Essentially the most distinguished options of Florida’s nationwide park websites are coasts and seashores. Lengthy seashores, crystal clear water, coastal wildlife, and limitless alternatives for water actions. However that’s not all these eleven nationwide park websites provide. You possibly can discover America’s oldest fort, fly in a seaplane to the most important fort, and go to the positioning the place De Soto’s expedition landed within the 1500s.
Florida is named the “Sunshine State,” a moniker that precisely describes the tropical local weather. The nationwide park websites capitalize on this attribute with seashores, coastal campgrounds, mountaineering trails, and water trails.
Some nationwide park websites are excellent for day journey visits whereas exploring Florida. However others, like Dry Tortugas Nationwide Park, require planning to get probably the most out of your journey.
Learn this checklist of the 11 Florida nationwide park websites to be taught what to do at every web site, discover hyperlinks to extra info, and save the handle to your Google Maps account.
Be aware | The nationwide park websites are listed so as of look on the map from left to proper. This isn’t a rating of the nationwide park websites.
Florida Nationwide Parks Map
use this map | Click on the icon within the top-left nook to open the Map Legend, then click on on any of the legend gadgets to show extra info. When you have a Google account, click on the (very faint) star on the finish of the map’s identify to avoid wasting this map to your account, then entry the map out of your smartphone throughout your journey.
Nationwide Park vs. Nationwide Park Unit
When somebody searches for a “nationwide park,” they’re normally searching for details about one of many 63 nationwide parks—the top of the Nationwide Park System. Nevertheless, nationwide parks solely account for 15% of the system’s items.
What about nationwide monuments, nationwide seashores, and nationwide army parks? What are these parks collectively referred to as?
The Nationwide Park Service explains, “Whereas there are at the least 19 naming designations, these items are generally known as parks.” Nevertheless, two adjectives had been used of their clarification: items and parks.
I take advantage of the time period “nationwide park unit” to explain any of the 429 particular person named items of the Nationwide Park System, after which I take advantage of the time period “nationwide park” particularly for these vaunted parks.
After I write a roundup of Nationwide Park Service websites, I embody all of the nationwide park items as a result of every park is price visiting for its personal motive.
Nationwide Park Service App
The official Nationwide Park Service app is an all-in-one instrument for planning a nationwide park journey and discovering your means across the park. The app has details about each nationwide park web site throughout the nation, basically placing all the web info at your fingertips.
The free app options interactive maps, self-guided excursions, facilities like restrooms, and lists of issues to do. The highly effective app has an offline mode – with a single faucet, it can save you the park for offline use to entry all the knowledge later. You’ll even have entry to vital info like alerts, contacts, charges, and working hours.
America the Stunning Go
Many of the Nationwide Park Service’s items are free to go to, however some require an entrance price. Happily, there are methods to save cash on these charges in case you frequent the items.
The Commonplace Go permits one individual to enter one park for seven consecutive days. The Annual Go supplies entrance to at least one park for a yr.
The America the Stunning Go is the golden ticket hidden in a chocolate bar. This move covers the doorway and day-use charges for as much as one car or 4 adults for all Nationwide Park Service items.
There are a number of sorts of America the Stunning Passes catering to totally different segments of society and with totally different value tags:
- Annual Go is out there for everybody for $80
- Annual Senior Go is out there to US residents 62+ for $20
- Lifetime Senior Go is out there to US residents 62+ for $80
- Annual Army Go is out there to lively responsibility US army and dependents at no cost
- Lifetime Army Go is out there to Gold Star Members of the family and veterans at no cost
- Entry Go is out there for US residents with a everlasting incapacity at no cost
- 4th Grade Go is out there to US fourth graders at no cost
The very best place to buy an America the Stunning Go is at a nationwide park unit. Go to the Nationwide Park Service’s web site to be taught extra about interagency passes.
Gulf Islands Nationwide Seashore
Gulf Islands Nationwide Seashore is an fascinating combination of nature and historical past on barrier islands in Mississippi and Florida. Discover historical past at locations like Fort Barrancas and Fort Pickens, forts constructed in the course of the nation’s early years. Then, spend a day on the seaside at Okaloosa, Perdido Key, or Santa Rosa.
Spend a couple of nights in coastal consolation on the 200-site Fort Pickens Campground. The campsites function electrical hookups and are appropriate for tents or RVs.
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Protect
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Protect covers 46,000 acres of wetlands and waterways close to Jacksonville, Florida. Established in 1988, the protect is a wonderful alternative to observe coastal wildlife and luxuriate in water actions like kayaking and scenic coastal views.
Go to Kingsley Plantation, the oldest extant plantation within the state, after which take a self-guided tour of Fort Carolina Nationwide Memorial.
Fort Caroline Nationwide Memorial
In 1564, René Goulaine de Laudonnière established a French settlement on the banks of the St. John River. A yr later, Spanish troops from St. Augustine, led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, captured the settlement and ultimately destroyed it.
Fort Carolina Nationwide Memorial preserves the positioning of the French settlement. Nothing stays, however the customer middle has displays in regards to the early colonial historical past and the battle between France and Spain.
Castillo de San Marcos Nationwide Monument
In 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés based St. Augustine, Spain’s first settlement in North America. After 100 years of relative peace, the settlement was brutally attacked by English pirate Robert Searle. Queen Regent Mariana of Spain ordered the Florida governor to construct a masonry fort – the Castillo de San Marcos.
Building on “Fortress of Saint Mark” started in 1672 and was accomplished in 1695. It’s America’s oldest fort within the oldest city.
Learn Extra | Exploring America’s Oldest Fort – Castillo de San Marcos Nationwide Monument
Guests to Castillo de San Marcos Nationwide Monument can take self-guided excursions of the fort’s inside, discover the canons mounted alongside the fort’s partitions, and go to the cell the place Patriot Christopher Gadsden was held in solitary confinement in the course of the Revolutionary Conflict. It takes about two hours to see every thing within the fort.
Professional Journey Tip | A big parking zone on the nationwide park web site’s entrance is often stuffed early within the day. The Historic Downtown Parking Facility behind the St. Augustine Customer Heart is the most effective place to park. It’s a 10-15 minute stroll from the parking storage to the fort.
Fort Matanzas Nationwide Monument
In 1742, Fort Matanzas was constructed alongside the Matanzas River to guard St. Augustine from a southern strategy. The fort is just not typical – there aren’t any partitions, motes, or courtyards to discover. It’s a blockhouse constructed from native coquina.
Guests should trip a free ferry from the park’s customer middle on Florida Freeway A1A. The ferry takes about 10 minutes to cross the river to Fort Matanzas.
Canaveral Nationwide Seashore
At 24 miles lengthy, Canaveral Nationwide Seashore is the longest stretch of undeveloped beachfront remaining in Florida. The seashore stretches from the Kennedy Area Heart to New Smyrna Seaside.
One of many park’s hottest actions is watching launches from Kennedy Area Heart. Playalinda Seaside is the closest viewing spot on the seashore. However arrive early in case you plan to observe a launch – there are a restricted variety of parking spots, and the park workers closes the doorway when it’s full.
Apollo Seaside is the closest parking space to the northern finish of the seashore. There aren’t any roads for 13 miles between Apollo Seaside and Playalinda Seaside. It’s a uncommon alternative to get pleasure from a spectacularly peaceable Florida seaside.
De Soto Nationwide Memorial
In 1539, Hernando de Soto landed on Florida’s Gulf Coast with over 600 troopers. Lustful for gold and underneath orders from King Charles V to beat the natives, de Soto led the expedition on a 4,000-mile journey throughout North America.
De Soto Nationwide Memorial in Bradenton, Florida, preserves the widely accepted web site of De Soto’s touchdown. Guests can discover historic artifacts and be taught in regards to the expedition’s historical past on the customer middle.
Massive Cypress Nationwide Protect
In 1974, Massive Cypress Nationwide Protect in Florida and Massive Thicket Nationwide Protect in Texas grew to become the primary nationwide preserves within the Nationwide Park System. The 720,000-acre Massive Cypress Nationwide Protect covers an unlimited space of southern Florida between Miami and Fort Myers.
The simplest strategy to discover the big protect is the 27-mile Loop Highway Scenic Drive or the 17-mile Turner River / Wagonwheel / Birdon Roads Loop Drive. It’s a superb alternative to benefit from the protect’s wildlife and landscapes.
Different actions embody bicycling, kayaking, and mountaineering alongside dozens of trails all through the protect.
Biscayne Nationwide Park
95% of Biscayne Nationwide Park’s 172,000 acres is underwater. The park preserves Biscayne Bay, islands and keys, and coral reefs, together with the northern portion of the Florida Reef. Ten thousand years of human historical past lay inside the park’s boundaries – most of it in sunken ships on the backside.
One of many park’s hottest actions is scuba diving to the shipwrecks on the ocean ground. Different actions embody snorkeling, kayaking, boating, and fishing. The Biscayne Nationwide Park Institute provides a sequence of guided excursions to discover the watery parts of the park.
Everglades Nationwide Park
The 1.5 million acre Everglades Nationwide Park is the most important tropical wilderness in america and the third largest unit of the Nationwide Park Service. The park preserves 20% of the southern Florida Everglades south of Miami.
The most well-liked actions within the park are mountaineering, birding, kayaking, and fishing. Should of the park is an authorized Darkish Sky Park, excellent for astronomers of all ranges to get pleasure from stargazing.
The park’s tropical local weather not often sees in a single day lows beneath 40 levels. Common highs all year long vary from 78-94 levels. The very best time of yr to go to Everglades Nationwide Park is February, March, October, and November.
Dry Tortugas Nationwide Park
Dry Tortugas Nationwide Park is likely one of the most original items within the Nationwide Park Service. Nevertheless, that uniqueness additionally makes it the costliest nationwide park within the nation.
The nationwide park is 70 miles west of Key West within the Gulf of Mexico. The 100-square-mile park consists of a number of keys – Loggerhead Key, Backyard Key, Bush Key, Lengthy Key, Hospital Key, Center Key, and East Key.
Fort Jefferson was constructed between 1846 and 1861. Comprised of 16 million bricks, it’s the most important masonry fort within the Western Hemisphere. Regardless of the heavy funding in constructing the distant fort, it was solely used for a couple of years till 1874. Throughout its brief tenure, the fort was a jail for Accomplice troops captured in the course of the Civil Conflict.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Fort Jefferson Nationwide Monument. The deserted fort was stabilized and renovated. In 1992, the positioning was redesignated as Dry Tortugas Nationwide Park.
Guests to the distant nationwide park get pleasure from snorkeling the crystal clear water, taking self-guided excursions inside Fort Jefferson, and spending a couple of hours on one of many keys. A primitive campground with eight campsites, every web site giant sufficient for 3 2-person tents.
There are solely two methods to get to Dry Tortugas Nationwide Park; both choice makes it the nation’s costliest nationwide park to go to. One choice is a 4-hour roundtrip trip on the Yankee Freedom III, a passenger boat with a capability for 150 passengers. The boat trip is $220 per grownup and $165 for kids aged 3 to 17.
The second choice is a 2-hour roundtrip flight on a seaplane. Tickets for the half-day tour are $466 per grownup and $372 for kids aged 2 to 12. Tickets for the full-day tour are $820 for adults and $655 for kids.
Professional Journey Tip | Though the seaplane is the quickest strategy to Dry Tortugas Nationwide Park, I like to recommend taking the extra reasonably priced boat. The boat has two totally stocked bars, sodas, and snacks for the lengthy trip.
