CAYO COSTA STATE PARK

COME TAKE A LOOK!

Cayo Costa State Park is on the undeveloped La Costa Island. This is a barrier island which is positioned just south of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, just north of North Captiva, west of Pine Island and south of Boca Grande, where Gasparilla Island State Park is located.

Only accessible by boat, Cayo Costa is a very natural, pristine island with dockage, cabins to camp out in, an area for tent camping, picnic tables and restrooms and the gorgeous beaches primarily on the Gulf of Mexico side and also on the Charlotte Harbor - Pine Island Sound side.

It's one of the Florida public beaches that are totally undeveloped and pristine. If you are a nature lover, you'll thoroughly appreciate Cayo Costa.

Things To Do at Cayo Costa State Park

Here's the boat dock and the road through Cayo Costa State Park.

You can rough it in a cabin and eat on the picnic tables.

Test your fishing skill in the Hidden Lagoon on the island or enjoy a bike ride with a rental bike. Be careful, though, around the in-island water. You never know if an alligator is lurking nearby. Just use some caution.

And we can't forget the beautiful unspoiled Gulf beach.

There are 9 miles of unspoiled, uncrowded white sand beach. Shelling is great on this island, just as it is on Sanibel and Captiva Islands.

When you pull up to the dock on the Pine Island Sound side of the island you can take the tram to the beach.

You will be charged a $1.00 per person daily fee. If you are planning to sit on the beaches for any length of time, make sure you bring an umbrella. The Florida sun is very intense. Also bring a lunch and plenty of water or other drinks.

The tram will drop you off at a gorgeous cresent beach with sensationally clear green water. It's breathtaking.

If you don't have your own boat, you can take the Tropic Star ferry out of the Pineland Marina on Pine Island. There is also a ferry service out of Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda, and another on Sanibel. But the Tropic Star is the official concessionaire for the island.

To get to Pineland Marina take Pine Island Rd. to Stringfellow Rd., which is the main intersection on Pine Island. Turn right on Stringfellow and travel 3.3 miles to Pineland Rd. Turn left and continue along for 1.5 miles to Pineland Marina on your left.

The Back Side of Cayo Costa State Park

The back side of Cayo Costa has beautiful beaches also. It borders on the waters of Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound.There is a beautiful crescent beach on this East side of the island, with a great lagoon which is perfect for pulling up your boat, getting off and enjoying the beach and calm water.

Here are some photos of this side of the island.

Here is our son, daughter-in-law and grandson next to our boat on this beach on the Pine Island Sound side. And another photo of our granddaughter in the lagoon. As you can see, the beach on this side is a narrow strip. The waters on both sides of the island drop off in depth fairly quickly, so have the kids stay close to shore.

Cayo Costa makes a great day trip when you are here on vacation. For the adventurous, camping is also a great option. Florida beach camping is a exceptional and unique experience. The memories of your camping adventure will last a lifetime for you and your kids.

And, of course, we couldn't finish our tour of Cayo Costa without a look at the gorgeous, secluded Gulf of Mexico side.

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Cayo Costa State Park is a treasure and shouldn't be missed. It gets our vote as one of the top 10 Florida beaches.


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