Caladesi Island State Park has one of the best undeveloped beaches in the state. This Gulf coast island has no roads, no cars, and no buildings other than the concession, a few picnic pavilions, and some service buildings, and no one lives on the island. Thankfully there is no bridge to Caladesi, so the only way to get to it is by boat. This keeps the crowds down to a minimum.
Don’t have a boat? A ferry to Caladesi leaves regularly from Honeymoon Island State Park, just a 20 minute boat ride from Caladesi.
Chosen by Dr. Stephen Leatherman (aka Dr. Beach) of Florida International University as the number 2 beach in the nation in 2007, Caladesi has a lot to offer those of us who like to get away from the crowds and commercialism and just enjoy a quiet secluded beach and see some nature.
The beach on Caladesi is not raked and manicured by heavy equipment like most other beaches in the area, so whatever washes up remains for curious beachcombers to sift through.
After you’ve walked the 3 miles of totally undeveloped beaches on the island, and snorkeled in the shallow Gulf waters, you might like to hike around the island via the loop trail that leads through a shady maritime forest of native pines, cabbage palms, oaks, and cedars. See how many different kinds of birds you can observe. The island also has its share of wildflowers.
I’ve just added several pages of photos to beachhunter.net. And be sure to look for the video of one of my favorite animals, the armadillo, sniffing around for a grub.
Caladesi beaches
Caladesi Island Nature and Shells
How to get to Caladesi Island
Below is a photo of Caladesi Island beach I took from the dune walkover. The island in the distance is Honeymoon Island. It appears closer than it actually is because of the zoom lens effect.
