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Add your own trip Report!
One of the most popular features on Wildernet, trip reports allow you to share your experiences with others.
This is an invaluable resource for determining what to expect on your outdoor adventure, so please participate!
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Date: 2006-08-14 14:29:00.0
Difficulty:
Number of People Encountered: 11-25 ppl
Recommendation: Highly
Coming from Louisiana, it took us about 6.5 hours to finally arrive at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. It was smooth sailing on I-10 until we had to get on US 98 which slowed us down a little. The upside to that was the fantastic scenic views of the coast and beach side communities all the way to the park. We chose this park after comparing different criteria on the florida state parks website for different parks. We knew that we wanted to be by the beach, snorkel, canoe, ride our bikes, and because of the heat and the fact that we had not been there before, wanted to stay in a cabin. St. Joes offered all this and more! The eight cabins at the park are almostalways booked, but we were lucky to find two days that were available two months before we were to leave. I would definetly suggest that if you are going to be coming from out of state, like we did, with about 4 or more hours of driving, that it is best to stay at least a 3 or 4 night minimum. Basically, we had two days of driving and one day to pack in everything that we wanted to do at the park. Because it is a peninsula, in the middle of scorching August heat, we enjoyed both breezes from the gulf and bay side while we rode our bikes. We were amazed at how private the beach was. Cabin renters have their own gulf beach access through the sand dunes. While we were there, only like 10 people showed up on our side of the beach in a 4 hour period. The first night that we arrived, not a soul was there at 5 oclock while we were exploring the shore. I had read that you could rent canoes at the park, but that is no longer so, and if you would like to rent them, there are two shops outside of the park that rent. We paid 40 dollars for 24 hour rental plus 12 in tax and delivery service. They will deliver and pick up your canoe to your cabin if you want. We got the information for the vendors at the ranger station at the park. The bay water is crystal clear, and shallow. This would be a nice place to snorkel. For snorkeling in the bay, you need to buy a dive flag at one of the shops outside of the park. We snorkeled in the gulf, it is really nice and clear. There is alot of wildlife to be seen. Deer are very frequent and they will stop and stare at you as you walk, drive, or bike by. We had a little run in with a raccoon trying to get our food the first night that we barbequed, so I would suggest to do all your outside cooking while it is still light out, so youll be able to keep an eye on the raccoons. The cabin we stayed in was rustic, but very comfortable. It was loft style, with 2 queen size beds, with a pull out fouton couch and single window bed downstairs, fireplace, rocking reading chair, nice sized shower, sink and toilet in bathroom downstairs, modest kitchen with full refrigerator, sink, half sized stove, full sized microwave, and utensils, dishes and cookware for seven people, plus central air and heat with screened in porch with rocking chair and picnic table. It was very comfortable for us and we didn´t care whether or not it was luxurious because we were going to be spending alot of our time outside anyway. It also had an outside barbeque stand, two dock walkways, one side leading to your car, the other leading right to the bay shore with a bench to watch the bay. It had an outside shower to rinse off sand after a long day at the beach right next to the barbeque. Overall we were overjoyed with this state park. We cannot wait to go back, and we eventually want to try tent camping when it is cooler. This is recommended for all ages. Such a nice get away from ¨it all¨, so relaxing, peaceful, and beautiful at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.
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Date: 2004-04-28 14:17:00.0
Difficulty:
Number of People Encountered: 25-50 ppl
Recommendation: Highly
I come from a family that does huge camping trips at least 3 times a year. And we have been going to this peninsula once a year since I was born (1982). It is that great! Trust me, if you have kids, there will be NO complaints. The only problems we have ever encountered is A, the heat, and B, mosquitos. But thats a given if your planning a trip anywhere in Florida.
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Date: 2002-12-03 10:39:00.0
Difficulty:
Number of People Encountered: 25-50 ppl
Recommendation: Highly
Went back to St. Joseph's for Thankgiving after the really hot experience this summer. Although somewhat cool, it was much more enjoyable for hiking and camping. We got to see more of the bayside trails and wilderness area, even seeing three new (for us)bird species. Beautiful place to visit and relax. Spectacular dunes and beach.
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Date: 2002-07-23 14:26:00.0
Difficulty:
Number of People Encountered: 25-50 ppl
Recommendation: Highly
Overall: Beautiful beaches and dunes. The bayside is loaded with interesting sealife and the park is full of wildlife. A lot of different varieties of wading birds that we had not seen before. Toughest Part: The heat! Just got back from four days of camping. It was really hot, but it was really hot at home as well. At 100 degrees plus, it was too much to try and walk the shoreline of the park, but is well worth another trip at a cooler time. Suggestions: When reserving your campsite, pick the ones closest to the Gulfside dunes. No wind penetrated the pine scrub to the back side. Gulf Breeze Campground was much more open for wind, but still provided some shade.
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Date: 2002-04-01 12:51:00.0
Difficulty: Easy
Number of People Encountered: 25-50 ppl
Recommendation: Highly
incredible state park - saw two large horned owls and walked in the shallows and saw two horseshoe crabs.. but the best part was the beautiful beaches with huge sand dunes and very few people taking advantage of the sand or surf. left tons of room for my children to roam!
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Florida State Parks - The mission of the Florida Park Service is to provide resource-based recreation while preserving, interpreting and restoring natural and cultural resources.
Northwest Florida - Sugar white sand, emerald green waters, intriguing geological formations, natural springs, rich history, charming villages, miles of caves, and yearly festivals come together offering the vacationer endless outdoor recreation in Northwest Florida.
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