Hanna Park River: Campground Review

Hanna Park is operated by the city of Jacksonville, and it’s a great oceanside park to visit with your family. Nestled along Florida’s northeastern shore, this park has a stretch of beach steps from your campsite. Overall, the park is 447 acres, but it all started when a resident donated his five-acre beachfront lot to the city back in 1967. The state worked diligently to buy neighboring properties, turning it into the oceanfront paradise that it is today.

Best features

Hanna Park’s best feature – hands down – is its access to the ocean. You’ll find a series of boardwalks that lead you right to the beach, which is flanked by picturesque sand dunes. You’ll find 1.5 miles of sandy beach to play on, which is close to your RV site.

Campground popularity

The campground is fairly large, so you can usually get reservations fairly last minute. Since it is run by the city of Jacksonville, and not the state, it’s more of a local and regional gem. Reservations are made online.

Campground overview

The campground is fairly large with 300 sites all set in a wooded area. The sites are quite close together and split into a series of loops. Just about all of the RV sites have full amenities, which means you have electricity, water, and sewer connections, plus a picnic table and a fire ring.

If you have family coming to town, there are cabins available for rent too.

While state campgrounds only allow you to stay for 14 days, at Hanna Park, you can stay for 30 days within a 45 day period. However, Hanna Park doesn’t offer refunds. They’ll reschedule your stay, but will not refund it. Keep that in mind when you make reservations, especially if you’re coming in from out of state.

The downside to this park is its narrow roads. While they’re paved, they’re tight. Two way traffic is difficult and low-hanging branches can make it tough for bigger rigs to come through.

Park amenities

The park amenities are vast. Aside from the ocean access, if you’re traveling with kids, you’ll find several playgrounds within the park to keep kids busy. A nature center is available for families to walk through too.

A camping store is a nice touch, giving RVers a chance to fill their propane tanks and to pick up a few items you may have forgotten. Everything from firewood and snacks to ice and souvenirs are inside.

The park is also known for its bike trails. Like ski slopes, the trails are ranked by difficulty. The direction of the trails depends on the day of the week, giving even the more experienced biker a chance to explore the same trail in a different way.

Looking to go on a hike? You’ll find plenty of trails to explore. You can wind yourself through a jungle-like landscape, and get your steps in for the day before the sun – and heat – hit its peak.

Security is also taken seriously. You’ll find several gates throughout the park, where you’ll need to enter a code to gain access.

Interested in other campground reviews? Check out this review of a KOA near Washington DC.