Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park

State park entrance

The Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park , also simply called St. George Island State Park , is a state park in Franklin County in the US state of Florida .

geography

The 794 hectare park is located about 120 km southwest of Tallahassee on the island of St. George , a 48 km long, narrow barrier island . The park occupies the eastern end of the island. The island is connected to the mainland by a bridge and has 14 km of sandy beaches to the Gulf of Mexico , of which over six kilometers are accessed through the park road. Apalachicola Bay, located between the island and the mainland, is under nature protection as an Aquatic Preserve .

Flora and fauna

The interior of the island is wooded with a forest of Elliot pines and hammocks with dense undergrowth, to Apalachicola Bay, located between the mainland and the island, there are salt marshes made of silt grass . Small ponds and tidal currents provide smaller freshwater habitats in an otherwise arid climate.

Due to its location, there are hardly any mammals on the island, but there are numerous seabirds such as tyrants , brown-coat oystercatchers , ringed plovers , terns , black-coat scissors-bills and North American mud-treads that nest on the beaches. Spring and autumn are considered the best seasons for bird watching.

history

Beach in the park

During the Second World War, the area served as a military training area. In 1963, land acquisitions began for the state park, which opened in 1980. The park was named after Julian Bruce, who presented the popular Best Beach Awards. After the destruction by Hurricane Dennis in October 2005, most of the park facilities had to be rebuilt. In 2015, Stephen Leatherman aka Dr. Beach named the third best beach in the USA in its annual America's Best Beaches ranking .

Tourist facilities

There is a fee to visit the park. The park has a campsite in a pine forest with 60 parking spaces and a group tent for youth groups. There is a simple campsite at Gap Point , which can only be reached on foot via the four-kilometer Gap Point Trail or by boat. There are covered picnic and barbecue areas on the beaches, and cold water showers on the main beaches. Canoes and kayaks can be rented in the park, and there are two boat ramps on the coast to Apalachicola Bay. Anglers can catch flatfish , northern snapper , sea trout and the occasional jackfish , among others . Sea fishing is popular , the remains of a destroyed bridge serve as a fishing pier.