Caladesi: An Island Retreat, A showcase of Natural Florida

DUNEDIN, FL - Your imagination can get a vigorous workout at Caladesi Island. While walking the three miles of undeveloped beaches, it's easy to imagine yourself as a 16th century Spanish explorer looking at the "new world" for the first time. Or, you can enjoy a Robinson Crusoe fantasy of having a tropical island to yourself. The Gulf Coast barrier island's unspoiled beauty offers a glimpse of Florida the way it looked centuries ago.

Caladesi Island State Park is located just north of Clearwater Beach three miles offshore from Dunedin, one of the 26 communities that make up St. Petersburg/Clearwater - Florida's Beach. Rated the #2 beach in the United States for 2006 by Dr. Beach and a recipient of the Blue Wave Award for environmental beach management, it is one of the few undeveloped barrier islands left in Florida.

The island's beaches front the Gulf of Mexico while the bay side is a mangrove swamp offering refuge for numerous wading birds and shorebirds. Much of the island's interior is a ridge of virgin pine flatwood and live oak hammocks. A self-guided nature trail winds through the island's interior. Park rangers are available to answer questions, and guided nature tours can be arranged.

Structures on the island are confined to one small area, preserving the remainder in its natural state. The structures consist of boardwalks, picnic shelters, bathhouses, a ranger station and concession stand. The boardwalks provide access from the beaches to the bathhouses and picnic areas while protecting the fragile dunes and sea oats. The 600-acre park is accessible only by boat.

Transportation to the island is easily arranged through the Caladesi connection, a ferry service that operates from Honeymoon Island. Once the boat returns to the mainland, the island's silence is penetrated only by the periodic scream of ospreys soaring overhead. Several of these birds-of-prey nest on the island. A burial site excavated in the 1900s produced evidence that Native Americans inhabited the island prior to Spanish exploration in the 1500s. Which explorers visited the island is not known, but artifacts found on the island prove that one or more Spanish explorers visited Caladesi.

Except for a homestead established by University of Zurich biologist Henry Scharrer in the late 1800s, the island has remained unchanged except by nature. After Scharrer's death, the island returned to its primitive state. The State of Florida purchased Caladesi Island for a state park at a cost of $2.9 million in 1968.

A 1921 hurricane made a major modification. It cut the island in two, forming Hurricane Pass separating Caladesi from Honeymoon Island to the north. Honeymoon Island is also a state park and is connected to the mainland by a causeway.

During prohibition, the two islands were allegedly used as a hide-out for a rum-running fleet. Honeymoon Island achieved fame in the early 1940s when 50 rustic cottages were constructed and offered as honeymoon accommodations for couples from across the country.

In addition to discovering Florida in its natural state, Caladesi offers excellent opportunities for swimming, fishing, shelling, boating and nature study. However, the island is open only during the day, from 8 a.m. until sunset. Once the sun sets, the island is inhabited only by a few boaters allowed to overnight at the small marina and sea turtles who nest on the beaches during summer nights.