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Camping on Cayo Costa
Cayo Costa, an island state park, holds surprises for campers who come to spend the night in one of its barebones cabins or tent sites just off sifted-fine white sands.
  Cayo Costa State Park |
More than 90 percent of the 2,225-acre island is packed into Cayo Costa State Park. This wild, sparsely populated destination is known for its shelling (collection of live shells is prohibited, so please take only empty shells). Campers can also rent bikes, swim and snorkel in the surrounding Gulf waters.
The only way to reach the island is by boat, about a 15 to 30-minute ride from mainland and near-island marinas. Water taxis from Captiva or Pine Island provide transportation to campers (see below).
One road (traveled only by bikes and a park tram) and five nature trails (about six miles total) crisscross to the park's beach dunes, pine flatwoods, oak and palm hammocks, grassy lands and mangroves. Overnighters can dock and unload on the bay side, anchor their vessels, and ride the tram along one-mile Cabin Road to the campground.
The park runs a tidy little campground with 12 cabins that contain three wooden bunks each, available for $30 per night. Thirty campsites can accommodate up to eight persons each for $18 a night. Reservations are advised, especially on weekends and in season. Up to 11 months in advance, call Reserve America at 800-326-3521 or visit www.reserveamerica.com/usa/fl/cayo/ to hold your away-from-it-all spot.
Showers and restrooms serve guests to Cayo Costa State Park, plus there's drinking water. You must bring all your own food in animal-proof containers, and take everything with you when you leave the island. The ranger station sells ice. Day visitors pay $1 each to enter the park, but the tram service is free to all visitors. The island has no electric hookups. During warm months, bug spray is recommended.
If you go...
Cayo Costa State Park, 941-964-0375, www.floridastateparks.org
Jensen’s Water Taxi (ferry to Cayo Costa from Captiva Island), 239-472-5800, www.jensen-captiva.com
Tropic Star of Pine Island (the “official state ferry" to Cayo Costa departing from Pineland Marina on Pine Island), 239-283-0015
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