Looking to escape the hustle and bustle of packed theme parks and crowded beaches? Looking for a quiet, secluded park to enjoy the “Real Florida?” Look no further than Hontoon Island State Park.

While several Florida State Parks are accessible only by ferry (Caladesi State Park and Cayo Costa come to mind), I believe this might be the only inland state park accessible only by ferry. Surrounded by the St. John’s River, the Hontoon Dead River, and Snake Creek, Hontoon Island State Park is only accessible by passenger ferry (no cars), making it the perfect secluded getaway to escape the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Plus it’s just a cool place to explore.

We were recently able to make it over to Hontoon Island State Park and were not disappointed! To get to the state park, you drive through a neighborhood (I thought we were lost) and come to a gravel parking lot along the St. John’s River.

After parking and gathering our picnic supplies, we walked to the dock and raised the ferry flag.

Hontoon Island Ferry Dock – You can see the park across the river – Raise the flag to tell the ferry you are waiting.

The ferry returned from the state park to the parking area, unloaded its passengers, and we were next to board. Keep in mind that the ferry is limited to six passengers at a time, so if it happens to be busy, you may have to wait for a few ferry trips – but the trip is short so it shouldn’t take too long.

After boarding the ferry we took the short ride to the island. Near the ferry dock on the island, you’ll find the Visitor’s Center, Ranger Station, restrooms, and picnic/playground area. Of course, the kiddos headed straight for the large playground while I set out lunch.

Hontoon Island Picnic – Always fun to picnic on an island.

After lunch, we checked out the Visitor’s Center which contains Native American artifacts found on the island. We also found the Ranger Station and got each of the kids the new Florida Junior Ranger program books. There is also a little camp store where I was able to get a Hontoon Island patch for our bag (it’s becoming harder to find the patches at the state parks as they are moving more online)!

The park ranger (and ferry boat captain) suggested we hike the Hammock Hiking Nature Trail, so we headed that way.

We planned to hike the 3-mile roundtrip trail to the Indian Shell Mound but didn’t make it all the way to the shell mound before we had to turn around to make the last ferry of the day. The last ferry departs the island an hour before sunset and we did NOT want to miss that ferry and be stuck on the island. Nevertheless, the trail was gorgeous.

The trail starts with a boardwalk and then takes you on a fairly flat, wide dirt path through a hammock of pines and palmettos.

Then almost suddenly, the trail turns from dirt and palms and opens up to a mossy/grassy walk with pines and palms.

After walking on the squishy mossy/grassy ground, the trail changes scenery again to a narrow dirt path through entirely different scenery.

Hontoon Island Open Trail — Hontoon Island Hammock Hiking Trail

We found the changes in the scenery of the trail to be fascinating and the kids were enthralled with trying to guess what the trail would look like around the next bend. We made it all the way to the overlook along the Hontoon Dead River (it looked like prime alligator territory so we kept our distance) before turning back.

We were bummed not to make it all the way to the shell mound, but that just means we’ll have to make another trip to this unique park!

The next time we visit we’ll definitely camp on the island. The park offers 12 primitive sites, each with a picnic table, ground grill, and water. If you have a boat, Hontoon Island also offers 42 boat slips (with water and shore power) for overnight camping. And if you’re not into camping at all, the state park has cabins for overnight rentals.

Canoeing and kayaking are also available at the park. You can either rent vessels from the state park or paddle your own boats up to the park from another launch.