Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
PARADISE ON THE EDGE
The parks and preserves of Talbot Islands
You don’t feel like you’re in Florida’s largest city but you are.
Separated from the urban sprawl of Jacksonville — Florida’s largest city in area and population — by a marshy back country alive with spirited wildlife, these islands, waterways, coastal forests and beaches defy the presence of a city.
The Talbot Islands are a collection of state parks and wildlife preserves with striking beaches that stretch for miles, excellent back-country kayaking, off-road trails for hiking, biking and equestrians, picnicking, shelling, surfing, swimming and sunbathing.
The area, within the city limits of Jacksonville, is on the unsullied, windswept edge south of affluent Amelia Island.
The grand bundle of preserves are anchored by Little Talbot Island State Park, and include Big Talbot Island, the George Crady Bridge State Fishing Pier, Amelia Island State Park, Fort George Island, Yellow Bluff Fort and the Pumpkin Hill Preserve, neatly packaged around the shady, scenic campground on Little Talbot Island.
Little Talbot Island State Park
At the end of the park road, there’s a beach on the edge of the edge where Little Talbot Island meets the Fort George Inlet, facing the shifting sands of a broad shoal besieged by currents so strong, even the thought of swimming should be prohibited.
But not all of the island’s beaches are as forbidding.
Little Talbot Island supports 5 miles of impressive ocean beach protected by natural dunes, easily accessible from 3 well-spaced boardwalk entry points along a bicycle-friendly two-mile park road.
If you are up for a short hike, you won’t have any trouble carving out an isolated patch of sand.
Each of the boardwalks has a pavilion area with picnic tables and grills, but it’s the broad beach that will snap you to attention. White sands stretch uninterrupted as far as the eye can see. An endless line of dunes topped with sea oats separates beachgoers from the rest of the world.
Amelia Island State Park
Not actually in the Talbot Islands but in this family of state parks, 200-acre Amelia Island State Park sits on the southern tip of Amelia Island. Its claim to fame are stables that offer horseback riding on the beach. The park also provides access to the mile-long George Crady Fishing Bridge, open 24 hours a day.
If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, you can drive down the beach and carve out your own little hideaway. As tempted as you might, don’t try this with anything less than four-wheel drive. This sand is pretty soft in lots of places.
As you enter the park from A1A, you’ll see the entrance to Kelly Seahorse Ranch, which offers guided, beachfront horseback riding along the beach. For reservations and prices, call 904-491-5166.
Visitors may also enjoy Amelia Island on their own horse. The park’s capacity is 15 privately owned horses at one time, so riders must first check in with the Little Talbot Island ranger station at 904-251-2320 for availability.
Amelia Island State Park is at State Road A1A North, Jacksonville. Info: 904-251-2320, floridastateparks.org/park/AmeliaIsland. Admission: $2 per person (honor box).
Big Talbot Island State Park
Primarily a nature preserve, Big Talbot encompasses diverse habitats once typical of Florida’s barrier islands. There are several nature trails for hiking, a boat ramp providing deep-water access to wetlands and islands.
Boneyard Beach is a must-see, with its twisted and tangled skeletal remains of live oaks and cedar trees, beaten down and uprooted by storms and erosion, salt-washed, sea-bashed and sun-beaten. It’s an eerie site next to Blackrock Beach, an unusual lava-like formation that is actually hardpan sediment uncovered by erosion.
Access to both beaches is via the half-mile Blackrock Trail, which has a small parking area on the east side of State Road A1A. Be forewarned this parking area may be jammed on weekends.
Along the trail, keep your eyes peeled for flashes of color in the woods: The painted bunting makes its home here.
The parking area is also a trailhead for a 3-mile segment of the paved, multiuse Timucuan Trail, which winds through maritime forest of gnarled live oaks, bays and magnolias surrounded by palmetto, adding to more than 2 miles of existing paved trail on Little Talbot Island.
In addition to the boat ramp, you can launch kayaks and canoes from the Kayak Amelia concession for $1 per person. Kayak Amelia also offers group ecotours of the waterways.
Big Talbot Island State Park is at State Road A1A North, Jacksonville. Info: 904-251-2320, floridastateparks.org/park/Big-Talbot-Island. Admission: $3 per vehicle, $4 to use the boat launch, $2 to access the bridge pier.
George Crady Bridge and Fishing Pier State Park
Access this curving mile-long bridge through Amelia Island State Park. The “pier” was the old bridge crossing Nassau Sound, but it’s now an extremely popular fishing destination. During our visit, there must of been a hundred or more fishers casting into the sound.
The new bridge runs alongside it and carries A1A traffic between Amelia Island and Big Talbot. Both bridges offer awesome views of the ocean and the sound. There are rest rooms at the foot of the bridge. If you fish here, you’ll have to leave Fido home. No pets allowed.
Info: 904-251-2320, floridastateparks.org/park/GeorgeCrady-Bridge. Admission: $2 per person, payable at the entrance to Amelia Island State Park.
Fort George Island State Park
People have been evident in these islands for more than 5,000 years. Fort George Island was named after a fort built in 1736 to defend the neighboring Georgia Colony.
Today, park visitors enjoy hiking, biking, fishing, boating and Segway tours offered by the park concession, Kayak Amelia. These 11⁄4 to 2 hour tours depart from the historic Ribault Club and visit the Kingsley Plantation while traveling along 2 to 4 miles of maritime forest, abundant with plant and animal life. No experience necessary, but advance reservations are required, so call 904-251-0016 for more information.
There’s a kayak-and-canoe launch behind the Ribauld Club, once an exclusive private resort and now a popular attraction for visitors.
Fort George Island State Park is at State Road A1A South. Info: 904-251-2320, floridastateparks.org/park/Fort-GeorgeIsland. Admission: Free
Pumpkin Hill Preserve State Park
Pumpkin Hill Preserve has 14 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, and dogs are allowed on hiking trails.
Creeks in the preserve provide miles of paddle trails through salt marsh estuaries. Park your car and launch your kayaks, canoes and paddle boards at the end of Pumpkin Hill Road on the east side. There is a short portage from the parking area to the launch site. Picnic tables and rest rooms are available.
Nature trails are anchored at the main parking area and are open to hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding and connect to the adjacent city of Jacksonville parks Betz Tiger Point, Cedar Point and the Jim Wingate Preserve.
Varied intermediate terrain invites off-road bicyclists through pine flatwoods and sandhill communities. Cycling may be challenging in spots due to soft sandy soils and trails subject to seasonal flooding. The bicycling trails are anchored at the main parking area.
Songbirds, owls, woodpeckers, turkey and bobwhite are evident year around in the long-leaf pine forest with the added bonus of nesting bald eagles. Woodstorks, roseate spoonbills and egrets fish the salt marsh. Bring your binoculars and your field guide along on your birding trip.
Pumpkin Hill State Park is at 13802 Pumpkin Hill Road. Info: 904-696-5980, floridastateparks.org/park/PumpkinHill. Admission: Free
Yellow Bluff Fort State Park
This small (1.3-acre) state park is preserved for its history.
There was never a fort here, at least not a structure, but it was a strategic gun position on the St. John’s River for both Union and Confederate armies. There are still earthworks that once shielded soldiers manning the cannons.
Other than a short hike, there’s not a lot of other outdoor recreation.
Yellow Bluff Fort State Park is on New Berlin Road. Info; 904-251-2320, floridastateparks.org/park/Yellow-Bluff. Admission: Free
The Campground on Little Talbot Island
Little Talbot Island State Park has the only campground in the Talbot Islands.
Motor homes and travel trailers should expect narrow, unpaved access roads tracking through the campground, as well as tight, oddly angled sites, but it’s manageable and rewarding when you are finally set up. All 40 campsites are well-shaded and private; 10 sites are designated for hammocks and hammock camping.
Each campsite has water and 20/30-amp electric, picnic table and fire ring. There are no sewer hookups but a dump station is located near the exit.
As you might expect near a saltwater marsh, pack the insect repellent.
Camping fee is $24 per day (plus $6.70 reservation fee per stay) and includes access to all the parks in the Talbot Islands system. Reservations accept by calling 800-326-3521 or online at floridastateparks.reserveamerica.com.