PET
FRIENDLY
PARK
see
policy
Reservations for
Florida State
Parks are now
made through
Reserve America,
toll free, at
1-800-326-3521
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ANASTASIA
STATE PARK
Anastasia State Park was first opened to the public in 1949 and
since that time has become one of Florida's busiest state parks. Located
off A1A, and just 1 1/2 miles from historic downtown St. Augustine, Anastasia
has everything for the active park visitor. Coastal camping, fishing, sun
bathing, surfing, sail boarding, swimming, nature trails and picnicking
provide endless hours of enjoyment.
BEACH
The park boasts a broad beach flanked by sand dunes and a lagoon bordered
by rich tidal marshes. A hardwood forest of ancient wind swept oaks was
in its youth when Juan Ponce de Leon landed near the area, giving Florida
its name. Since Florida state parks are managed to appear (as closely as
possible) as they did when the first Europeans arrived, you can easily imagine
the bustle of the early native's daily life.
HISTORY
More than 300 years ago, sites like the coquina quarries located within
Anastasia State Recreation Area were busy with workmen, mostly Native Americans,
hauling out blocks of rock. By the late 1700's, the Native American population
had died out and quarry workers were usually black slaves. With hand tools,
they hewed out blocks of the soft shellstone and pried the squares loose
along natural layers in the rock. The blocks were loaded onto ox-drawn carts,
then barged across Matanzas Bay to the town of St. Augustine. The blocks
were used to construct the Castillo de San Marcos and many other public
and private buildings.
From its founding in 1565,
St. Augustine had been a struggling outpost of Spain's American empire.
Spanish soldiers built their fort and their homes out of the pine trees
and palmetto that were so plentiful. Time after time, their wooden settlement
was destroyed by storms or burned by pirates and other European raiders.
On Anastasia Island, the Spaniards discovered a better building material
deposits of a rock made of broken shells. As early as 1598, they dug enough
to build a gunpowder storage magazine. But they had neither the manpower,
the engineering skills nor the tools to excavate enough for a large structure.
Finally, in 1671 large-scale
quarrying began in the stone pits. Anastasia Island was even called Cantera,
Spanish for quarry. This site is one of several on the island;
the St. Augustine Amphitheater is located in another site.
Coquina rock is relatively soft
and easy to cut while in the ground and hardens when exposed to air. The
Spanish learned to waterproof the stone walls by coating them with plaster
and paint. Coquina rock has a unique feature that made it ideal for a fort.
When besieging ships bombarded the Castillo, the walls simply absorbed the
cannon balls. Coquina continued to be a prized building material not only
to the Spanish but later to the British (1763-83) and the Americans (1821).
COQUINA QUARRY
Coquina rock is part of a sedimentary formation that underlies much of the
Atlantic shore of Florida. It is covered by sand, except along some stretches
of beach in Flagler, Martin and Palm Beach counties. Washington Oaks State
Gardens at Palm Coast and Blowing Rocks Preserve in Jupiter are excellent
places to see coquina outcroppings. The rock is a mixture of shell fragments
and quartz grains bound together by calcium carbonate. It began to form
when sea levels were higher and today's coast was underwater. Sand and shells
accumulated as an offshore bar. Later, during a glacial period (between
125,000-150,000 years ago), the sea level dropped, leaving the bar exposed
to the air and weather. Rainwater dissolved the calcium carbonate from the
shell and cemented the loose, shelly sediment into rock. The word coquina
means "tiny shell" in Spanish. It was the name given to the clam
(Donax variabillis) that was abundant on northeast Florida beaches.
It is the predominant shell in the rock.
The coquina quarries located within
Anastasia State Recreation Area are protected historic sites, listed on
the National Register of Historic Places; nothing can be removed from them.
CAMPING
Anastasia State Recreation Area has a 139 site campground that is equipped
for both tent campers and RVers. Each site has a picnic table, an in-ground
grill, fire ring and water. One hundred and four of the sites are equipped
with electricity, if needed. None of the sites have sewer hookups, but there
is a dump station located in the campground, as well as dumpsters for your
household trash. For your convenience, there are two public telephones in
the park; one is located in the camping area and one at the picnic area.
Each of the sites is located in a shady hardwood hammock, away from the
blowing sand and salt spray of the beach. However, most sites are within
walking distance to the beach. There are natural barriers between each site
that allow privacy for the visitor. Since one of the goals in state parks
is preservation, site sizes vary. There are a few sites that can accommodate
camping rigs up to 40'. A call to the Ranger Station will ensure that they
can meet your particular needs.
Reservations are taken for 100% of our campsites and may be made up to eleven
months in advance. To reserve a campsite, call the Ranger Station at 904-461-2033
and have your Visa/MasterCard /Discover card ready to reserve your site.
Please call 904-461-2033 for the current fee scheduleS.
Camping supplies can be purchased
at the Salt Run Outpost, located at the campground entrance. This concession-operated
park store offers camping supplies, ice and firewood and has bicycles, beach
and water-related equipment available for rental.
DAY VISITATION
Anastasia State
Recreation Area opens at 8:00 am and closes each day at sundown. Please
call 1-800-326-3521 for the current fee schedule. The park is open year-round
for your enjoyment. Park visitors can use one of the three picnic areas
located near the beach. Each area features sheltered tables and grills.
The picnic pavilion near the beach also features restroom facilities and
soda vending machines.
For visitors interested in getting away from it all, we feature a self-guided
nature trail that allows you to walk over ancient sand dunes now covered
with a hardwood hammock. Brochures describing the birds and trees found
in the hammock are available at the ranger station upon request.
The large beach pavilion at Anastasia
is available for rental. For information on availability and cost, please
call the ranger station at 904-461-2033.
BEACH AND WATER RELATED ACTIVITIES
One of Anastasia State Recreation
Area's most noteworthy features is its broad beach. Driving is allowed on
the hard-packed sand north of the beach ramp. However, driving is at your
own risk and the park is not responsible for any stuck vehicles. During
sea turtle nesting season (May 1 through September 30), driving on the beach
is prohibited between sunset and sunrise. These dates may be adjusted due
to early nesting/late hatchings.
Swimming and surfing are allowed north of the beach ramp and lifeguards
are on duty during the busy summer season. For those families with small
children, the beach area south of the ramp offers a vehicle-free zone;
however, from the rocky area south, swimming is discouraged due to strong
currents, submerged objects and the absence of lifeguards.
Salt Run offers a place for sailboarders
to enjoy the water without the restrictions of swimmers. Rental equipment
and lessons are available from the concession located at Salt Run.
FISHING
For the fisherman, Anastasia State Recreation Area is a great place to haul
in the big catch. The area just north of the bird nesting area at the jetties,
as well as Salt Run, are well-used sites. While you are here, why not bring
that big fish into the Ranger Station and enter our Fish of the Month Contest?
The contest is sponsored by local bait and tackle shops and each month prizes
are awarded to the fisherman whose catch matches the winning category. The
winner is notified by mail by the middle of the following month and instructions
for claiming the prize(s) are included. Fish species changes each month,
so stop by the Ranger Station or call (904) 461-2033 to find out the current
fish of the month.
WILDLIFE
Anastasia State Recreation Area has an abundance of wildlife, birds and
plants, with many species of each in the park year round. As you visit,
keep your eyes and ears open to the rich variety of wildlife around you,
but please remember that all plant and animal life is protected in state
parks. Enjoy the wonders of nature around you and help us to protect these
treasures for future generations of visitors.
PLANT LIFE
The plant life at Anastasia includes various wildflowers found throughout
the park. These and other plants provide both nectar and act as hosts
for butterflies in the spring and summers. You can see monarchs, swallowtails,
zebra longwings, coppers, Gulf fritillaries, and checkers as well as hairstreaks.
BIRDING
For birding
enthusiasts, wading birds can be seen in the morning and late afternoon/early
evening feeding cycles, especially during low tides. You can expect to
see different species of herons including Great Blue Heron, Little Blue
Heron, Tricolored Heron and Green Heron. Snowy and Great Egrets can be
spotted, as well as the White Ibis, Wood Stork and Roseate Spoonbill.
If you're interested in raptors, our year round residents can be seen
best from late in the morning throughout the day. Look for the Red-shouldered
Hawk, Bald Eagle and Osprey. For evening viewing you can expect the Great
Horned Owl and Screech Owl; these birds are especially vocal in the fall
when courting.
If you visit Anastasia in the winter, our winter residents include the
Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Kestrel and Peregrine Falcons
(fall visitors). The marshes and sea meadows also boast a varied bird
population. Further back in the coastal hammock and along the campground
road edges you can find many year round residents, as well as seasonal
visitors. On the beach, you can find gulls, sandpipers, willets, terns,
pelicans and sanderlings. Of course, many other birds use Anastasia as
a rest stop during their migrations. The Ranger Station has a listing
of the birds that have been identified in the park, and we rely on you
to inform us of any unusual or rare sightings.
SNAKES
Be on the lookout for the many snakes that can be found at Anastasia, the
most common are the southern black racer and the red and yellow rat snakes.
ANASTASIA STATE RECREATION AREA
1340A A1A South
St. Augustine, FL 32080
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