Placida · US

Don Pedro Island State Park

Don Pedro Island State Park is one of the quiet gems in the chain of barrier islands that skirts Florida's Gulf Coast, a low stretch of sand and mangrove tucked between Knight Island and Little Gasparilla Island. There are no causeways and no parking spots on the beach here: the island itself is reached only by boat, and that sense of remoteness is exactly what makes it feel like a simple paradise. What draws visitors is a mile of white sandy beach made for sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling and shelling, plus a network of hiking trails and protected habitat for endangered species on the island. If you do not have your own boat, the park's 100-acre land base on the Cape Haze Peninsula still offers nature trails, a kayak launch, a fishing dock and a picnic shelter, so the visit can be a shore-side outing or a full island adventure depending on how you come.