Don Pedro Island State Park

ISLAND CLOSED indefinitely due to damage from Hurricane Ian.

While a public park open to all, Don Pedro Island State Park is a rare retreat for bathers, swimmers, and sun worshipers. Its secret? It’s offshore. Mostly.

Resources

South Florida Explorers Guide book cover

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Overview

Location: Cape Haze
Trailhead: 26.859127,-82.299274
Address: 8450 Placida Rd, Cape Haze FL 33946
Fees: $3 per vehicle
Restroom: at the visitor center
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 941-964-0375

Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed pets welcome, but not on the beach.

Directions

From Englewood, follow CR 775 (Placida Rd) south to the park entrance on the right.

Park Details

The park is divided into two parts. Along Placida Road, a 100-acre tract of pine flatwoods and scrub fronts the Intercoastal Waterway at the south end of Lemon Bay.

Across the channel, the park is a barrier island south of Knight Island and north of Little Gasparilla Island off the Cape Haze Peninsula.

It’s not very far across the narrow, sheltered inlet to enjoy the quiet pleasures of the southern tip of Don Pedro Island – but you have to have the means to get there.

So, how do you get to Don Pedro Island?

1. Paddle across the channel from the boat ramp. Bring your own kayak or paddleboard or rent one from SUP Englewood (941-265-2925). They offer tours as well, but do require reservations in advance.

2. Use your own shallow-draft private boat to get to the dock. Put in at the boat ramp on the land side. Dock on the bay side via a channel from the Intracoastal Waterway at green marker #35. The channel is less than 3 feet deep.

3. Take a water taxi. Call Boat to Beach for a private ferry across. Call 941-375-9299 to reserve your trip.

4. Take a tour boat. Captiva Cruises leaves Cape Haze and deposits you on the island daily (except Monday) on a regular schedule between 10-1, $15 per person. Arrange your pickup time in advance. Call 239-472-5100 to reserve a space.

One you’re there, a dune boardwalk leads over to the picnic area and across to the beach. It’s a mile long and all yours.

Shell bed along Gulf of Mexico — The shelling is superb on Don Pedro Island

Hiking

The easier trail to tackle starts at the parking area on the landside. It’s a 1.3-mile loop made up of two trails, the North Trail and the South Trail. These short nature trails traverse the pine flatwoods and scrub.

A nature trail on the barrier island immerses you in the coastal dunes and coastal scrub. Plus there’s a mile of oceanfront for walking (2 mile round trip), and this is one place the shells won’t be picked over.