Experiences & Amenities

Bicycling can be enjoyed throughout the park, whether you prefer to stay on the paved 2.5-mile Park Drive Timucuan Trail segment, or ride off-road through the maritime forest on the Dune Ridge trail or along the hard-packed sand of the beach.

At the south end of the island there is a bike trailhead for the paved multiuse Timucuan Trail, part of the national East Coast Greenway Trail from Maine to Florida, that offers a shaded pavilion with benches, a water fountain, interpretive panels and free air to fill up your tires.

A newer section of the bike trail has been completed that connects Little Talbot to Big Talbot. The new section is almost 2 miles of continuous trail.

Bikes are perfect for overnight campers whose sites are an easy half-mile trip from the beach. At low tide, ride 2 miles north to reach a strikingly gorgeous part of the park, the northern sand spit. Search for shells, sand dollars and sharks teeth, and watch the shorebirds foraging in the mud flats.

• Helmets are highly recommended for all cyclists and Florida law requires helmets for cyclists age 16 and under.

Little Talbot Island State Park is the perfect place for bird-watching. Whether you prefer seeing shorebirds along the Atlantic coast, wading birds in the marsh or songbirds in the maritime hammock forest, bring your binoculars on your next visit.

From migrating red knots and piping plovers to great horned owls and painted buntings, even the occasional and rare snowy owl, Talbot does not disappoint. Make sure and visit in the late spring and early summer to catch rare glimpses of nesting shorebirds and their young, such as least terns, Wilson’s plovers and black skimmers.

• Ask at the ranger station on your way in for a bird checklist.

Little Talbot Island State Park is located near Jacksonville on one of the few remaining undeveloped barrier islands in Florida. The campground is nestled among ancient dunes in a lush maritime hammock of live oaks, American holly and Southern magnolias.

Our newly remodeled campground will have 20 campsites, including 20- and 30-amp electricity, fresh water, fire ring and picnic table. The campground includes two bathhouses with hot showers. Both restroom facilities are ADA accessible. A dump station is available at the campground exit for RV campers.

• Winding tidal creeks border the western edge of the campground where a canoe/kayak launch is available near a short dock into Myrtle Creek. Please note that Myrtle Creek is tidally dependent, and launching may be difficult at low tides when oyster beds are exposed. Bring your own equipment or visit PADL for daily boat rentals or guided tours.
• For children, there is a playground, a campfire circle for group use and the ¾-mile Nature Loop trail that offers self-guided Hike and Seek interpretive programs. Junior Ranger activity booklets are available at the ranger station, and kids can earn badges and pins for completing a variety of activities. Kids also can participate in the park trash patrol and help collect a bag of litter in exchange for a prize.
• Beyond the camping area, visitors find 5 miles of undeveloped coastal beaches, a 4-mile hiking trail, and a paved path perfect for bicycling and in-line skating.
• Well-behaved, attended and leashed pets are welcome in our campground, on the trails and paved areas. They are not allowed on the boardwalks or beaches.
• Maximum RV length = 30 feet.
• Hammocks – day use and camping styles – are allowed in designated sites if they are hung using 1-inch-wide (minimum) tree-hugger straps from trees 6 inches in diameter or larger. 
• Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance for Florida residents and 10 months in advance for non-residents. For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.

With over five miles of beach, Little Talbot is a surf fishing paradise. The list of species caught from this beach is long. Check with the ranger at the gate or strike up a conversation with one of the regulars; either should know what is biting and where. Pick up a copy of FWC’s Fishing Regulations Magazine at the ranger station to get the inside scoop on angling.

The coastal salt marsh on the back side of the island offers superb light tackle angling. From tailing redfish to bottom-hugging flounder, ambushing trout to hard-pulling black drum, you are sure to find something.

Bait fish like mud minnows and finger mullet may be caught using a cast net in the shallows. Shrimp, fiddler crabs and artificial lures are also popular options. The closest bait shop is 12 miles south off Heckscher Drive.

For a real experience, try a guided fly fishing or flounder gigging trip.

• Fishing is permitted in accordance with Florida state law. Please go to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to obtain the most current saltwater fishing regulations and to obtain a fishing license online.
• The park does not sell fishing licenses.
• All fishing within the park must conform to the regulations concerning size, number, method of capture and season.

Little Talbot offers the opportunity of sampling a complete cross-section of a coastal barrier island by foot.

The Campground Nature Trail is located at the southern edge of the campgroud close to the kayak launch and provides a comfortable 1-mile walk. Beginning next to the salt marshes of Myrtle Creek, it traverses the gentle hills of ancient dunes through the live oak maritime forest.

Stop to read about the local flora and fauna at interpretive signs. For kids, pick up the Hike and Seek adventure bag from the ranger station then search for hidden clues along the trail with your supplies. Campground is restricted to registered campers only. No day-visitor use.

The Dune Ridge Trail loop winds 4 miles through five distinct natural communities, including maritime hammock, beach dune and depression marsh, and finishes its last mile-and-a-half with a stroll on the sandy beach. Keep your eye out for colorful painted buntings from late spring to early fall that nest in the scrubby flatwoods.

• If you choose to hike the trails, always check in at the ranger station and remember your water, sunscreen and insect repellent. Sturdy shoes are recommended. Bring binoculars, a camera and a field guide to get the most out of your experience.

PADL is Talbot Island State Park's canoe and kayak visitor service provider located on AIA between Little Talbot and Big Talbot islands. PADL offers everything from basic rentals to special focus guided trips.

The facility provides local information including maps, safety information and possible routes. Inside the concession, you'll find a quaint gift shop that offers earth-friendly products including clothing made from organic cotton, hemp and bamboo; DEET free insect repellent; fair trade necklaces; natural handmade soaps; and healthy snacks and beverages.

• Canoe and kayak rentals are available, or if you have your own, there is access to a hand launch ramp for a $1 launch fee. Please check in before leaving.

Few modes of dining are as enjoyable as eating seaside and al fresco, enjoying the cool breezes off the Atlantic Ocean. Six large, covered beach-side pavilions are available for small groups of fewer than 12 people for under three-hour duration.

Pavilions 1 to 6 are located at the North Beach parking area. Several small mini-pavilions are available near the North Beach on a first-come, first-served basis.

Several small mini-pavilions are available near the North Beach on a first-come, first-served basis. All pavilions are conveniently located near parking areas, beach boardwalks and restroom facilities.

For more impromptu picnicking, pack a basket and blanket, and walk the trail or the shoreline to reach a perfect secluded picnic spot in paradise. Make sure to pack in and pack out all of your trash. Take only pictures and leave only footprints.

Shelling is a favorite pastime of many visitors, and the beaches of Little Talbot Island are a great place to find them. Collectors can find a multitude of species, including clam, scallop, oyster and periwinkle, as well as fossilized sharks teeth.

Plan your shelling around the low phase of the tide, which exposes the most beach area. Look in the shell line, where the highest waves stop as they come upon the beach and deposit groups of shells.

Please be aware that most everything you find on the beach was, is or still could be alive and should be returned to the water if an animal is using it. Pick up a shell and sharks teeth handout at the ranger station to help identify your beach treasures.

• Please remember that driftwood is a protected feature of the park and collection is strictly prohibited.

The north beach area of Little Talbot offers one of the best surfing beaches in Northeast Florida. While there are 5 miles of beach on Little Talbot Island, the northern section of the beach offers the best surf, with plenty of space to catch your own wave.

Please be aware of other swimmers and always use caution while enjoying the ocean. There are no lifeguards on duty.

Swimming is permitted in the Atlantic Ocean at Little Talbot Island except in the vicinity of the Fort George River Inlet at the south end of the island. Pay attention to closed-area signs south of boardwalk three, and enter water only through beach accesses one, two or three.

There is no further access to entering the water driving south of boardwalk three.

• Please pay close attention to conditions as the ocean always presents some degree of danger. The park displays a colored beach warning flag system at the park entrance that indicates general surf conditions. Swim at your own risk. No lifeguards are on duty.
• Restrooms with dressing rooms and outdoor showers are located at both the North and South beach parking areas.

Join our park rangers and volunteers for programs that will immerse you in the park.

We welcome school and scouting groups and offer educational programming for your next class outing.

• Contact the park for more information on upcoming programs, events, and projects or group tours at 904-251-2320.

The paved multi-use Timucuan Pathway is ideal for exercise, ranging 2.8 miles from the ranger station to the south end of the island. The forested middle section of the island where the trail begins is some of the oldest land here but as you travel south, the smaller dune hills and sparser vegetation are indicative of the recent growth of this area. Expanding south once the St. Johns River jetties were built in the late 1800s, the southern end of the island is newly accreted, or built up, within the past century. Pioneer dune plants like sea oats progress to more shrubby clumps of smilax, cactus and palm trees with a few pine and cedar trees establishing on the western side of the trail.

If you’re up for a longer jaunt, continue south another mile out of the park along the pathway to the Fort George Inlet Bridge and take in stunning views overlooking green sea and sand bars framed by the towering dunes of Jacksonville’s Huguenot Park beyond the bay. A new section of the pathway has been completed across the salt marsh through Long Island connecting Little Talbot and Big Talbot offering stunning views. With the completion of this section there is a continuous path from the St Johns River ferry through Ameila Island.

Check the tides and visit our 5.5-mile beach at low tide when vast hard-packed sand shores are exposed. Listen to shorebirds and sea gulls sing and enjoy the breezes off the Atlantic Ocean after parking at North Beach and accessing the middle of the island using of our boardwalks. North and south routes provide ample opportunity for exercise, solitude and scenery.

• Be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen and insect repellent.

Preserved as one of the last remaining untouched barrier islands in the area, the park's natural landscape provides a stunning wedding backdrop of windswept white sand beaches, cascading dunes, sparkling blue water, foraging shorebirds, live oak skeletons and amber seashell beds.

Opened in 1951, Little Talbot's beaches have hosted nuptials for decades.

• Park wedding permits are $50 plus regular park admission of $5 per vehicle for two to eight people or $4 for single person. 
• Call the ranger station for details and availability, 904-251-2320.

Because Little Talbot is one of the few remaining undeveloped barrier islands, it provides many different natural habitats. These diverse habitats shelter a wealth of wildlife within the park.

Gopher tortoise and snakes can be seen throughout the park. Keep an eye out for raccoons, armadillos, opossums, white-tailed deer, marsh rabbits, and even bobcats, especially at dawn and dusk. The shoreline provides ample opportunity to view shorebirds, and the backside of the island is a haven for wading birds.

Follow the Little Talbot Dune Ridge Hiking Trail over a cross section of ecosystems, and you may be surprised at what you find!

Here are some additional tips to increase your wildlife viewing experience at the park:

• Wearing earth tones (khakis, browns, and/or earth greens) is best.
• Avoid wearing scented lotions or perfumes.
• Bring good binoculars. They are especially helpful for viewing shorebirds and wading birds from a long distance.
• Be patient. Wait quietly.
• Make sure to stay on the trails. Do not climb the dunes.
• Viewing them from a distance is the best way to experience wildlife in their natural habitat without disturbing them.
• Please do not feed or harass any wildlife at the park.