Florida beach landscape Patch#
Florida beach landscape full#

Sand Dunes and Sea OatsĮver dream of wandering for miles through the sand dunes and sea oats, with the ocean and seabirds your only companions? If so, the wild beaches of northwest Florida won't leave you disappointed.

So we'll make it easy for you and hit the highlights so you will waste no time getting sand between your toes. To see them all would take months, if not years. From the barrier islands north of Jacksonville to the tip of the 125-mile island chain known as the Florida Keys, the Atlantic beaches have a unique, wave-washed beauty. The east coast has its share of popular vacation spots, complete with hotels and condominiums, but it is still easy to find sanctuaries where the birds and animals roam free. Starting on the northwest Gulf Coast and running south to Cape Sable, the Gulf Coast's wild beaches provide a haven to a variety of wild and endangered creatures ranging from sea turtles to manatees.

If you count all bays and inlets - where you'll find the 'secret' sandy getaways usually known only to locals - Florida’s coastline spans over 1,000 miles. When it comes to beaches, the King (or Queen) of the Coastline is Florida, hands down.

Florida beach landscape Patch#

But I linger a little more wishing time could just stand still on this little patch of paradise. The show drags on for 20 minutes, until finally my friends head offshore. But the half-hour kayak paddle was well worth the effort.Ī mother dolphin and two calves are chasing snook through the shallows 100 feet from my feet. There are only two ways out from the mainland - public passenger ferry or private boat. Here in Caladesi Island State Park, consistently ranked as one of America's top beaches, crowds are never a problem. It is spring break, the height of tourist season, but my only companions are a couple of seagulls, hoping I'll drop a potato chip as I eat my lunch with my back to the dunes. On a picture-perfect spring afternoon, you would expect the beach to be packed. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service works with partners to preserve these places, ensuring they will continue to inspire and protect the residents and visitors of Florida for generations to come.Along the Sunshine State's thousands of miles of coastline are more than a few remote, unspoiled natural beaches where you can get away from it all for a while. MacArthur Beach State Park has more than 3,000 nests a year. The Florida Keys has the third largest reef system in the world and is the site of many protection efforts. Near shore reefs are being reestablished at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park.

Protecting Florida’s beaches and coasts is essential to many imperiled species. Florida is host to the largest population of nesting loggerhead sea turtles in the world and offers refuge to nesting, resting shorebirds. The true value of beaches and coasts is in their ecosystem services. Intact beaches and coasts lessen the impacts of storm surge, act as nurseries for fish populations and filter pollutants from water before it flows to the sea. George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier State Park.There is much more to discover along Florida’s coast, including marshes and mangroves, reefs, seagrass beds and sandbars. Paddlers at Oleta River State Park can forget they are in the heart of North Miami as they explore the almost otherworldly branches and roots of a mangrove forest. Talbot Islands State Parks tidal marshes create a dynamic mosaic of life that is different on every visit: Florida State Parks has 100 miles of the best beaches in the state and arguably the world. In 2018, two Florida State Parks - Grayton Beach State Park and Caladesi Island State Park - were recognized by Dr. Tall dunes, capped by sea oats with the sun setting behind them, is a classic image of Florida. This can be seen in Florida State Parks along with the powdery white sands on the Emerald Coast, the reddish coquina sands of the east coast and the driftwood lined sands of the west coast.

Florida beach landscape full#

Marshes, beaches and mangroves create unparalleled beauty, the full scope of which can be seen in Florida State Parks. The beaches and coasts of Florida have come to represent the state.