- Parking
- Boat access only
- Typical crowd
- Usually quiet
- Best for
- Getting away from crowds, Shelling, Kayaking, A proper day trip
- Facilities
- Restrooms, Showers, Small cafe, Marina, Kayak rental
Caladesi Island has appeared at or near the top of national best-beach rankings more than once. It has no causeway, no road and no bridge. You arrive by the ferry from Honeymoon Island, or on your own boat, or not at all.
That inaccessibility is the whole point. A beach with a national ranking and a car park would be overwhelmed within a season. Caladesi stays as good as it is because getting there takes deliberate effort.
Beyond the sand there is a three mile nature trail through the island interior and a kayak trail through the mangroves on the bay side.
What makes it worth the trip
The walk south
Most visitors stay within sight of the ferry dock. Walking south along the sand puts genuine distance between you and everyone else.
The mangrove kayak trail
A marked paddling route through the bay side mangroves, sheltered from the Gulf and full of wading birds.
No development at all
No hotels, no condos, no bars. The skyline is trees.
Parking
None on the island. Park at Honeymoon Island State Park, pay that entry fee, then buy a separate ferry ticket. Boaters can use the island marina.
Rates and hours change. Confirm the current cost with the city, the county or the state park before you go rather than trusting any published figure, including ours.
Crowds
Limited by ferry capacity, so it never gets truly crowded. The area near the marina is busiest; walk fifteen minutes and it empties out.
Rules
- The ferry runs to a schedule and stops in rough weather. Note the last return time when you land.
- Dogs are not permitted on the ferry or on the island's swimming beach.
- Take everything back with you. There is no rubbish collection to speak of.
- Glass is banned on every beach in the county. Cans and plastic only.
- Sea turtle nesting runs 1 May to 31 October. Fill in holes, knock down sandcastles, take gear home at night and keep lights off the sand after dark.
- Shorebird nesting areas are roped off in spring and summer. The nests sit on open sand and are nearly invisible, so stay outside the posted zones.
- Beach warning flags are not advisory decoration. Double red means the water is closed. Purple means dangerous marine life, usually jellyfish or red tide.
- Most beach towns clear unattended chairs, tents and umbrellas overnight. Take it with you.
Getting there
Ferry from Honeymoon Island State Park. Check the timetable before building a day around it, because weather cancels crossings.
Good for
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5). Source