Egmont Key State Park

Not at all the same. There need to be funding for this park so it can continue to be what it was. We have been to Egmont key years ago and it was beautiful now it is all over grown and you can’t walk to half of the historic sites. I am glade my family and I went when it was operational. We did have fun and the plan trees are beautiful but wish we could have had the full experience.

Very historical state park. Tons of things to do and explore on the island. The water visibility is great, and there are ruins all over the place. There is a lighthouse, a cemetery, several ruins of old military buildings, and the sand isnt bac either ⛱️

The lighthouse and all the different trails and spots along the way were very cool saw a bunch of birds and gators. A raccoon, what looked like a fox and also some rabbits. It was quite the adventure

The park was hit hard by this years hurricanes and work is still being done around the island. The beach is beautiful and would be a nice visit all by itself. Wandering around the old fort ruins and batteries was very interesting.

We took a 1 hour boat ride to the island, then had 2 hours to explore. We ate our picnic at a secluded table, then walked around the lighthouse, saw 8 gopher tortoises, then splashed in the water and relaxed on the soft, fine sand on the opposite side of the island. Lots of pretty, small shells adorned the beach. Another 1 hour boat ride, complete with dolphin sightings, returned us to the St. Pete pier. Perfect day! P.S. When you take a boat out, bag and strap everything down that you want to keep! Hats, bags, shoes, sunglasses, water bottles... Windy!

My friends & I went on a snorkeling tour to the island & we all had so much fun here! We saw manatees, fish, a few tortoises & collected so many sea shells! We even saw nesting areas for sea turtles along the beach! Exploring the jungle and fort was exciting. My only thing is the state park is a little more rough. No bathrooms. No running water. Just a remote island with a fort, so you need to come prepared. You definitely need solid shoes & will experience spiders & mosquitoes. I got bitten ALIVE!! I was there for over an hour & by the time I left, I was covered with bites! If you’re more prone to getting bit, please bring bug spray!!! Also bring snorkel gear & plenty of sunscreen. The island is worth exploring!

Loved it here! We took the ferry ride from Fort Desoto park. Just wished we could’ve stayed longer to explore the island, enjoy the beach and fish the channel. The ferry service only slotted 3 hours and an hour of it was for the ferry ride. So what little time we had, we made it work. The island was awesome! Part of it was closed off as a bird sanctuary, but what we did get to explore was really awesome. Felt like we were transported to another time and place!