Experiences
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park has four different types of boat tours to ensure that all park visitors have the best opportunity possible to experience the park's coral reef system.
The glass-bottom trips depart from the park's docks three times per day, 365 days a year, weather permitting. The snorkel boat trips depart four times per day.
Both these tours last 2.5 hours and allow for approximately 1.5 hours of reef time to view the park's living coral and its associated marine life up-close and personal. The Encounter, a wheelchair-friendly snorkeling vessel, features wheelchair tie-downs as well as an over-sized marine restroom for guests.
Rental equipment is available.
The park has a PADI Five-Star Gold Palm dive shop, offering a full range of scuba courses from open water through instructor. The Resort Course introduces the fledgling diver to diving and the coral reef in one day. The four-hour scuba diving tours offer divers two-location, two-tank dives.
Personally owned boats visit the park’s approximately 72 square nautical miles of ocean. The park has a boat ramp (see amenities). Power boat rentals are available from the dockmaster at the dive shop.
The campground has 42 reservable campsites, each with 30-amp, 50-amp and 110 electrical outlets. Each site also has water and sewer hookup, a picnic table and a grill.
Please put your trash in the dumpsters located near the entrance to the campgrounds. Pets are permitted in accordance with our Pet Policy.
- Most sites can accommodate an RV length of 40 feet; a few sites can accommodate a few feet longer.
- Campers may consume alcoholic beverages within their campsites.
- For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.
The park has a boat ramp (see amenities). For overnight stays on a personally owned boat, there are dock slips in the marina and mooring buoys in Largo Sound. Contact the dockmaster at the dive shop.
Located at the end of the campground drive is a primitive group camp. It has a large grill, a campfire circle and picnic table, as well as a water faucet. Electricity is not available at the site, but the Pond restroom is adjacent.
- The group campsite is limited to organized groups of 24 people maximum and a minimum of six people.
- Youth campers must be accompanied by adults over 18; minimum of one adult to every 10 youth.
- Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance by calling the park at 305-676-3777.
There are three areas where saltwater fishing is allowed from the shore. Check at the ranger stations for directions. Fishing from a boat is allowed in park waters, but there may be designated protected areas, including those within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
- All fishing within park boundaries must conform to regulations concerning size, number, method of capture and season.
- A saltwater fishing license is required. More information is available at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fishing in Florida.
- Please take all trash with you, as litter is harmful to wildlife.
Each of the park’s three nature trails offers a different habitat.
- The Wild Tamarind Trail, at the east end of the park, is a three-tenths of a mile loop through the tropical hardwood hammock and many of the trees are marked for identification.
- The Grove Trail is six-tenths of a mile and starts near a mangrove swamp. The trail winds through the tropical hardwood hammock and ends in an historic fruit grove. Among the tropical fruit trees, one can often enjoy watching a myriad of butterfly species before returning on the trail back to the Visitor Center/Cannon Beach parking lot.
- The Mangrove Trail is a boardwalk through the mangroves at the south end of the Far Beach parking lot. It is a three-tenths mile loop through the swamp and along the park’s paddling trail.
The park has several miles of paddling trails through the mangroves and in Largo Sound.
Rentals and paddling trail maps are available at the park’s concession.
The park has picnic tables and grills throughout the park. Additionally, pavilions are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you wish to reserve a pavilion, this can be done for a fee in advance by calling the ranger station at 305-676-3777. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited, except for campers who may do so within their campsites.
The park has a PADI Five-Star Gold Palm dive shop, offering a full range of scuba courses from open water through instructor. The Resort Course introduces the fledgling diver to diving and the coral reef in one day. The four-hour scuba diving tours offer divers two-location, two-tank dives. Rental equipment and air fills are available.
Three reef systems offshore in the park are accessible by boat. The closest is about 300 yards off-shore. The second one is close to a half-mile and the last is over two miles out.
For everyone's safety, the following rules must be observed:
- All persons participating in scuba diving activities do so at their own risk.
- Each diver must dive within the limits of their certification.
- A dive party must consist of at least two divers.
- A diver-down flag must be displayed.
- Fossils and artifacts must not be disturbed or removed. Aquatic plants must not be trampled or disturbed.
- Do not carve or otherwise deface rocks or any other surfaces.
- Keep a minimum distance of 50 feet between you and manatees at all times.
- Dives must be completed one hour before sunset.
- Open water divers are not permitted to carry lights.
- Spearfishing is not permitted within state park boundaries.
Snorkel boat trips depart four times per day. The tours last 2.5 hours and allow for approximately 1.5 hours of reef time to view the park's living coral and its associated marine life up-close and personal. The Encounter, a wheelchair-friendly snorkeling vessel, features wheelchair tie-downs as well as an over-sized marine restroom for guests.
Make reservations here.
Rental equipment is available. At Cannon Beach, artifacts from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck have been placed underwater for viewing. You may be able to see marine creatures among the seagrasses, and reef fish will occasionally swim by.
The park’s waters are home to over 600 species of fish, 70 species of coral, and a variety of marine invertebrates and other saltwater species. Boat tours are an excellent way to view these marine creatures. One can also see some species in the swimming areas at the land base of the park. Occasionally, manatees or crocodiles may be in the marina or Largo Sound.
Some bird species can be found in the trees of the hardwood forest. Shorebirds may be seen at the small beaches and pelagic birds could be flying overhead.
Insects, lizards, and a variety of other wildlife provide wonderful viewing opportunities throughout the park.
Amenities
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is committed to providing a variety of accessible amenities to all of its visitors. Those amenities include:
- A wheelchair-friendly glass bottom boat, the Spirit of Pennekamp.
- A wheelchair-friendly snorkeling vessel, the Encounter.
- A wheelchair-friendly dock for rental kayaks and canoes.
- A wheelchair-friendly playground area.
- Far Beach access by Mobi-mat.
- Beach wheelchair available upon request at visitor center and aquarium building.
- Accessible restrooms.
- Accessible picnic pavilions, tables and benches.
- Accessible campsites.
- Large-print formats for Florida Park Service publications and some other literature available upon request.
- Assisted listening devices in the visitor center and aquarium auditorium.
The Point, an area across from the campground entrance with an outdoor screen, benches and a fire circle, provides an area for evening ranger programs in the late fall and winter season. Day-use guests may attend with a special pass obtained at the ranger station, as well as registered campers. Ask for program schedule at the ranger station or visitor center and aquarium.
- Programs are free with paid entrance fee or campsite fees.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park has two human-made beaches, each with its own distinct personality.
Cannon Beach is the park's primary snorkeling beach, where visitors will find the artifacts from an early Spanish shipwreck 100 feet offshore.
Far Beach is a relaxing place to swim or just sit under the palm trees and enjoy the sun. A Mobi-Mat installed across the sandy beach provides wheelchair accessibility.
- Any swimming or snorkeling done outside the designated swimming areas is prohibited unless a diver-down flag is properly displayed.
There is a campfire circle located at the Point, across from the campground entrance. In season, ranger programs are offered. See the amphitheater listing above for more information. There is also a campfire circle available when renting the group camp.
- Campfires are not allowed elsewhere in the park.
- Foraging for firewood is not allowed; purchase is available at local stores.
The campground has 42 reservable campsites, each with 30-amp, 50-amp and 110 electrical outlets. Each site also has water and sewer hookup, a picnic table and a grill.
Please put your trash in the dumpsters located near the entrance to the campgrounds. Pets are permitted in accordance with our Pet Policy.
- Most sites can accommodate an RV length of 40 feet; a few sites can accommodate a few feet longer.
- Campers may consume alcoholic beverages within their campsites.
- For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.
The Blue Heron Café has a grill with a variety of freshly made food, beverages and ice cream. Dine outside by the boat embarkation area.
Coral Reef Park Company runs several boat tours multiple times per day, as well as paddleboard, kayak, and snorkeling equipment rentals.
Sundry items, water sports equipment, clothing and souvenirs are sold at the gift shop and dive shop. The dive shop also has some RV and camping items.
Scuba tours, equipment rentals, boat rentals and overnight boat camping are also available at the dive shop.
See more under the Experiences listing.
With a total of 351 designated parking spots, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park usually has enough room for you to spend time enjoying the park’s features. During weekends and holidays, parking tends to fill to capacity, usually in the early afternoon hours. If this happens, the park will close temporarily but reopen as soon as spaces become available. Boat trailer parking is limited to 40 and could be filled before noon on weekends and holidays. There is no charge for parking, as it is covered with the park entrance fee.
The park has 13 small and one large picnic pavilions. These covered pavilions have a grill and several picnic tables. The small ones are for 20 to 25 people, and one large pavilion accommodates 50 people. The pavilions are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but can also be rented in advance. Pavilions are not rented on holiday weekends but are still available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The day-use area has restrooms and outdoor showers at Far Beach and a larger bathhouse across from the boat embarkation area and near Cannon Beach. Both the dive shop and the visitor center and aquarium building have restrooms.
The campground has one large bathhouse with laundry machines and a smaller bathhouse near the group camp, both with hot water.
The campground has 42 reservable campsites, each with 30-amp, 50-amp and 110 electrical outlets. Each site also has water and sewer hookup, a picnic table and a grill.
Please put your trash in the dumpsters located near the entrance to the campgrounds. Pets are permitted in accordance with our Pet Policy.
- Most sites can accommodate an RV length of 40 feet; a few sites can accommodate a few feet longer.
- Campers may consume alcoholic beverages within their campsites.
- For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.
The visitor center and aquarium at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is located by the main concession building and Cannon Beach. It houses a 30,000-gallon saltwater aquarium with reef fish. There are many smaller aquariums with fish, invertebrates and other marine creatures, including live coral.
There is an auditorium where nature videos are played and where special programs or presentations are given.
- Junior Ranger activities are offered here, as well as volunteer and ranger-led programs and walks.
- The hours of the center are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Staying hydrated on your outdoor adventures is important. Just bring a refillable water bottle to replenish your drinking water at the park. This will reduce the amount of single-use plastics in landfills and reduce the litter sometimes found along trails, at campsites, on beaches and in Florida’s waterways.
- At John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, you’ll find a refillable water bottle station at the Visitor Center.
- Learn more.