Big Talbot Island State Park- Pure, Untouched Beauty

Big Talbot Island State Park is one of Jacksonville’s best-kept secrets. It is an amazing place to visit for shelling, hiking, biking, paddling, and boating. It is home to one of Florida’s most stunning (and unique!) shorelines. The beaches in this park showcase massive sun-bleached driftwood trees and mars-like rock formations both of which are popular with photographers.

Pro-Tip: Swimming is not recommended at these beaches due to the strong current. There is also no lifeguard.

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History of Big Talbot Island

Fishing has been a popular attraction here for thousands of years. This island was once home to Florida’s indigenous people, the Timucua. Evidence of Florida’s most ancient residents can be seen in shell mounds or ancient piles of oyster shell and food refuse.

General James Oglethorpe (aka the dude that founded Georgia) named the islands (both Big Talbot and Little Talbot) in honor of Charles Baron Talbot, Lord High Chancellor of England. He sounds pretty important, eh? Big Talbot Island was once home to at least two plantations. The plantations grew oranges, sugar, indigo and cotton. Prominent plantation owners in this region were Spicer Christopher (on the north end of the island), John Houston (on the south end of the island), John McQueen, and Zephaniah Kingsley on present day Fort George Island).

Fun Fact: A team of University of North Florida’s archaeologists are excavating the island. It is believed that the island was also home to the Mocama people.

Big Talbot Island Visiting Information

Hours: 8 am until sundown, 365 days a year. The boat ramp is open 24 hours a day.

Fees: $2 for the fishing pier, $3 per vehicle entrance

Experiences and Amenities

Bicycling- The park offers several miles of paved an unpaved trails. A newly completed 4-mile paved trail winds through the maritime forest and overlooks the surrounding wetlands. The new trail connects preexisting trails to form a greenway connected to the nearby parks.

Boating- There are numerous tidal creeks along the Intracoastal Waterway that are easily accessible via canoes, kayaks, and even power boats. Simpson’s Creek and Myrtle Creek are popular waterways in the region. Launch from the north end of the island to access the Nassau Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

Fishing- The saltwater marsh surrounding the island offers some of the best fishing in the area. Enjoy snagging a redfish, sea trout, whiting, flounder, black drum, etc. The bridge at Simpson Creek is a popular fishing spot.

You can also fish from a pier for a fee of $2 per person.

Hiking- The park has an abundance of trails including:

Shoreline Trail- provides access to Boneyard Beach and the Nassau Sound.
Black Rock Trail– (our favorite!) a trail that winds through the maritime hammock and empties into a one-of-a-kind beach.
Old Kings Highway Trail and Jones Cut Trail- unrefined trails that travel through a lush maritime hammock.
Timucuan Trail- a paved 3-mile multi-use trail that is perfect for families with bikes or strollers!

Paddling– Conveniently located between Big Talbot Island and Little Talbot Island you’ll find Kayak Amelia, the official outfitter for the parks. Kayak Amelia offers kayak and canoe rentals and guided tours.

East Coast Greenway

The Timucuan Trail runs through Big Talbot Island State Park. This trail is a small portion of a large trail network known as the East Coast Greenway. The greenway connects the park to Amelia Island State Park and Little Talbot Island State Park.

The Greenway is part of a large network of trails connecting 15 states, 450 cities and towns and running from Maine to Florida. It runs from the Canadian border down to the Florida Keys! Holy crap, right?