Welcome to Cayo Costa State Park

With nine miles of beautiful beaches and acres of pine forests, oak-palm hammocks, and mangrove swamps, this barrier island park is a Gulf Coast paradise. The park is accessible only by private boat or ferry. Visitors may see manatees and pods of dolphins in the waters around the park, as well as a spectacular assortment of birds. On the island, visitors can swim or snorkel in the surf, enjoy the sun, and picnic in the shade. Shelling is especially good during the winter months. Nature trails provide opportunities for hiking and off-road bicycling. Saltwater anglers can fish from their boats or throw a line out into the surf. An amphitheater provides educational programs about the islands ecology and history.

Cayo Costa State Park, a jewel of the Gulf coast, lies west of North Ft. Myers and is accessible only by private boat or passenger ferry. Here you will find something for everyone. Anglers, from the novice to the more experienced, try their luck fishing from the sandy shores. All anglers over the age of 16 will need a Florida Fishing License. Shell-seekers will want to visit the south end of the island, where the sea leaves her treasures for you to collect.With 5 ½ miles of biking and hiking trails, you may want to check out our new fleet of bicycles for a leisurely tour of the island; contact the ranger station to make arrangements to rent one for the day! What a great way to enjoy The Real Florida, Florida State Parks!

- Chad Lach, Park Manager

o CayCosta State Park is located on one of Florida’s largest unspoiled barrier islands. Accessible only by boat, Cayo Costa is located 12 miles west of Cape Coral in Lee County and is part of a chain of barrier islands that shelter Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. The island, consisting of 2,506 acres, contains unique tropical vegetation and it looks much as it did 500 years ago when the first Europeans arrived here. Because it occurs in the area of transition between the temperate southeastern coastal plain and tropical south Florida, the vegetative composition of Cayo Costa is unique among barrier islands.

t A prominen feature of the area includes an extensive beach and dune system fronting the Gulf of Mexico. The interior of the island contains a mixture of pine flatwoods, oak-palm hammocks and grassy areas interspersed with palms. Mangroves dominate the park’s shoreline along Pine Island Sound..