Caladesi Island State Park in Florida, USA - map and visitor information

Research checked: 2026-11-01. Check linked official notices before travel.

Caladesi Island State Park is an offshore day-trip destination near Dunedin, Florida, reached by boat. Plan around the ferry from Honeymoon Island or your own suitable water transport. The marina currently permits day use only, so an ordinary boat-camping listing should not be treated as an available overnight stay.

Combine a beach visit with an island walk

• Gulf beach: boardwalks connect visitor facilities with the shore.
• Nature trails: the Beach Loop and Hammock Loop cross mostly flat terrain with sandy sections.
• Scharrer Homestead: an interior nature walk connects the island landscape with its homesteading past.

Budget for transport as well as park access

Fees, hours, and seasonal access

Read the beach flags and protect the return journey

Swim only in designated areas. Double red flags prohibit swimming; red flags warn of high surf or strong conditions. Do not treat favorable weather as a substitute for checking the posted flags. For a ferry visit, confirm the return departure before leaving the dock; the permitted stay is up to four hours and depends on ticket-purchase time.

Leave living shells and keep pets off the beach

Collecting live shells is prohibited, as is alcohol consumption. Pets cannot use the beach or ferry. In other permitted park areas, keep a pet under control on a hand-held leash no longer than six feet. These limits mean bringing a pet can change the transport options as well as the beach plan.

Buy ferry tickets at the departure point

Ferry tickets are sold at the ticket office inside Honeymoon Island State Park, not online. Departures start at 10 a.m., weather permitting. The ferry does not run on Thanksgiving or Christmas. The operator prohibits beach carts and wagons, while allowing children’s strollers, walkers and wheelchairs. Check the ferry schedule and ticket conditions before loading the car.

Drive to the ferry terminal, not an island road pin

For the ferry, use Honeymoon Island State Park at 1 Causeway Boulevard, Dunedin, FL 34698. Caladesi itself has no road arrival described by the park. Consult the official island visitor page for its map and the current dock notice, and keep the boat-access leg separate from the drive.

Road-accessible alternatives on the mainland side

Honeymoon Island State Park is reached by Causeway Boulevard in Dunedin and serves as the ferry departure park; do not enter the water at its eroded northern sandspit cut. Sand Key Park is at 1060 Gulf Boulevard in Clearwater, with county-park closure days after Thanksgiving and on December 25. Both are separate places to visit without inventing a road link to Caladesi.

Keep the island visit within the transport window

Choose time on the designated beach, a picnic or a walk on the Beach Loop and Hammock Loop. Sandy sections can affect pace. If paddling forms part of your arrival plan, mangrove-trail passages can become inaccessible at extreme low tide, and motorboat-exclusion signs still apply. Consult the activity and amenity guide for those restrictions.

Confirm food service before depending on it

Facilities include accessible restrooms, outdoor showers and elevated beach boardwalks. Ask at the ranger station about free beach-wheelchair use. Picnic tables and grills support a self-contained day visit, while the current notice warns that food service may be limited. Bring the supplies your group will need.

Island habitats around a former homestead

Old-growth slash pines and live oaks occur along the interior nature walk toward the Scharrer Homestead. These wooded areas give a different perspective from the open beach and mangrove shoreline.

The Scharrer connection

The historic Scharrer Homestead forms part of the park’s walking interpretation. Homesteader Myrtle Scharrer Betz later described the island in her memoirs, connecting a present-day nature walk with a family’s experience of living here.

Observe the mangrove margins quietly

The park identifies birds, crabs and fish among the wildlife encountered around the mangrove trails. Watch without handling animals or collecting living shells.

Separate park and ferry questions

Call the park at 727-241-6126 for island facilities and dock conditions. Ferry-service questions go to 727-734-5263. The official fee page separates boat entry, ferry travel and Honeymoon Island entry charges.