Cayo Costa State Park
Boca Grande, FL · Southwest Florida
There is no bridge and no road, so you board a boat off Pine Island or Boca Grande and motor across the pass, usually trailed by dolphins, to nine miles of barrier island on the other side. Powder-white sand, sea oats bending on the low dunes, and a Gulf tide that keeps laying down fresh shells, sand dollars, and the occasional whole conch. Walk the tram path from the bay dock over to the Gulf and the beach mostly empties out, about as close as Florida gets to having a stretch of coast to yourself.





