At the north end of the 17-mile St. Joseph Peninsula, you will find a unique Florida State Park with 10 miles of pristine beaches nestled along enormous sand dunes. Properly known as the T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, this area of the Florida Panhandle is considered part of the “Forgotten Coast.”
In October 2018, Hurricane Michael severed the peninsula just one mile north of the park entrance, rendering 90% of the park inaccessible. The majority of the park’s vital infrastructure was wholly destroyed, including the popular Gulf Breeze and Shady Pines campground loops and cabins.
Construction projects are underway at the park which include cabin renovations, two campground loops and two new day-use areas. Improvements include 65 RV and 14 primitive tent sites. The eight cabins and linked boardwalks were damaged by storm surge flooding and will be renovated and/or reconstructed to bring back this popular overnight accommodation within the park. The gulf access trail from cabins will be reestablished for cabin visitors to reach the beach within a short walking distance. The cabins will reopen for reservations beginning around September 2022.
Completion of the campsites are expected to done by spring 2023. While these projects may present a temporary inconvenience, they will provide valuable amenity improvements and will symbolize the park’s resilience following the devastating storm.
Today, the park is open for day use from 8 a.m. to sundown and offers nearly 20 miles of beach and bay shoreline for recreation and wildlife habitat. Visitors can enjoy fishing, bicycling, birding, boating, hiking, paddling, picnicking, shelling, swimming and wildlife viewing. The boat launch provides access to St. Joseph Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Kayak, canoe and pontoon boat rentals are available at the Eagle Harbor Marina. The popular Maritime Hammock Nature Trail has also reopened.
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For more information about T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, please call 850/227-1327. Keep up with the progress at their website here.