WATER & COAST
Little Talbot Island State Park
Duval County · North Florida & First Coast
One of the few undeveloped barrier islands left in northeast Florida, with more than five miles of beach and no buildings on it.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
Little Talbot Island State Park is at 12157 Heckscher Drive, about twenty miles northeast of downtown Jacksonville on A1A. It protects a whole barrier island that was never built on, which in northeast Florida is now rare. There are more than five miles of beach, old sand dunes behind them, maritime forest behind that, and salt marsh on the landward side. Walking is easy to find: the Dune Ridge Trail runs four miles through the forest and over the dunes, and three miles of bike trail cross the park. Kayakers paddle Simpson Creek and Myrtle Creek along the bluffs, and the park is part of the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. Nearly 300 bird species have been recorded, because the island sits on a migration route and birds stop here to rest. People also surf, fish, beachcomb and picnic. The campground is set back in a forest hammock rather than on the open sand. There is a visitor center, restrooms and showers, a playground, picnic pavilions, canoe and kayak launches, and wheelchair access. The park opens at 8 in the morning and closes at sunset, every day of the year
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