsites. They are not bad sites but while you may have a view of the ocean, you have no view of the beach or the water. At BH you can get sites that literally sit on the water’s edge.

That being said, Hammock is nice but the mosquitos were far more noticeable at Hammock. The park near the beach seems to be far more kid friendly with a play area. Something I did not see at BH. From the park, you can enter the beach. It’s only a short walk from the campsites if you are on the waterside of the loop. At BH you have a nice little walk to get to the beach, about 1/4 of a mile if not a little more. It’s not a bad walk but Hammock is much easier to get to the water.

This is a really nice benefit for families with kids or for those who have to lug chairs and other beach items. That could be important.  With cost the same at both parks, around $48.00 per night maybe that sways you.

The beach at BH is nice and long. Once the Sandspur extension opens there will be plenty more space to roam. Probably more than a mile of beachfront. Hammock is much smaller and there is far less than a mile of beach. There are benefits though.

The water is shallow near the edge but there isn’t much sand to sit on. There are picnic tables you can set up home at. Unlike BH, Hammock has a lot of shells if you are into that. Broken and whitewashed coral, scallops, and even banded tulips are scattered along the beach. There are also plenty of sea creatures to catch sight of.

On my short walk, I was able to see a shark about 50 yards off the shore. There were three nice sized horseshoe crabs, a couple of jellyfish, and some stingrays about 10 yards offshore. If shells and sealife is what you want, this is the better of the two places.

Both parks rent kayaks on a two-hour rate and the water is clear enough to do some offshore snorkeling by I’m told that BH is a bit better. The beach at BH is better for smaller children as the sand extends quite far off the shoreline whereas the drop at Hammock seems to be much closer. I did notice that my feet sunk into the sand just a few yards off the shoreline and that wasn’t fun. Younger kids could find it harder to walk.

Overall, Curry Hammock is a nice park and well maintained but it offers a different experience than Bahia Honda despite the short distance that separates them. Which is better? Well, that depends on you and if you can visit either one, for a day or for a week, you shouldn’t be disappointed.