Mike Pickering's Website

Talbot Islands

This is actually two state parks: Big Talbot Island and Little Talbot Island. There are several short trails you can do; 50 Hikes in North Florida lists five separate trails here. I just did two: the Island Nature Trail on Little Talbot Island, and the Blackrock Trail in Big Talbot Island.

The Island Nature trail was nice, if short (about 3.5 miles). Near the halfway point, the trail opens out onto the beach, and the last half of the trail is a walk along the beach. The beach is secluded, and I didn't see anyone else as I walked back along the beach. There is lots of driftwood and other interesting things to see as you walk south toward the pavilion. Since there is parking at the pavilion area, I imagine this part of the beach gets used more during the summer.

The Blackrock Trail led to an interesting section of beach, where there were black "rocks" at frequent intervals. According to 50 Hikes, these are not rocks, but compacted sand that has been mixed with vegetable matter, giving it a rock-like appearance. There is even more driftwood on this portion of the beach. In fact, there were several people out there taking pictures in what looked to be a photography lesson. I've seen lots of photographs of the Talbot Islands, and I imagine most were taken here.

There are lots of other parks in this area that I will visit over time.