One Florida island paradise takes top billing for beautiful beaches. Caladesi Island State Park got the nod from Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, AKA Dr. Beach, as # 1 beach in america in 2008. The shelling here is fantastic. You could learn a starfish or possibly a perfect conch shell washed ashore.
Besides the sparkling surf and pristine sand beach, this park is a wonderful location to go kayaking down a mangrove covered waterway or hike the 2 main.5 mile nature trail and check out wildlife. Split up into the nature trail, it begins only to the left in the ranger station near the Old Tower Site and winds from the beach from the hammock then back again on the beach. Just the last area of the trail is a loop so that you do traverse some of the beach section each way.
After you alternate from true beach to completely clean, the trail hosts eastern diamondback rattlers so continue but be careful particularly throughout the ruins of the old homestead. Another item to take care of with caution could be the exotic cactus that is sprinkled liberally inside the scrub area. It's here too you are most probably to find out a number of the other wildlife that calls the region home, armadillo, marsh rabbit as well as perhaps an endangered gopher tortoise.
Walk along the beach and discovered a little pond, Cat's Eye Pond, in which the trail returns for the beach. A great spot to have some with the island's water birds -- egrets, heron, roseate spoonbill and ibis. There are numerous you may not know where you should point you next. The beach scrub transforms to piney woods since the elevation increases a few ft . tall. Raccoons will range from here to the pond and also to the beach but they're more likely to be seen near twilight or during the night.
Boat camping is allowed around the island by reservation only--there are 108 boat slips all with electric hookups--so it is possible to be there after dark but using the trail then is very little smart idea. Pets on leash are allowed on the boats and many other locations although not the beach.
Another way to see something apart from the beach would be to paddle the 3.25 mile kayak/canoe trail. The very last 2 / 3 with the trail is often a loop through the marina through Saint Joseph Sound so that you do see a lot of the region that is certainly inaccessible by foot.
This tropical isle posseses an interesting history. Back in the day a larger island called Hog Island. In 1921, a huge hurricane blew through the bradenton area leaving the typical destruction in the wake. It turned out so fierce, people for the island tied their children to trees to make sure they're from being mesmerised. If the storm was over, the region have been cut in two. The new pass was called - what else- Hurricane Pass.
Myrtle Scharrer Betz was raised on the island noisy . 1900s. She rowed a small boat through the island to Dunedin to visit school. She later wrote her autobiography called "Yesteryear I grew up in Paradise."
Caladesi Island as well as the other islands define their state park are extremely all-around Paradise.
Perhaps one good reason for the wonderful beaches is that this park are only able to be accessed by boat. Hawaii provides a ferry from nearby Honeymoon Island State Park or you can use your own boat.
