St. Joseph Peninsula State Park
Jun 18th, 2009 by Admin 1
Nearest Town: Port St. Joe, FL
Directions: From Port St. Joe, take FL 30 E to FL 30 C, take right onto Cape San Blas Rd (FL98) and follow to the entrance at the end.
No of sites: 119
Camping Fee: $20 per night
Site Amenities: Fire ring, lantern post, picnic table
Campground Amenities: beach, showers, playground, boat launch,picnic area, nature trails, biking area
We had a blast on vacation in Cape San Blas, FL last week. The house we stayed at was just down the road from St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. Even though we didn’t have the opportunity to camp there, we decided to check out the campground when we went to hike the nature trails in the park.
The campground is broken up into 2 sections, Gulf Breeze, which is closer to the beach, and Shady Pines, which is indeed a little more shaded, but a farther walk to the beach. They are connected by a boardwalk that offers access to the 9 miles of pristine white sand. Plenty of beachfront to enjoy your own personal space!
The sites in both sections are close together, but most of them have a thick screen of trees and palmettos in between to offer a little privacy from the neighbors, and are suitable for tents or RVs.
The two nature trails are short, but offer some nice views of the bay and the local vegetation and wildlife. Speaking of wildlife, bird watching is a big draw here, but if you can’t deal with mice, this may not be the ideal place for you. The St. Andrew Beach Mouse makes its home in the dunes on Cape San Blas. It is considered an endangered species, though it seems to be abundant in the area, and therefore is protected. They aren’t shy, but they are more active at night so don’t leave out food or your shoes!
At the end of the park is a 7 mile area for hiking or biking out to the point of the cape. I would recommend this for any season other than Summer as the heat can be very oppressive. If you do decide to take it on in the warmer months, wear a good sunscreen and take plenty of water.
The park also offers 8 cabins right on the bay for $90 per night. We only saw these from the outside, but they seem very nice and each has a great view of the water.
Other Florida Hiking
