Neatly accessed via “The Loop,” a scenic drive that extends north from Ormond Beach, North Peninsula State Park has two tantalizing miles of oceanfront along a palm-rimmed line of dunes.
Resources
Overview
Location: Flagler Beach
Lat-Lon: 29.41072,-81.094962
Fees: free
Open: 8 AM until sunset daily
Leashed pets welcome except on beach
Location
Details
As “The Loop” turns west to complete its northernmost point, it slips past the trailhead for the Coastal Strand Trail and a spot popular with anglers before the landscape opens up into a scene worthy of “Land of the Lost.” You can just imagine mammoths and giant sloths ambling across this primordial open marsh, its far shore a line of cabbage palms.
Because the park encompasses such a variety of habitats, it is home to some of Florida’s rarer species, including the Florida scrub-jay and the gopher tortoise. It also sits along the Atlantic flyway, a birder’s delight in January. Parking for beach access on this sheltered strand is limited.