RV Rental Near Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Hobe Sound, Florida

Travel-trailer RV set up at a shaded pine-flatwoods campsite at Jonathan Dickinson State Park near the Loxahatchee River

I’ve been delivering rental RVs up and down Palm Beach County for years now, and Jonathan Dickinson is one of the few parks where I tell folks: book the campsite first, then call me. It’s about a 30 to 40 minute run north from West Palm Beach up US-1 to Hobe Sound, and unlike a lot of the day-use spots I deliver to, this one has a real, full-facility state-park campground — so you’re not just visiting, you’re staying. Ten and a half thousand acres of sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, and the Loxahatchee River cutting right through the middle of it. Here’s everything I walk people through before I drop a rig off out there.

Why I Send First-Timers Here

What makes Jonathan Dickinson special is that it doesn’t feel like South Florida — it feels like Old Florida. The Loxahatchee is a federally designated Wild & Scenic river, the only one of its kind down here, and when you paddle it you understand why. You’ve got Hobe Mountain, which is really an ancient sand dune and one of the highest natural points in South Florida, with a little observation tower that gives you Atlantic Ocean views on a clear morning. The light pollution is low enough that the stargazing genuinely surprises people who’ve only ever camped near a city. I’ve had renters text me photos of the Milky Way from their site. You don’t get that in most of the county.

The Campgrounds and the River

There are two campgrounds inside the park — Pine Grove and River — and both have electric and water RV sites, which is exactly what you want for a rental trailer down here. I deliver straight to your reserved site, get the rig leveled, hook up power and water, and walk you through everything before I leave. The River campground sits closer to the water, which is gorgeous, but it’s also where I remind people the no-see-ums and mosquitoes get serious at dusk — more on that below. We regularly set up 30 to 35 footers in here without trouble, though the sites do vary, so when you reserve, grab a pull-through or a longer back-in if you’ve got the choice and tell me the site number. The Loxahatchee Queen runs guided river tours up to the old Trapper Nelson homestead, and the canoe and kayak launch is an easy walk or short drive from either campground.

How Our Delivery Actually Works

This is the part renters love most: you never have to tow anything. You reserve your campsite with the park directly — the state-park reservation window opens about eleven months out and the prime winter weekends genuinely sell out, so don’t sleep on it. Once you’ve got a confirmed site, you tell me the dates and the site number, and I bring the RV to you, set it up, and come back at the end to break it down and haul it home. You show up with a cooler and your clothes. For a first RV trip, taking the towing and the dump-station learning curve off the table is the whole reason people call us instead of buying.

Honest South Florida RV Tips

I’d rather you hear this from me than learn it the hard way at the site:

  • November through April is the sweet spot. Cooler, drier, fewer bugs, and the manatees move into the warmer river water in winter. This is when I do the most JD deliveries, and it’s why the sites book up early.
  • May through October, run the AC and respect the storms. The heat and humidity are no joke, and you’ll get afternoon thunderstorms rolling off the Everglades almost daily. Every rig I deliver has working AC — use it, and plan your outdoor time for the morning.
  • Dusk belongs to the bugs. The no-see-ums and mosquitoes come out hard at the River campground especially. Bring repellent, keep the screens shut, and you’ll be fine inside the rig.
  • Watch for the wildlife — don’t feed it. Gopher tortoises and scrub jays are all over the scrub here, bobcats pass through, and they’re protected. Give them room.
  • Hurricane season runs June through November. If a named storm is in the forecast, we stay flexible on your dates — just call me.

Ready When You Are

Lock in your campsite at Jonathan Dickinson, then take a look at our rigs and pick the one that fits your crew — you can browse the fleet and I’ll handle delivery and setup straight to your site. We run rentals all over the Palm Beaches, and if you’re still deciding where to point the trip, my full rundown of local campgrounds and RV parks will help you choose. Give Fireside a call and let’s get your Old Florida trip on the calendar.

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