T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park or as we like to call it Port St. Joe State Park is one of our favorite places to kayak camp. If you ever wanted to be the only one on a beach at sunset this is the spot for you. The St. Joseph Peninsula is known for its sandy white beaches and tall dunes on the Gulf of Mexico side and marsh on the St. Joseph Bay side. The park, teeming with wildlife, provides vitally important habitat for beach nesting birds (including the snowy plover and Bald Eagle), three species of sea turtles and two remaining core populations of endangered St. Andrews beach mouse.The park is ideal for getting away, swimming, fishing, and enjoying Florida’s Gulf Coast and spectacular sunsets. Unfortunately, in 2018 Hurricane Michael came through and cut the peninsula in half right at Eagle Harbor. There have been significant improvements with the help of mother nature and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection depositing sand back. The Maritime Hammock Nature Trail, One of the main reasons to go, is now reopened but camping is still prohibited for now. Once it is ready for camping we suggest taking off from Eagle Harbor boat ramp but watch out for the tides as they can easily push you out to the middle of the bay. Another reason to visit is to take part in the scallop season that happens when environmental conditions are right. More info below on the scallop season.
https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/th-stone-memorial-st-joseph-peninsula-state-park
https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/bay-scallops/
You can't visit Port St. Joe without visiting Indian Pass Raw Bar for some amazing local oysters and other awesome seafood choices.
