Quiet, secluded, and still wild, this 3½-mile-long barrier island is one of the best shelling beaches on the Gulf Coast, second only to Sanibel. The park also has plenty of sights for birders—from common sandpipers to majestic blue herons to rare black skimmers—and miles of trails through scrub oaks, saw palmettos, and cacti (with tenants such as armadillos, rabbits, and raccoons). The...
One of the state's last undeveloped barrier islands, you'll feel a million miles away from civilization.:
The Scene
Comprised of six islands with 650 upland acres and more than 1,800 acres of mangroves and grass flats, the park was opened to the public in 1972. Caladesi Island itself came...