Cayo Costa State Park Reviews

If you are looking for shells and a sparsely populated beach, Cayo is the place to go. Rent a boat or you can get ferried over for the day. We went early morning so that we could also stop at Cabbage Key for a late lunch on the way back - another must if you are on the intercoastal.

Beautiful place, peaceful and relaxing, cabins are adequate but the lower bunk had no headroom. I expect bugs, but not rats and by the sound of them quiet a few. It's rather unnerving to hear them outside your cabin window.

We had a wonderful time tent camping on the island! The beach was pristine, the water was warm and inviting, and the sunset was magical. Just walking the beach and picking up shells and playing in the surf was enough to spend a whole afternoon. The best part was, with so much beach and so few people, it was like you had the island to yourself. There is very little light pollution so you can see lots of stars and constellations at night. Make sure you have maps and equipment so you know what you are looking at. We can't wait to go back and spend a few more nights.

Yes, there were rats but they didn't bother us. We heard them surrounding brush but didn't see any. Perhaps it was because we didn't eat in our camp site, put all our trash in the common area bins, and kept our food secured. Don't let the rats deter you - just be smart. If you wouldn't leave food out at home, why would you leave it out while camping outside?

The noseeums were a different story - bring bug repellent and apply liberally. If you are a person they are attracted to, they are not going to leave you alone. Unfortunately, as the name implies, you won't realize this until the damage is done.

Ranger John was an absolute delight. He kept us in stitches with his gruff demeanor - what a great park ranger who clearly loves the island immensely. I would go back just to talk to him - what a hoot.

We took the Tropic Star ferry over to the island and Captain Sean was awesome.

Most of this island is a county park. You can look up the camping cabins and rules on the net, but if you don't have a boat you have to come on the ferry. The Gulf of Mexico runs down the west side, and a protected cove finds many boaters anchored overnight or beached for the day. I love to beach my 19' boat on the inside southeast corner and walk around the south tip, through the "driftwood forest" to the beach side. Good water for swimming, If you anchor on the gulf side you should use two anchors to prevent tidal beaching. And there is a restaurant on the next island south - North Captiva. Need a chart to find it. Nothing not to like, but no facilities; even the rental cabins have to toilet or electricity.

You can only get to this park by boat. We took a ferry ride to and from for a 5 hour stay. The beach is full of fabulous shells if you are willing to walk past the tram drop off point. I fished as well as shelled. Weather was perfect! If you are outdoorsy at all, go to this island park! Primitive but fabulous.

If you are in Captiva and a very good swimmer you are almost here. If you want to look for shells this will seem like paradise. The beach is super, you can fish, swim, hike.

The Ferryboat ride was the best out of the entire experience. Once we arrived on the Island off Ft. Myers, the biting peste flying nantes were too much to bare. Had to cover ourselves with our beach towels for protection. You're stuck on a Island and the ferryboat isn't returning for almost 5 hours to pick you up to return you. Needed bug repellant or ferryboat employees could of warned us. For me, I would not recommend Cayo Costa State Park to anyone.

This place is a beautiful escape from the real world. I took my son for that very reason. No electricity to charge a cell phone or iPod , no phones ringing & no television.

We started preparing weeks in advance to "rough it" and studied on what essentials to take. We packed the bare minimum. The ferry company stated that we were allowed. 50lbs per camper so we did our best to adhere to that. I felt a little guilty that we had 3 bags & a small cooler, but nothing was ever said about our amount of gear. We paid extra to transport our own kayaks to the island because our main objective was to kayak fish offshore.

There was no real clear guidelines about your own kayaks on the island or how they handle them . But I was a little upset when I got there and they informed me that I had to leave my kayak there at the dock because they would not transport kayaks on the shuttle. & the camp area is 3/4 of a mile from the dock. In my cutting to the bare bones I had chosen to leave the kayak dolly at home. Every time I wanted to kayak I had to walk 3/4 of a mile & carry my gear . The bay side fishing was ok. & it's a pretty area but not what I had got excited about.
The fishing was really good. There are multiple islands close enough for an advanced paddler to reach. Unfortunately in our stay the winds were steady over 20mph and we were very limited. But still a beautiful area

If you plan to build a fire, it would be wise to bring kindling to start your fire. We prepared to buy the firewood and cook with it. But they don't have kindling. & they have rules against using any of the fallen litter from the palms to start your fire. So I reccomend that you take plenty of kindling.

The island is a beautiful place and easily worth the money you will spend for your prep & stay. I'd suggest the best times would probably be late February to early April before the heat and bugs. But I think I could deal with it anytime

We took our own boat to the western side of Cayo Costa. The water was clear and turquoise. The beach was gorgeous, full of shells and no litter at all. We took a picnic lunch and a blackbird helped himself to two of our sandwiches but it didn't ruin our day. We also saw egrets, herons, terns and ospreys. There are beautiful driftwood "sculptures" left over from Hurricane Charley in 2005. The cabbage palms are coming back, however, and it was a very enjoyable day. Be aware that Florida is very hot in July-September and bring water and shelter from the sun.

We arrived to Cayo Costa by private water taxi at about 10am on Friday, July 3. There is a $2 entrance fee to get into the park (bring cash, as there is no change given), and then a tram will transport you to the other side of the park to the beach.

Once we arrived to the beach, about a 5-minute ride, it was as if doves flew. It was gorgeous and unspoiled! I imagined it to be like some deserted beaches in the Caribbean, and it wasn't quite like that, but it was definitely unspoiled. The water was warm, and although it wasn't clear, the sand felt amazing through my toes!

There are no services offered at the beach (except restrooms), so be sure to bring your own chairs or umbrella if you need shade. Since we arrived via private water taxi, we just had water, towels, and sunscreen. If we'd planned to stay longer than just a couple of hours, we probably would've wanted our beach umbrella.

Many boaters pulled up and anchored there while we were enjoying the beach, and the Cayo Costa ferry arrived around Noon when the place became very busy and no longer very relaxing. It was nearly time for us to leave anyhow, but it's a tidbit of info for anyone planning for some quiet time -- go first thing in the morning, and plan to leave by Noon. It became so packed when the ferry passengers arrived, that people were stacked so close to each other, and it just was no longer a respite in the sand.

Nevertheless, I will return again and again!

The island was beautiful, not crowded, the Rangers were great, camp sites close to the beach, nice trails. One problem, both nights that I went to sleep in the cabins, I woke to hundreds of bites. I was covered head to toe with tight weaved pjs, and used the 100% deet. Everyone that sees these bites thinks it was bed bugs! They itch terribly, couldn't wait to get off the island and now I'm freaked about my camp gear carrying bugs....

We spent the whole day here and we loved it! 100% sand and sun. Such a beautiful place, like what you see in the movies. Beautiful water, clean beach. Not crowded at all. Found some beautiful conch shells, lots of live sand dollars, and even picked up a live horseshoe crab while sifting our feet in the sand for sand dollars and other shells. Just breath taking I definitely recommend spending a few days here, it it just amazing and I will be returning.

Great place to spend the day beachcombing! I found some shark teeth. Only wish I had more time to get as far as the sandbar where they said I could find sand dollars. We took a full day boat trip here from Punta Gorda on King Fisher Fleet—great price too!

Cayo Costa State Park is located located on Cayo Costa, an island (key). It is south of Gaspirilla Island (Boca Grande) and north of Captiva island.
This island is only accessible by private boat or ferry service. Check out the Florida State parks web site for details about the ferry shuttle boat.
You can camp here and stay overnight(s).
We arrived by private boat on the north-end of Cayo Costa to spend the day on the beach. The beaches here are undisturbed, wild, and natural. There is good shelling & swimming. This island is a rare natural beautiful Florida gem. I am so glad it is undeveloped. You can see a lot of wildlife here - dolphins, ospreys, eagles, and sometimes even manatees - as well as lot of other creatures.
If you do camp here bring bug spray - esp. in warmer weather.

Fun day on this trip to cayo Costa State Park. We saw dolphins going out on our boat ride and coming back in! Was absolutely amazing! There aren't many amenities on the beach but there is a little gift shop and restrooms and a place to rent bikes and kayaks! We did some shelling and saw some dolphins in the water while we were walking on the beach! Very fun relaxing day!

This Spring Break, we spent two days at Disney and three days at Cayo Costa. My ten year old enjoyed the park more than Disney. He is so excited about this place he is already begging to come back next Spring Break. We stayed in the cabins and thoroughly enjoyed the size of the site. Plenty of room for cooking, dining, and playing. Some of our group slept in the cabin while others opted to sleep in a tent on the site. We loved the beach that we didn't have to share with anyone. The trails were well kept and perfect for biking and hiking. The rangers were all very helpful and pleasant. See you next year!

No electricity and after 4 and before 10am..only people are the campers and cabins. First dibs on shore shells. They built a new bath house (cold water only) and demolishing the old which is unfortunate.
The campground does not have a bathroom. The cabins have all 3
Even the end camp sites have a bit of a walk. The new one is in front of cabin 2 if you want to look on a map. Ok for men..because they will urinate at the campsite..girls...too far.
If you have to go,now add a flight of stairs in the dark! If you are in a wheelchair..The ramp will seem like miles to the top.
Noseeums are abundant and miserable if you dont take precautions. Will get through the mesh so you need to spray the mesh on your tent.Bring MANY cans of bug spray.Minimum 40% DEET Picaridin or Permethrin..which is needed for ticks.The family sand flies aka nosseums are in.You cannot be uncovered for a second so spray after swimming and showering. I wore the .88 mosquito bands at Wal-Mart on each limb. At night I slept in a bug jacket/pants found on Wal-Mart's site for $18. They sell at camp store,too.I walked off that island after 3 nights with a single bite on my shoulder in the worst month..April. These come out an hour before sunset and stay into the mid morning.
Firewood $10. Ice $4. Kayaks $10/hr.
My review has the worst so you will come prepared. This is the best shelling..great sunsets,, no light noise for the stars . if you have a tent with a screen top,sleeping under the stars is amazing.

Absolutely loved our day on Cayo Costa! So many beautiful shells, scenery, peaceful day of shelling, picnic lunch, fishing and walking the beach. We found tons of sharks teeth too!!! Make sure you pack a lunch and have drinks and snacks. I highly recommend this trip. Take Tropic Star from Bokeelia!

I highly recommend taking a ferry to this island. It is worth the visit. We are not shellers although most people go to shell, but we just enjoyed the total beauty of the sand, water, and landscape. This island was beautiful. We went on a two how cruise to the island. I wish we could have stayed the day. The pictures we took looked just like a postcard. We were dropped off at the northern tip. If we were there longer we would have loved to explore more of the island. I highly recommend taking the Captiva Cruise Line to the Island.

Be sure to have several hours on hand if you want to explore the paths, history, shelling and beach time. We just didn't have enough time (less than 3 hours)and I want to go back!

This beach is simply beautiful! You must go by boat but it is well worth it! We go with the kids often and they love exploring the beach and swimming in the water.

We rented a boat for the day from a local marina to explore Cayo Costa and Cabbage Key at our own pace.
Some of us spent a half day on Cayo Costa while, others decided to fish around the island.

There's a $2 fee per person for park visitors. The money can be dropped into a box off the main dock you can also catch the beach tram from there. The tram is free and comes by the beach every hour to bring people back to the main dock.

The beach is made up of fine white sand and is better near the main drop off area or about a 10 to 15 minute walk to the left. If you go off the main paths, make sure to wear sandals as there are burrs everywhere.

If you are so inclined, there are a few short hiking trails on the island, but be ready for bugs. I went on the Pioneer cemetery trail and thought it was interesting, but don't expect much. It is exactly what it claims to be. It was a 15-20 minute walk from the beach, but you can also asked the tram driver to drop you off at a trail head.

There are washroom facilities and showers near the beach's drop off site but nothing on the beach. There are also no restaurants or stores so bring your supplies.

I should have known better than to go on a holiday weekend, but I was hoping there wouldn't be a lot of crowds since it's only accessible by boat. Apparently, that was naive on my part. There were boats and people everywhere. A lot of people had even anchored their boats to the beach and you couldn't go more than a few yards without stepping over someone's mooring line or under their fishing pole. As for listening to the sound of the beach - I did that when I got home and pulled it up on my phone. While there, we listened to boat motors, jet skis and people's bass. All the "problems" I could have encountered at a local beach without having to spend 4-5 hours round trip on a boat. Also being a local, I know there are also other places you can get to by land where the shells are just as impressive.

I'm sure it was once lovely, but this is a case of "Paradise Screwed." I don't know what the state can do to limit the problem, but something needs to be done. I would like to try it again, but I'm going during the week and probably at the height of hurricane season to try to avoid people. I'd also like to camp there because the day trips are too short to really get to know the island. There looked like there were some awesome hiking trails.

Cayo Costa is untouched pure beauty. The wildlife is awesome, we even saw a Bald Eagles nest and the shelling is amazing! I could have taken home a whole basket full- had my husband not cut me off. The waves are a decent size so don't expect super relaxed swimming area. I find the desolate atmosphere of this place make it so peaceful. Make sure to bring a cooler because there is not much available on the island.

In my travels this is a top 5 pick, it is absolutely breath taking, The views sounds and wildlife are spectacular. Shells for miles camping kayaking exploring it doesn't get any better..

Worth the trip however, you generally do not find beaches this clean, this uncrowded and this well attended by the resident rangers.

Love to go here in our own boat. Nice, long stretch of beach with views of the Gulf of Mexico. Or anchor on the bay side for a different experience.

We arrived by boat and anchored in the harbor. With our 2 dogs we rented bikes and rode the island. Beautiful beaches and well manicured yet rustic trials. Perfect for bikes.

Staff was extremely friendly.

We are staying another day!

Having a wonderful week here at Cayo Casta island. Beside the huge mosquitos and the crazy raccoons. This is a very quite park great for camping. Cell phone charging station and small store on the island..

We spent two nights camping here.. Grateful for the winds which kept the "no see ums" at bay... Be prepared when the weather warms up to bring lots of protection, long sleeves and long pants to cover you in the morning and evening. The tent camping sites are really nice, vegetation dividing each one. Take a walk along the sand bar to watch the Dolphins, wander the trails and see the variety of flora and fauna. The wash- rooms and showers are very basic but functional, take flashlights etc as there is no electricity at all, only the stars at night, glorious and spectacular.

Our family rented a boat from Captiva and took a day trip. Stunningly relaxing beach at the state park and a ranger station with very friendly folks. Well worth the boat rental.

Went camping with my son's Boy Scout troop on Cayo Costa. Its booty every day you get to stumble out of your tent to the beach and swim in turquoise water!

Bathrooms were clean. Showers were good. Pic mic tables and fire rings on site. Well marks paths.

What more do you need?

Our family is from SC so we are so use to the Myrtle Beach area and the Atlantic...boy have we been missing out. We are also shellers and while we were on a chartered fishing trip with the best guide on the Gulf Coast, Trevor Gant with Set on Everything Fishing, we questioned the shell in the area and he took us over to Cayo Costa pulled up and we are HOOKED!
Now we did not visit the northern state park area, we were on the southern tip all alone with the most beautiful waters, softest sand, and amazing shells. The southern end is away from the more crowded state park and these few hours make our entire week.
We plan to return soon and explore all this amazing paradise has to offer.
This is a must if you are visiting the Cape Coral area and if you want a special touch book a trip with Trevor Gant with Set on Everything Fishing.

Be sure to bring plenty of mosquito repellent and sun tan lotion because the sun is hot in the summer and the mosquito's are present year around.

We hired a boat from Sanibel Island and took ourselves here. It was so beautiful and unspoilt, plus unlike Sanibel the water was crystal clear and ideal for snorkelling. Lots of shells and bird life, really relaxing and memorable.

The day we went there was maybe 20 people on the whole island! It was beautiful waters and lots of shells. They have cabins you can rent while staying there. The captain of our cruise recommended staying there in September and October because of the heat. There is no electricity in the cabins. I would like to go back and stay.

Bring your boat and hang out on the front side, meaning the Gulf side. If you are coming from the South (say North Captiva) you can get directly there without a sand bar in the way of your trip. Simply anchor off the beach, you can stay in the water, shell, fish, etc. A relaxing day for all.

Cayo Costa is 10 minutes north of North Captiva, 30 minutes north of Captiva, and 20 minutes south of Cabbage Key. We rented a boat from Captiva for the day.

Looking forward to our next Trip!

We took a cruise out to Cayo Coasta on the last day of our trip. We found over 20 sand dollars (already white) and lots of other amazing shells.

Threaded our way from the Intercoastal across a few flats to anchor on a totally deserted beach. Shells, striped fish, dolphins, clear blue-green water views, & tiny waves. (Not able to go around to the gulf-side due to being on a rental ...but eager to do so another time.) This was a bit of paradise. Didn't see another soul. Hope to return soon. There are facilities available somewhere, and ferries go there, but we didn't use any of that. I have read that you must take what you will need to be comfortable if planning an overnight. It's a State Park so leave no trace.

This was the highlight of our pontoon boat rental trip.... this park provided easy access and solid docking for all sizes of boats.
They provide a shuttle service from the east-side docks to the beaches on the west-side Gulf of Mexico waters. Our shuttle driver, Carol, was fantastic and very helpful!!
Abundant sea shells, conchs, sand dollars and we even found some starfish while walking the beautiful beaches.
Very relaxing and a gift shop available for souvenirs.

Maybe it is good for a day trip but not overnight. We stayed at the cabin and saw bunch of rats around dusk and rat poops are at the porch and screened window. People in the cabin next to us had rats across the bed. Park itself is very nice..

Cayo Costa offers up easy boat access with boat parking up by the state park docks and on the southern end simply beaching your boat. The beach offers up some fantastic shelling opportunities and endless walks without running into anyone. Also good shore fishing on both ends between the cuts. Did not camp, however they offer camping by permit. We saw a 6 foot shark right off shore which was very cool to see.

We spent a few hours on the ocean side beach. Great shelling for sure! The beach is a bit shelly but once you get in the water its great sand. Shallow out about 100 yards.

Been visiting for 20 years on/off. Now I live close enough to visit frequently on our boat. I noticed it has changed over the years and now with the population boom in Florida, it is more crowed then in the past. You can still enjoy less crowds than going to a beach by car in the area. Best to visit during the week depending upon why you are visiting. I come to shell therefore I must time my visits to the low tides and of course the winds, weather, etc. Would recommend sunscreen on the beach and footwear if shelling. Very scenic, plenty of wildlife and water is warm during the summer and fall but color varies. You can usually always see Dolphin from the beach or on the way in by boat. No facilities on the gulf side of the island. Hope it remains the same for years to come. Come for peace, beauty and relaxation.

No place like this that I have never seen. What a great shelling place. This is the unicorn of shelling destinations. Do not miss it.

Absolutely beautiful! We spent three days in a row on the beaches here. Pulled up in the boat and anchored in three diff spots each day. The water was gorgeous, Crystal clear and perfect. We had manatees swim right by us in touching distance, saw snook, found about 1,000 live sand dollars and explored. Can’t miss here!

Short ferry ride to wonderful beach on Papyrus. Both Captain and first mate were terrific and gave lots of information. Boat was clean. Whole day was excellent.

We (spouse, 7 year old grandson and I) visited Cayo Costa State Park on November 11, 2015 aboard our boat--only other way is to arrive via the ferry services. We left from our home in SW Cape Coral and it took us a bit over 2 hours to reach Marker 74, which is near the entrance to Pelican Bay where visiting boats can dock for the duration of visit. Docking cost is $20 per night on the honor system. Dock is on the east side and the cabins/campsites are on the Gulf, or west, side just under a mile away.
We arrived around 3 p.m. and called the ranger on duty to ask about docking and finding the tram to our cabin. (We booked Cabin 12 because it is screened and has toilet and shower nearby. Toilets are clean, flush toilets with paper and washing sinks supplied. There is potable water as well, but we took our own). The trams carry visitors and gear and run every hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. between the campsites, cabins and the dock. Near the dock is a ranger station where one can find some information on the area. Outside the station is a spot to recharge phones, electronics, etc. Also near the dock is a small store with ice, firewood, drinks, snacks, bug repellent and other basics. The store closes at 3.
The ranger dropped us and our gear at Cabin 12, and told us the schedule for the tram, but offered a bit of misinformation by saying the tram does not stop at the cabins in the daytime. Happily, not so. A tram passes the cabins on the hour from 9 until 12 and all one needs to do is be outside and wave to be picked up.
The cabin was cute, and primitive, as advertised. Inside, there are three sets of bunk beds with plastic mattresses and a picnic table. Lots of shelves and nails to hang stuff. Outside is a fire ring, grill and another picnic table.
We were all tired from the packing and unpacking, so we settled for a campfire outside in the campfire ring with hotdogs and, of course, marshmallows. Afterward, we sat on the screened porch under an amazing canopy of stars. We thought we heard automobile traffic in the distance, but quickly figured out it was actually the sound of the surf on the Gulf Beach.
The beach is beautiful--no buildings in sight--and wonderful for shelling or just relaxing. In mid-November, the water temperature was just fine for snorkeling, even for locals like us! By the second day, our grandson had completely forgotten about his electronic devices and said he was having the best time ever.
Now, we had been warned by TripAdvisor reviewers to be prepared for the insects. We live in southwest Florida, so bugs are no surprise. I did expect the mosquitoes and no-see-ums to be on the wane due to the cooler weather, but we planned as though we were going in the middle of August. Good plan, but we still were pretty bitten up. In fact, we had booked three nights in the cabin, but decided to leave after two nights because of the bugs. Deep Woods Off and Skintastic did not impress the bugs. More deet the better I have heard, but cannot speak from successful experience.
Having said that, we are going back—but we’re going to book in January or February in hopes our bug 'friends' will be less bothersome.
The rangers and other park staff were very helpful, friendly and informative. I made the walk to the small cemetery on the island, and two rangers came along and told me some history of the place--including mentioning that there is another cemetery on the key that has yet to be found.
Note if you travel with a service animal: We had one minor issue concerning the service dog with us. The older of the two ladies at the little store mistakenly refused entrance to the dog even after being told it was a service animal. She wasn't unpleasant, just 'doggedly' uninformed. Not the first or worst incident we've encountered, so I just sent a message to park management suggesting a bit of training for her. Rest of park personnel seemed well informed in this regard.

It is just beautiful. If you have young children, bring life vests as the beach drops. Don't swim after 5-there are sharks, though, there haven't been any reported attacks. There is lots of wildlife-dolphins, alligators, manatees. Shelling is best if you go out to the beach and turn left from the tram area. There are lots of bees even at the beach.

We stayed in Cabin 7-this is a bucket list item as you do it once, but never again. We shared our cabin with RATS. Rangers said it's a problem and brought us a trap. We had mosquito nets and Deet and no see ums just laughed at us as they ate us for every meal even midnight snack. The cabins are hot box's - even when it was in the 60's outside.They sell ice $4 per 10lb bag, firewood-$10 per bale and snacks at the ranger station-this is an hour trip-the tram runs once an hour. Bring long sleeves and long pants for the nights. Toilet paper is a fight as it is one ply that rips off one square at a time, so I would bring my own toilet paper.

Tropic Star is your only choice-be prepared to wait-you will likely not be at your cabin area until late in the day and hauling your stuff. They really should coordinate timing better as your waste hours - you have to have your stuff at the dock by 11 and they don't come until 1 and it is a hour trip back. You are limited in gear-you have to bring everything except water. Poorly planned required part of your trip-don't even waste your time if you are going for one night.

I've wanted to visit Cayo Costa State Park for 10 years now but never made it until now. It was on my bucket list and is now checked off! The staff at the marina were wonderful! The boat captain and his crew of one were very informative and helpful in so many ways! My only regret was for the few days I was in the area, I could not book a full day excursion....only a half day. The beach was pristine and shells galore! Our guide was very helpful stating where visitors from the morning excursion had found some unique shelling opportunities. I will DEFINITELY be booking a full day excursion the next trip!

So we do think this is one of our most favorite places on earth. Sailing into Pelican Bay and just a dinghy ride away, the staff are so friendly and helpful. Most beautiful beach with great shelling and the "real Florida". Nice little shop with ice and souvenirs and snacks. Very clean and the improved trams are noticeable. A Florida treasure.

You will think you are in Mexico somewhere. The water is crystal bluish green, the sand is soft and white with lots of sea shells. You must have a boat to get there, We loved it.

A great getaway for those who love the beach but do not love crowds. Nothing fancy here, cabins, bathroom and rental bikes are definitely run down, but the island itself makes up for it. Nice trails as well as beaches. The little store has ice, milk, batteries — the basics. We visited in January, and were besieged by sand fleas on one of our beach days when it was sunny with no wind. Otherwise, bugs weren’t bad. Good shelling. The ferry boat ride over was pleasant and the crew was friendly.

My friend and I went on a day trip to the beach. What a beautiful island! The island was well kept and beautiful. Amazing finds for sea shells. A must see in the area! Will come back when we are in Florida!!

My all day adventure started with a ferry ride from Pine Island to Cayo Costa. Boat is the only option.. Disembark from the ferry on the bay side of the island where you find a Ranger station; Kayak and Stand up paddle board rentals; bike rentals, and a small store w snacks, ice and t shirts. There is a shuttle tram that will drive you across the island (just under a mile) to the GULF side where pristine white sand beaches w azure water awaits. During my trip I walked from the ranger station to the beach, spent time in the warm gulf water, saw a friendly manatee up close who wanted to play, used lots of sunscreen, and brought my own picnic. Be prepared: you arrive about 10:30am and return trip is not til 3:30p. The weather in April is so pleasant that I hiked/walked on several of the marked trails. Not too many insects, but I did have on DEET. Everyone on the Ferry and at the Park was WONDERFUL, nice, helpful and cheerful. A great day with the 'Old Florida". I would rate this a #1 must see. Gulf nature at its best.

The boat ride to Cayo Costa took two hours to the site & two hours back. This took away from the our water time😕.
The boat crew was very nice with all the children in our group, age range of 2 -18, their were knowledgeable about history of the area & informative on the best plan for our large group.
The beach site was calm, not crowded, as it was the Gulf of Mexico, it was not a clear blue water. Lots of shells to collect!
Overall, it was enjoyable but a different experience!

I read reviews about the island and after camping for 2 nights I have to say base nothing on the negative reviews. Yes the boat was late but the staff explained why and it is basically a shuttle service so don’t base anything on the boat.
We got to the island late but the staff stayed late and kept the store open so we could get wood and ice and shuttle us to the campground.
I am not sure about the cabins they were older and set back from the beach with little breeze. The campground sites were huge and many had shade and sun. The ones near the shuttle drop seemed to be the best.
Just be aware that you can only rent bikes from 9-4 so if you want to bike later bring your own and there is a lot of sand so wide tires are a must.
Wood is expensive but it burns slow so a bag is good for an evening campfire.
The store has a few essentials. There is bottled water but 2 bucks. There is potable water at campground. There is ice cream candy.and other souvenirs and a few other snacks and easy to prepare camp food so you won’t go hungry and they take credit cards.

Really clean beach. Not real crowded. Lots of sea shells. Water seems deeper than most gulf coast beaches.

As other reviewers have noted, this is a gorgeous spot that offers both cabins & tenting, but it's pretty bare bones as far as amenities go. The ferry out will cost more than your overnight stay, but you can bring 50 lbs of gear per person, so you can plan to stay a while.

Make sure to bring everything you need for your trip, because if you forget something, you may not be able to purchase it and getting back to the mainland isn't a realistic option unless you have a boat. The store is stocked with snacks and bugspray, but not much else. (And as you'd expect, everything on the island costs twice as much as on the mainland. Ice was $4 per bag and firewood $10.)

Our ferry was late, so we arrived after the ranger station & store were closed, but we were able to register for our site and purchase ice and firewood due to some great volunteers. The tram took us fairly close to our campsite, and we had to lug our gear about 100 yards.
The tent sites are very close together, so don't expect a whole lot of privacy - but people are friendly and there were quite a few families with kids the same ages as ours when we were there. Each site has both shade and sun, and some sites allow you to hang hammocks. The sites are equipped with a fire pit with a grill, a picnic table, and a post with some hooks. There's almost no kindling to be scrounged in the tent area- so be sure to bring a hatchet or an axe to break up that firewood.

The trails are easy and the beach is amazing. We had no luck fishing, but we didn't sink much time into it. The 25% DEET we brought wasn't strong enough, and half our party is covered in bites. Things were better when we were able to get the super strong stuff from the store the next day.

All in all, I highly recommend this place for a day trip. If you're camping, make sure you don't forget anything - especially your bathing suits, strong bug spray and sunscreen.

We had such an awesome time! The captain and mate were so friendly and accommodating I was comfortable as soon as we got on the boat. The narrative as we traveled to Caya Costa was very informative and fascinating! I was so impressed and really enjoyed it!
My daughter, granddaughter and I had a wonderful day! I will be telling everyone about this tour!

I live in Southwest Florida and Cayo Costa State Park has my favorite beach. Take one of the water taxis and bring a lunch or camp if you have a reservation (needed in advance). The beach is just beautiful and very sparsely populated. If you walk down the beach for a bit, you will find a lovely lagoon with some of the most beautiful seashells I have found in Florida. Nice picnic area and campgrounds. Be sure to bring beverages and food, as the Ranger Station carries only light snacks.

Stayed in cabin 4, fantastic getaway. Truly authentic Florida getaway. Perfect beach, great fishing, nice alligators, superior trails.the staff were very.very helpful and accommodating.

We visited Coya Costa in late June after seeing it in a list of must see State Parks. The scenery is Beautiful and very serene. This is an idyllic place to visit for nature lovers and serious campers. We rented a kayak and went to a strip of beach to fish which was a great experience.I highly recommend that you NOT visit during the summer months unless you are VERY accustomed to the Florida heat. The cabins are roomy, however, are extremely hot during the summer. The mosquitoes and no see ums are extremely overwhelming. Something you do not want to forget it too reserve a cabin with a screened patio!!!!! Not all cabins are screened and this can make a big difference in your trip as you can leave the door open for air or sleep outside without the bugs eating you alive! Two things we took which are MUST HAVES were battery operated fans and 100% DEET REPELLENT. (Nothing else works ) Although the elements were definitely a challenge, the park was beautiful with great staff.

The ride from Captiva to Cayo is a fun one, filled with history and a party atmosphere. The beach is really nice, pristine sand and waves that are fun, but not too big. Shelling was just ok, but it was a great afternoon activity!

Boyfriend and I booked a campsite for NYE weekend last minute - I mean DAY BEFORE last minute, and being from Atlanta, neither of us had ever even heard of this place. We took Tropic Star ferry on the way in and saw dolphins swimming alongside the boat. The weather was overcast and chilly coming in, which made for perfect bug-free camping weather that night. We had campsite #5 and could SEE the ocean from our site! We witnessed the most beautiful sunset of our lives the first night on the beach.

I've never felt so relaxed on vacation before...taking walks on the beach at sunset to take photos, waking up and taking more walks on the beach. The lighting is spectacular and the sun sets right on the side of the island where the campsites are. We rented bikes from the ranger station and rode around - the weather was perfection, in the 70s and sunny. The quarantine beach was so beautiful and serene, but the water was too cold for me to do any swimming. The campground was also pretty quiet for NYE - we had a couple near us blasting awful music but they turned in at around 10pm and we didn't wake up for any explosions or shouting at midnight.

The next day we kayaked to the manatee cove, which was the highlight of the trip. The motorboats cruising through are super annoying and probably really dangerous for the manatees, but they seemed to drive all the manatees to where we were on the opposite side of them, so thanks! You can hear the manatees come up to breathe all around you, and a couple swam RIGHT UNDER US! You can't get that close to a manatee on a motorboat.

Tips for campers:
- BRING CASH - the ferry arrives after the ranger station closes, and while the rangers will get you firewood and ice, you have to pay them CASH. The ranger was nice enough to let us use some of their volunteers' firewood and loan us a lighter because we didn't have any cash.
-Buy this stuff called Alpenglow online. We were getting eaten alive by noseeums until we put this stuff on - the rangers say bug spray won't help. They also said you could cover yourself in baby oil and a guy behind me remarked that was true.
-Bring a tent large enough to store your food while you're sleeping. We had a tiny backpacker tent and couldn't keep the food inside with us, so we were constantly waking up with the arrival of rats to defend our food.

Overall, I loved it and can't wait to go back.

Great place for a Scout Trip. We enjoyed the quiet beaches, well maintained trails and super kind Rangers. Rent a bike. Well worth it.

Tropic star boat took us to cayo Costa state park, captain Joe and Sean gave us a beautiful ride back and forth, second ti.e using them and will use again

To start the trip, I went through Tropic Star to ferry me to Cayo Costa. It's $45 round trip. This was relatively smooth, except that you have to leave your car keys with them, so they can move your car (motivation to clean all the wrappers out). I stayed in a cabin. The cabin slept 6 in bunk style beds. Wood platforms and mattress pads. The lower bunks didn't have a lot of headroom, so I bumped my head a few times. Also, with the one provided mattress pad, i found it very uncomfortable, but since we didn't have all 6 places being used, i could double up on the pads and it helped a lot. A more geared-up person might even consider bringing their own air mattress or what-have-you. The cabins themselves were minimal - no electricity, no running water, no sheets, no pillows. There were community restrooms in the cabin area with running and potable water for toilet, sink and rinse off shower purposes. My cabin was in need of a good wipe down for sure, but otherwise it was what it was -- a no frills structure to get the camping experience in. There was also a fire ring and firewood sold on island.

The cabins are super walk-able to the beach (about 3-5 minutes). The beach is beautiful, the water was great. Found a lot of interesting shells and random beach swag and shark teeth. Could walk for what felt like miles without seeing another person on some mornings. As part of my Cayo ritual, I would go up the beach the full length and then come back via Cemetery trail. A random thing I wasn't expecting but true to the name -- there is indeed a rustic, old-world cemetery that you run into while on this trail. The graves are marked by seashells and from what I read, there would be other graves on the island as well (perhaps unmarked).

The trails made you feel like you were a million miles away from modern life, which to me was perfect. However, I did hear a guy griping on the phone one day in about how he wanted to go because he got eaten by bugs. I was fine in my cabin with the shutter things closed, but I did invariably get some bites. So whereas I was fine, others didn't have the same experience, so that could be something to be aware of.

There was some cell service, but the charging stations were up at the ranger station, which was quite a hike from the cabins. (A potential flaw, but again, I found respite putting away my phone and not worrying too much about it until I had to leave).

It was just very "nature" real. Which depending on your own thresholds, you could love it, you could hate it. I found it hard in some ways, but don't in any way regret my trip. I did stay for 3 nights though and perhaps might have reconsidered 2. In the night time, the various "rustlings" of animals outside the cabin certainly did wake me up a few times. I would recommend maybe planning around a fuller type moon, just in case you are like me and might have to go out of your cabin in the middle of the night to go potty. Having your own portable lights are helpful, but the moonlight also helped it feel less creepy.

I hope this review helped someone. I loved my time there. You get the full "camping" experience, for better and also for worse. I certainly feel more healthy and vibrant having survived Cayo. I went in Spring time -- Summertime might be a completely different experience with the bugs, so I think that's probably the biggest flaw I can think of and to prepare yourself for.

We rented a boat and made our way to the state park. A very small store sells souvenirs and ice cream. The trolly will take you to the beach via a 2 minute ride every hour. A great place to hang out for the day!

Cabins are great! Very clean and the bests are the ones with screened porch . The crew from the boat "star ..." Are the best ! The guys accommodate your stuff very good and are very kind

Rangers are very friendly
Beach is great and some parts perfect for paddleBoard!

We came here via boat and lounged on the pass side of the island. Great place for shells and just hanging out.

We love staying in the bay with our boat. There are always dolphins there! It doesn't look big but I recommend renting a bicycle to get around or take the tram. We visited the whole place with the bikes in about 2 hours. The beaches are beautiful and the north end beach was pretty much to ourselves.

My biggest complaint is that they changed our ferry time with less than 24 hours notice and no offer for a refund. We were booked on a 9:30 am ferry and they switched us to a 2 pm ferry so we lost nearly an entire day of our trip!

Great trip, beautiful island, tip is hire a bike and explore the trails and more remote beaches. Visit the lagoon south of the camping area and the beach just beyond for the sunsets. Will definitely be going back. Big tip, there is no hot water, so a portable solar camping shower would be a good addition to your gear.

Just back from 8 nights and happy to report the rat issue has been addressed. It appears as if there had been an uptick in the number of day trippers visiting as there were 3 different ferry boats bring people in. Staff was super friendly and helpful as always. For those camping for first time prepare for bugs, wind and rain as it is rustic camping with running water and flush toilets.

We pulled up to the island. Ample spacing with beautiful views! A very nice get away from the hustle and bustle of life.

Highly recommend this day trip. Captain a lot of fun and a great beach to walk and shell hunt. Packed a lunch and some cold drinks and a great day was had by all. Will definitely go again!

The descriptions of a trip with King Fisher Fleet to the secluded island of Cayo Costa sounded too good to ignore. My husband and I love the beach and this trip advertised three hours on a shell laden beach, along with a two hour boat ride, each way.

Only seven of us got off the boat at Cayo Costa and i was hopeful that there would be very few people there. Wrong! Not only were there dozens of boats tied up at the dock, there were tents and cabins brimming with campers. I walked a little way down the beach, which is really beautiful, and found mainly broken shells except for plentiful sea urchins. I guess I did not walk far enough because people did find a few shells very far down the beach but I was not up for a long walk in sand. Before we knew it, my husband and I were packing up. The three hour stay was reduced to about two hours and we felt rushed. Everyone who came with us said the same thing. The two two hour boat rides were very pleasant and we saw about twenty dolphins, most playing in our wake alongside the boat. That was fabulous.

But, our main goal of shell hunting on a secluded beach for three hours was not met. I wonder whether I would do this again?

This is the third time we have been to Cayo Costa and it never disappoints. If you want a slightly different beach experience you should come here. This place is only accessible by boat and while there are cabins for those who want to spend a few nights, we were just here for the afternoon. This is a state park and therefore not developed which is part of the fun. After you are deposited at the dock, a park ranger will take you by tram to the other side of the island. Nature lovers will enjoy seeing the wide variety of birds, plants, and of course shells. A highlight of our trip this time was seeing a shark snag a fish near the dock while waiting for our boat to return.

Loved this day adventure! We took Tropic Star from Bookelia for the full day trip and just loved it. It was quiet, clean, had flushing toilets and fresh water in the bathrooms and no trashcans out at the beach area so be sure to leave with everything you came with. Shelling is better at the south end of the beach so you'll need to take a different trip if you are wanting shells; we got a few good ones. Wearing water shoes might help if you go that way; broken shells are hard to walk on!

The beach is secluded and not overly crowded although from Cape Coral bridge it is a 1-1/2 hour ride but we’ll wor it!

This is our 4th visit to Cayo Costa State Park (Pelican Bay). (It is only available by boat) We come by boat and anchor in the bay. There are tour boats which shuttle campers and beach goers. It is easily accessible by boat if you watch your charts.
The park allows dinghy parking and charges $2.00 per person for access to the park. They offer a tram to assist you with your gear, bikes, kayaks, tents etc and take you accross the island to the beach, or you can walk it. They have camp sites and primative cabins available for rent. There are restrooms and cold showers also. The store sells frozen bait and some basic supplies and snacks.
The beach is generally uncrowded and is accessible by boat or foot. There are many shells on the beach. Different areas offer more shells than others.
BE SURE TO BRING YOUR SUNSCREEN. The distance from the beach to the store is considerable.

What an awesome day at the beach! The sand bar is a MUST with waves crashing in on both sides and the sand dollar hunting. The tram to the beach was super easy. Wish would,d could have had another couple hours!

White sand beaches , lots of birds and other wildlife. Eight miles of natural beauty. State park is only reached by boat, has Campsites and Cabins available. Great place to bring your family and soak up some nature.

We departed for our adventure via the "Tropic Star" ferry on the morning of May 27th. It began with a huddle of eager families and couples piling their belongings into heaps to be loaded onto the ferry. The crewmembers assisted in loading the boat and after a short wait, we were underway. The trip to the State Park was comfortable and only took about 45 minutes. We were unloaded at the dock where we awaited a tram to bring the visitors to the camping area. There's a female Park Ranger out there that could pass as a drill sargeant. You'll know who it is if you see her. It's about a 1 mile walk to the camping area. If you pack light, you'll save yourself some headache by making the trip on foot.

Our campsite (campsite 12) was only a short distance from the beach. When we arrived, we quickly set up camp and snapped a quick "WE FINALLY MADE IT!" photo. The campsite's are consolidated and placed closely to one another. If you require privacy, a cabin may be ideal for you. The beach was incredibly beautiful. There's an estuary just south of the camping area with excellent fishing. Snook perched in the depths along shallow sandbars and could be seen in numbers. It was so peaceful. My girlfriend, Ana, quickly caught a nice redfish and proceeded to out-fish me 10 to 1 through the coming days.

The island has facilities (bathrooms, showers, fresh water, etc.) a short distance from the campsite. The camp store is located near the dock where you depart the ferry. You can purchase firewood, lighter fluid and other camping needs here. I wouldn't count on the workers being punctual. The store isn't much but it was just enough to keep us going. A short while into our stay, we purchased slim-jims and gatorade, which at the time was a delicacy and may have saved us from complete malnutrition. We survived for days on soggy sandwiches and tequila mixers. Between the extreme Florida heat and lack of proper nutrition, we probably seemed delusional to other campers.

The night time was my favorite. Every night, we'd spark one up, have a few drinks and laugh until it was painful and we passed out on the beach. One night, we woke up to a thunderstorm passing over and had to sprint back to our site for cover. I forgot my sunglasses and Ana, being the trooper she is, ran back with me to find them buried in the sand. Sleeping on the hard ground in the tent probably aged my back about ten years, so I'd suggest if you're camping primitive to bring a pillow or blanket. The mosquitoes were thick, I'm not sure of my blood type - but whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it's their favorite. I suggest bug-spray and clothing that is cool and provides adequate coverage.

In effort to not boost the Cayo Costa State Park beyond the pedestal to which it belongs, I disclose that this review has been created from a biased perspective. This trip unraveled in such a way that I formed a special bond with the person I love. We require very little to be content. If your level of expectations are modest, then you'll surely enjoy your stay. If you require a 5-star hotel and excellent cell service, I'd suggest looking elsewhere.

Be prepared and immerse yourself in the outdoors. I think you'll find that when you explore, you will find a way to live your dream for far less than you now believe it costs.

Camped here for 3 days, facilities were kept well and clean. I recommend visiting and staying in the winter as the summer may be too hot and full of bugs. They also have cabins that can be rented out as well as bikes and kayaks on the island. The park also has a store near the Ranger's station that can sell food and other goods if needed. A tram runs every hour on the top of the hour picking up/dropping off campers and visitors, to and from the Ranger's station and camping grounds. Definitely would like to camp here again.

We took a trip Fort Myers - After reading many reviews and doing much research - we decided to take a Shelling cruise with Captiva Cruises to Cayo Costa. I read blogs and reviews bragging about the shells they acquired and how it’s “one of the top 10 shelling places to visit” - the best part of our excursion was seeing manitees in the marina. The cruise was informative and nice - Captiva Cruises was very nice and peaceful. Cayo Costa was the disappointment. It was very, very windy on the beach side of the island. Made for the beach experience very unpleasant. Walked all along the beach with not many shells. The gift shop on the bay side had a wall of the shells and none of them where like the reviews I had seen... there were no big conks or starfish and alll shells were broken. There were better shells on fort Myers beach. We seen a couple dolphins for brief moments on the boat ride and made the most of it one the island with kites we brought. The traffic back to fort Myers was unbelieve: what took us 45 minutes to get there that morning took us 2.5 to get back.

This is a rustic island run by the Florida Park Service. Very nice, clean and rustic. There are small cabins available, showers and restrooms. The beach was very nice and very few people were there. A nice place to walk on the beach and see what you can find. Be sure and take a lunch, water and bug spray.

This park would have easily gotten a 5 rating if we could have had our kayaks near our campsite. The Park rules state that kayaks must be kept on the kayak racks by the docks. This is the opposite of the park and a 1 mile walk or shuttle without the kayaks. When we left to come home we were asked about our stay and what was good or bad so I replied about the kayaks and then was told there was a new Park Manager and he said it would have been fine and the park would have shuttled them to the beach. That would have made a huge difference as the gulf side is a very long paddle from the dock side and during our stay the gulf side was calm every day and the dock side was choppy except for the day we left. We did kayak one day on the dock side and enjoyed the kayak but really wanted to kayak the gulf side as well.

With that out of the way....We camped three nights with only a few other tent campers. It was the middle of June so hot, humid and lots of bugs. Some other reviewer suggested correctly that the sun rules the day and the bugs rule the night. Bring lots of bug spray and spray the entrance to your tent to help ward off the mosquitoes and biting midges before entering.

Campsite 8 is probably the best campsite as it has the most shade which while more bugs are in the shade the shade itself can be a welcome relief from the direct sun. We stayed in 15 which had hammock poles. I slept in the tent the first night and the next two nights in the hammock which has mosquito netting attached making it easier to sleep under the stars without bugs and to watch the fireflies.

We came over on the Tropic Star, left our truck there for $8/night The trip was $45 each and $20 each for the kayaks reservations required. There is a small gift shop by the docks which offers, firewood and ice (we brought all we needed) and has a few snack items. Near the beach they have one set of bathrooms and outside non-private showers - the cold water was a nice relief and a nice way to relax before bed by washing off the bug spray. The water is also fine for drinking and with the heat you need to drink a lot.

Some day people come by for the beach for a few hours in boats and by ferry but usually are gone by mid afternoon. At night it's pretty quiet and beautiful sunsets and night skies.

We walked the beaches but mostly the south end where there were some sea turtle nests and a sea bird nesting area. We did see manatees and dolphin and lots of fish. We also found plenty of shells but the best ones we found snorkeling. There are few to no shells at the main entrance to the beach so if going for shells walk the beach and explore. There are more places to walk and explore than can be done in three days. Three days was fine for us but we would have enjoyed more.

Had no clue what to expect when we arrived. Stayed for three days and didn't want to leave. The whole group agreed it would have been the perfect spot to wait out the coronavirus.

We stopped here briefly to use the facilities and to walk around. There were no more places to dock but a very helpful Park ranger allowed our friends to pull their boat straight in so we could get off for a short visit.

The dock and beach area were clean and there was no garbage lying around. The Park Ranger was right there watching over everything, which was good. My husband and I walked around; it was a nice area. I must say that the buildings looked run down, but inside the building with the public toilets, it was clean. There was no soap or paper towels, but otherwise it was clean. It seemed quite crowded with families.

Awesome place!!! We camped in our tent 2 nights. Beautiful island, lots of wildlife, fun things to do, peaceful. The only downside is the no-seeums! They are pretty bad when there is no wind, but if you stay near the fire at night you'll be okay.

We took a Tropic Star Cruise to this beautiful park with friends. After arriving a tram takes you a mile to the other side of the island where miles of beautiful white sand await. (There are bathrooms.) We spent a long time walking and looking at shells and sea life, then relaxed and read on the beach. Such an excellent break from the strip malls of southwest Florida! I would recommend bringing a blanket or beach chairs, as well as food and beverages. All you can buy at the park is stuff like candy bars. One final note - you can camp there and it's nice and rustic! We spoke to a women who said that it's a bad year for rats, though. Consider yourself warned!

If you got blindfolded and dropped off here on the beach side, you would think that you could be in the middle of nowhere as opposed to just a few minutes from civilization. Apparently we got lucky on our day trip out there as the guide said the water was as clear as he had ever seen it.
If shelling is your thing, make the trip.
If peace and quiet is your thing, make the trip.
If you want t find a secluded place to spend the day and maybe see a dozen other people, this could be your spot.
No amenities at all so, bring your own food & beverage.
A decent amount of operators go here out of Sanibel and Captiva. Some go twice a day. So, if you want to really make a day of it, go on the first cruise and go back on the 2nd. When the boat leaves, you could be ALL ALONE. :-)

It's a nice beach but Florida is full of nice beaches. The logistics of getting there and back mean your visit is limited. Pay for parking, pay for the ferry over (a 40 min boat ride) at 9 then take a tram to the beach. Catch the 3 o'clock tram back from the beach to catch the boat back. All the people were helpful but somewhat limited time cuts down on the appreciation of the beach. Most we talked to said rent a cabin and stay a couple days to appreciate the remoteness of the beach.

Beautiful beaches with shells galore! A must visit for all in your group! Manatees crusing the coastline as you look for shells!

We hired a private captain and boat to take us here and drop us for several blissful hours. So romantic and drop dead gorgeous!

You can only get here by boat. There's a few places that charter you over to the island. We took our boat over when there was a storm coming so alot of people cancelled there reservations. We had a great time whole iland to our selves.

This is a beautiful place to take your family. We took a nice cruise out there and spent hours just hunting for shells. The warm white sand and cool blue waters made for a perfect day out.

We rented a boat and went over to Cayo Costa. They have a marina, clean bathrooms and a shuttle
To take you to the beach if you don’t want to walk the 3/4 mile. The walk was beautiful, remote, nice shells, great sandy beach. You can also rent kayaks and you can also camp there. We had a spectacular day!

Tom, Reggie, Tod, Jody and Trish,

Took the Tropic Star from Bokeelia to Cayo Costa Captain Norm and Joe were great. The trip was fun and informative with narrations from both Captains. Tom and Reggie had lunch at Cabbage Key and then to Cayo Costa for some fun in the sun. Tod, Jody and Trish had been to Cabbage Key before and went to Cayo Costa to the beach. We had a blast it was soooo much fun. I want to go back.

We took the ferry there for the day. The beach was beautiful, uninhabited. The Dolphins were feeding on fish close to the shore as we were sitting on the beach, it was amazing to watch. This beach has more shells than I have ever seen, sand dollars and starfish, more so on the south end. We hope to come back soon to walk some of the trails and maybe rent a bike!

We stayed in a cabin for 3 nights and wished we could stay longer! We hiked, kayaked, swam, and saw many different birds, a few porpoises, and had our kayaks nudged by manatees. It really is a magical place. To echo many other reviews, however, the bugs were pretty bad in March but it depended on how sensitive to bites people are. One of my crew returned with so many bites on her arms and legs that it looks like poison ivy; she will not be returning. I have quite a few (many 100 little red bumps total) but others returned with no bites. Next time, we'll spray the screens with deet and bring better gear for covering up, especially in the morning and night when we are cooking over the campfire.

We rented a cabin at the Cayo Costa State Park for two nights over New Years 2015/2016. The temps were unusually warm which allowed for lots of water activity but also bad bugs. The cabins are simple and suitable if rustic is what you are looking for. We loved being able to walk to the beach minutes from our cabin. The shelling is amazing. We saw dolphins each evening and morning right out from our cabin on the beach!

Just an amazing place if you don't mind roughing it a bit. Bring lots of bug spray and all you need to eat. Very nice in the fall couldn't imagine camping here in the summer. Kayaks are available for rent as are bikes but both need to be fixed and refreshed.

Cayo Costa State Park is officially sea shelling insanity. If you want to collect some amazing shells hop on a boat out here from Captiva (we took Captiva Cruises - excellent). When you get to the dock you'll walk just a minute or two until you get to the beach. Take a LEFT and start walking - and I mean WALKING about a mile down the beach - away from everyone else. We found amazing shells and sand dollars. Up your game by getting a scooper and a bag. It was chilly the day we went (60's, but I am from Arizona so anything less than about 75 is cold to me!) but the water was actually warmer than on Sanibel. Do not miss this place if you want some amazing shells.

There are so many reviews and comments that I just flat disagree with, it's hard to imagine we all went to the same place. You have to come prepared for hardship and inconvenience and enjoy it for what it is. This place is not for everybody. Obviously many people have unrealistic expectations. I'm not a serious camper, but I did my homework first, and there weren't too many surprises. I would come here again. However I experienced only unmerciful heat, no bugs, no snakes. My advice would be to come over for a daytrip and try it out first.

Spent 3 nights on Cayo Costa in cabins 1 and 2. Construction going on next to us for new bathrooms being built was disruptive daytime, but we were gone most of the day so it didn't really matter. 5 of the 12 cabins have screened porches which are really a must due to the no seeums. Wearing long sleeves and pants or lots of good bug spray is the only way to keep from getting eaten at evenings and mornings. Cabins show signs of age but are generally clean and functional. If you want solitude this is the place to be. No electricity. Cold showers and flush toilets in central shared restrooms are functional. Red Tide has really killed a LOT of fish and birds. Many thousands of fish skelletons on the gulf side shorelines up off the beach. Found a large dead sea turtle and many dead birds. No noticeable smell during our stay but the head park ranger painted a pretty grim picture of the fish kill this August. Still a nice place to camp with no frills.

This place is one of Florida's last untouched treasures. I feel in love with Cayo Costa a few years ago when my parents bought a place in Cape Coral. My dad took us all out on the boat and over to Cayo Costa. When we came upon it, it literally looked like a deserted island. The sand is white and there's a deep brush off the beach. The island is located west of Pine Island and Cape Coral, and north of Sanibel and Captiva Islands. West of Cayo Casta is nothing but the Gulf of Mexico.

There is actually no way to get to the island other than boat. You can use your boat of course, or you can take a ferry over. During high times, the ferry can be packed and usually has a lot of older individuals looking to hunt for some sea shells. This place is great if you're looking for shells. Tons of em. I've seen some starfish there too. If you find one, please don't take it, let it live it's life. Anyway, if you do take it, it'll smell like death a day or two later. You don't want that.

We usually dock down at the southern point of the island. You'll want to be aware of the different navigational channels in the area because there are some sand bars out in the water. We have docked on the Gulf of Mexico side before, but the last couple times the waves were too hard to do so, so we it on the other side of the island. There are a few houses on the island, but for the most part it's just sand and trees. It's just a really neat place to spend the day and take in all the beauty. Don't be surprised if you see stingrays swimming in the water or hawks and eagles soaring in the skies. I've personally never camped there, but would love to.

WARNING: There are small, little plants that are up by the tree line. Don't go up there. Stay buy the water unless you are on a trail. The little plants have barbs on them that are SUPER sharp and will not only stick into your skin, but they are like an arrow and when pulling them out it hurts even more. You have been warned.

We just returned from a 3 night stay, tent camping on site #9. We used Tropic Star ferry service out of Jug Creek Marina on Pine Island. The night prior to departure we stayed in one of the cottages they offer, which made for a convenient, stress-free early morning. (Nothing luxurious, but clean and adequate.)
Let me address two of my biggest fears first... bugs and rats... We came equipped with repellant in all forms, from essential oils to Off with Deet. We have found Picaridin to be effective also. Best investment was a THERMACELL. For about $25 it creates a 15x15 ft barrier around your campsite, using small butane cartridges and refillable pads. Bring extras, it was a lifesaver. Small, compact, lightweight too. The bugs were there,but not swarming, and neither of us got more than a few bites. We saw 1 rat; it had been hit by a service vehicle. At night we heard some activity, but I prefer to think it was squirrels. Our small Yeti and blue tote with supplies was never bothered.
A lot of the sites, especially on the beach side, afford very little privacy. None have ocean views because of the wide dunes, but you can hear waves. If camping with friends, the perfect combos would be 7/8 or 9/10. 6 is large with not much shade. 24 is a corner lot with shade and space. Farther out, 11/12 would be a good combo. They are all kept clean and have picnic tables and fire rings with grate. Get wood and ice upon arrival, as the camp store is a mile away. The paper and cardboard they offer comes in handy for starting fires. You can’t use any wood or brush locally.
Try not to pack too much, you’ll regret it when hauling it on your back.
We filled our days exploring on bike and by kayak, sunning and fishing. Red tide was a bit of a spoiler near the end of our trip. Abundant birds, dolphins, shells and beach to walk.
Check out the blog of Tenacious Trekkers for more details! Their info was invaluable. Loved our experience and hope to return someday!!
As a grand finale we took excursion to Cabbage Key for lunch. Highly recommend!

No cars. No condos. Just pristine beach and beautiful sunsets. Bring what you need because there are no stores. Ice and firewood and simple snack food available at ranger station. Do bring bicycles in order to fully enjoy the trails. A true gem in the State park system.

We took the 1/2 day trip with Captiva Island Cruises to Cayo Costa. It's about. A 30 min boat ride over. The island is beautiful, and worth exploring. We wish we had known that we would be dropped off on the sound side and have to walk a pretty far distance to the gulf side. It was very hot, and long. The island is beautiful, however and we enjoyed our afternoon. Unlike other reviewers, we didn't find any great shells (actually found better ones along Fort Myers beach) however that might be because we didn't get to the best part of the island because of the walk.

If you’re on boca grande island you’d be remiss if your trip did t include a journey over to Cato costa state park. Go for the dolphin watching and beautiful water. What I enjoyed most was the shelling.

I visited Cayo Costa state park with friends for a few days of fishing and fun. The park service rangers are very helpful and friendly. The tram ran on time, but I wish it would run from 8 to 5 pm. It's not a bad walk if you cannot take the tram. The cabin was as clean as could be. When it is windy, they bugs are not bad, but when the wind dies, the sand gnats are vicious. Bring bug spray. Fishing was good, the campground hostess, Mary, was so friendly and helpful. This is a wonderful place. Try it out, even if just for a day.

The caveat is I visited in late March. The insect problem was minimal to non-existent. Some of that had to do with a rather 'cooler than usual' spring for Florida. However, the Rangers were adamant that insects can be a problem on any day of the year. All that being said, do not come here unless you thoroughly enjoy the camping experience. Most of the complaints that I have read about Cayo Costa have to do with the fact that this not a commercial camping experience by any means. You are far from basic resources like electricity, medical care, AC, & hot shower.

This is a Florida barrier island. Hence, much of it is mangrove. Hence, many, many insects. Come prepared, as I did. I also recommend you rent a cabin. I brought plenty of repellent, an insect net for my cot, a ThermaCell, and plenty of coils to burn. The cabin will get hot throughout the day, but hopefully you won't be there. You will be too busy fishing, sunbathing, swimming, hiking, biking, kayaking, paddle boarding, sleeping in a hammock, or any of the other myriad of activities available. When we were at the cabin, we simply hung another insect net on the doorway so we could leave the door open & ventilate some. Some cabins even have screened porches. We did not.

Cabins sleep up to 6, but I think that would be a major overcrowd unless you are all close family or the best of friends. Bottom line is people snore & people need to get up in middle of night to do their business (and wake everyone up inside the cabin each time). So I will leave it to your discretion as to how many you want to try. We did 4, and we wouldn't do more than that. But 4 was fine.

Firewood & ice can be easily had at the camp store (which is better than toting it across the channel). Cabins have both firepit & grill. We took the ferry with Tropic Star out of Bookeelia. They run a good ship and I found the entire experience to be courteous from check-in to load-off. Tip them well. That's a lot of equipment they load & unload for you. They merit it.

This place is a nature lover's dream. It amazing that it is as large a barrier island as it is, and yet still be so unspoiled. For anyone who treasures these types of coastlines, as I do; I urge you to make the long trek (drive, wait, ferry, wait, tram, tote) to your accommodation at Cayo Costa State Park.

Final note that I want to share on my personal experience: Anyone who knows me, knows I am a marathoner. I took the time at Cayo Costa to really investigate the trails on the 'north side' & also on the 'south side'. The 'north side' trails are well marked & a map is given to you at the Ranger station detailing all of them. The 'south side' trails are not given that treatment. As I dipped into those trails to get in my 10 mile run, I became a little disoriented. I only had two human encounters on these south trails. The 1st was with a group of people maybe only 1/2 mile into this south portion who I greeted as I passed; and the other was not until later when, finally, I flagged down an ATV that was on the road (to I imagine his house). I asked him "How do I get back to the 'tram road'?" (which is the east-west road from the Ranger station that bisects the island), which he responded with his own query of "How did you get here?". He looked bewildered. His female companion, who I pray is his niece or daughter and NOT his much-too-young-trophy girlfriend remained quiet. Rather than just simply point me in the right direction & MAYBE offer me some water or some other courtesy of the ilk, he tried to proceed to lecture me on how "visitors should stay to the north", which is NOT a park rule (you only have to be wary of and stay off the handful of private property houses on the island). After I expressed some derision of my own at his approach, his female companion was the one who pointed out the right direction. I might be reading more into the encounter than what was there, but I just thought it was interesting enough to share. This bit of in-hospitality didn't detract from my experience at all. In fact, after getting home and checking my GPS, I saw the error in my navigation and can't wait to get back there again and try other routes.

First off, be sure to include transit time to and from the island. The ferry took just under an hour to make the trip each way and that cuts into your park time. On the island you can beach, she'll, bike, kayak or hike. It isn't crowded and you enjoy the natural island feel. A half day isn't long enough!

We went to Cayo Costa for a family camping vacation with my daughter (14) and son (10). You arrive at the dock where the camp store is located. You buy your ice and firewood there. At that point you're taken by truck to your camp site. We stayed in the primitive cabins. They were cute and adequate. We were located next to the showers and fresh water, and the short path to the beach was about 100 feet away. We had so much fun at the beach. We saw dolphins, sea turtles, and tons of occupied shells, star fish, and sand dollars. My kids had so much fun finding sea urchins, and tiny star fish as they washed up. We discovered fairly quickly that the bugs were a huge issue. We bought Skin-So-Soft lotion and bug spray and lotion, bug repelling bracelets and candles... it didn't do ANYTHING to stop those nasty No-See-ums. We had fun. We swam every day and the water was so calm that my 10 year old felt confident and I wasn't so nervous about just letting them enjoy the water. We planned on staying 5 nights but we only stayed 3. We got some very noisy neighbors who were shouting obscenities and playing loud music. To top that, we were being eaten alive even after buying the 12 dollar bug spray from the camp store, I got badly sunburned, and the kids were tired. I think we'd stay 2 nights again but that is long enough. We will return. It was very beautiful and worth every dollar!

We anchored with several other boats and went exploring by kayak. In a beautiful little cove, a manatee was swimming very close and we froze! Then, close-by, we saw another! It is so quiet and peaceful with all kinds of birds and fish - just beautiful. We are thankful for this State Park - and plan to return as often as possible in the future.

Hands down, the best shelling in the USA, maybe the world. Hire a boat captain, or rent one yourself. We've done both. Bring a cooler with lots of water and pop, some sandwiches, etc. because there is nothing there but beauty.

Prepare to snorkel or do the Sanibel stoop all day and find some of the biggest shells of your life. Bring water shoes! I leave the flippers at home. You really need water shoes every second on the islands anyway.

It's quiet and remote. The ride out there is breathtaking. My daughter actually stood in the water with a family of manatees this year. You'll see dolphin and all kinds birds and sea life.

I wish I could stay there forever.

We visited Cayo Costa on a half day trip with Captiva Cruises in order to do some shelling. We were at the south end of the island and had a wonderful time walking the beach. Found a lot of great shells, including 8 sand dollars.
The south end of the island is wild and doesn't have any facilities. North end has the ranger station.
We had a wonderful time and highly, highly recommend a visit!

It takes an hour by ferry from Bokellia to Cayo Costa Island but it is a pleasant trip.

This is not a developed attraction and be prepared for a bit of walking to get to the beach. That walk is darn well worth it - some great shells, few people and if you fish, some great beach fishing - Whitey's, Snapper, shark, rays, Sea Trout, and, seasonally, many others.

The scenery is beautiful, the water great, the beaches perfect - a great day away from the typical crowded SW Florida beach scene.

The boat ride out to the state park was a little expensive for my budget, but it was worth it! Our time at Cayo Costa State Park was the highlight of our trip.

We took an all day trip out there. A park employee with a golf cart drove us a short distance from the boat docks to the beach. When we arrived, there was only 1 person on the entire beach besides us.

Go to the left for the best shells! My 9 year old daughter was delighted at all of the treasures we found.

Bring whatever you need for the day. There is only a small park shop. We brought a picnic lunch and waters.

I visited Cayo Costa with some friends for 5 days in November. The place is beautiful, well kept and a joy to visit. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We stayed in the a cabin in which there are 3 bunk beds and a picnic table. Nothing fancy, but clean and fairly comfortable. There is no water or electricity in the cabins, but there is good water in the bathroom. The showers are cold. The beach is beautiful. The boat dock is well made and safe. There is a small store on the island, but don't go expecting to buy your food there. This is a great place if you like to get away and don't need "fancy." We'll be back!

I'd highly recommend this as an activity for your family when visiting the area. The crew on the boat was amazing. We learned so much about hurricanes have changed the local terrain over time, it was fascinating. looking for seashells on the beach was a lot of fun.

We stopped at Cayo Costa in our rented boat to explore a bit and found a most delightful beach. We were given a golf cart ride from the dock on the intercostal side to the beautiful beach on the gulf side of the island by a friendly park employee. We had the beach mostly to ourselves and it is so nice. There are primitive cabins to rent for overnight trips as well if that is your thing. Worth visiting!

My wife and I normally do the nice dinner date, luxury hotel, or a vacation to somewhere with romantic amenities for Valentine’s Day. We wanted something different this year so we decided to do a family trip to Cayo Costa instead. We had originally planned on tent camping but my wife seen the cabins online and thought that it would be fun to stay in one since we usually tent camp at Fort Desoto.

The cabin was great so my wife made a good call. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re looking for luxury, this isn’t that type of cabin. However, there was plenty of space in the cabin for us and our gear. The cabin had a picnic table on the inside and outside of it. There was a grill and firepit at the site as well. Our cabin had a screened in porch but not all of them do. We brought our bicycles in hopes of riding the trails down to the south side but we were told by the volunteers at the park that we were not allowed to. The volunteers are very nice but the Park Ranger confirmed that we were in fact allowed to take the trails to the south side. The thing is, the north side is owned by the state and the rest is owned by the county and have private residences. We were assured that the trails on the south side were open to the public but most were not maintained well enough for bicycles. Unfortunately, we never made it down there but the kids found plenty of shells at Murdock Point.

We stayed for two nights, the weather was great, the sunsets beautiful, and the canopy of stars on pitch black nights were nothing like I’ve seen before. We were so taken by this experience that we went ahead and booked a three night stay a couple months from now. On another note, I lost my wedding ring at the outdoor shower on the morning we were set to leave. I notified the Park Ranger at the front and 45 minutes later, he approached me at the ferry loading dock with my ring in hand and said that another Ranger located it. I was thoroughly impressed that they took the time to try and locate it. Here’s some things to keep in mind when coming to Cayo Costa:

1. Bring 100% deet
2. Bring a Thermacell
3. The tram does not transport kayaks or bicycles. We loaded our gear on the tram, rode our bikes, and met them at the cabin.
4. If you have questions, ask the Park Rangers. The volunteers are great but the Park Rangers are your best source for rules and regulations.
5. Bring ready start charcoal (at least enough for the first night) in case the ferry gets there after the store closes. You can get fire wood it but doesn’t work as well to cook on.
6. Remember there is no electricity or hot water. However, the restrooms were well kept and the cold shower will definitely wake you up.
7. We had cell signal most of the time but there were areas where we didn’t. Bring portable chargers. I have Ryobi tools so we brought all of my tool batteries which we used for our Ryobi lantern that has a USB charging port. Otherwise, you have to go to the Ranger station to charge your devices.

This was a perfect Valentine’s getaway and well worth the money we spent on the ferry ride to get there. This is a must do if you want to get out and experience something different.

If you are a true nature lover who wants to experience the way Florida beaches looked before the condos and motels, take the ferry to this wonderful state park. From there you can sit by the beach, hike the trails or rent a kayak and paddle the mangrove islands or maybe even paddle to lunch. We rented a cabin and stayed 2 nights- perfect stay--the stars shined brightly at night as there is no electric on the island. Great birding too.
Bugs may be bad at certain times but in mid April, only one humid morning was buggy.

We booked a 3 hour trip to Cayo Costa with Captiva Cruises on Captiva Island. We did this 2 years ago and decided to do it again. We took the 9am to 12 pm cruise. Cayo Costa is a state park on North Captiva Island and is only accessible by boat. The cost is 40 dollars per person and they do have water or beer on board if you desire. The ride over takes about 1/2 hour and they have someone who talks about the islands and marine life around the islands during the ride to Cayo Costa. The boat lands on the island and you need to climb down a ladder to get to shore. They do make it very close and you will be in about 4 to 6 inches of water.
You will have about 2 hours of walking the beach to find shells and they are everywhere. Believe me when I say the 2 hours goes very fast. We had about 20 people on our boat and they were everywhere from the first timer to a very particular few who were looking for specific shells. It was a great experience and enjoyed it as much as the first time we went.
Walking the beach and looking for shells (they are everywhere) is a wonderful way to spend a day. They have a day long trip, but one of the women on the boat did it once and said it was too long.
Captiva Cruises does a great job and I recommend them.
One more thing, there is a toilet on the boat. The women in our group did not want to use it, so make sure you think ahead.

Rented one of the rustic cabins for 5 days. Well run park - lots of volunteers and rangers who work hard to make things nice. Rented bikes and rode all over the island and took long walks to the north and south points. Was warm (70's) in January which was great but was very overcast almost all week. So much for Florida sunshine. Might be us bringing the bad luck - we once spent a week in Key West and it rained the whole time :(. Would definitely come back.

Cayó Costa is truly a special place. I visited this weekend for a family camping trip. You take a ferry from the mainland to a real escape. (Note the ferry is pricy-$50 round trip and only left at 2pm). There are no cars on the island but volunteer rangers operate a tram every hour to help get gear out to the camping area. The campsites are lovely and only steps from the beach. There are wonderful trains through the unspoiled interior. We had a lovely late afternoon walk on the beach to collect shells and we had it entirely to ourselves. This an uncommercial, unspoiled, magical island that is totally worth a visit.

The boat ride was fine. $50 each. $5 parking fee. $4 to get into the state park and $6 to get into Sanibel. Expensive trip but what isn't expensive.

The shells were minimual. Water was not clear blue as expected. We snorkeled to find shells but the water was too stirred up and cloudy to really find much of anything. Glad we went to settle our curiosity but would never go back.

Took my 4 year old boy here for his first camping trip and it was an amazing experience. When you arrive at the marina the Captains make it easy for you to load gear on the boat, Captain Blue really went above and beyond as far as entertaining and capturing the interest of the children on board. After about 45 minutes on the boat you arrive at the Island, its very well organized and everyone tends to help one another out with unloading the gear. They have wagons to help bring your gear up to the trolley that will take you back to the camp sites and cabins. once you setup camp take some time to explore the beaches, there are shells everywhere and the water is nice and cool, sunsets are quite beautiful and make for good pictures. The island has a lot to explore, my son and I left on a Friday and stayed until Sunday which came a lot quicker than we expected. Definitely made some memories that neither of us will forget. Book your campsite and let adventure take you to a place that feels like a dream.

We went to Cayo Costa State Park in search of seashells. We had to take a boat to the park but once there we found so many shells!! We spent a couple of hours at the park collecting and then took the boat back to Captiva. It was very pretty and peaceful there and we had a nice time.

We took a ferry over and spent the day. The person who greeted us at the boat dock was well organized and managed the incoming and outgoing guests with a smile. She was also the tram driver and was very helpful - a true joy.

The lady who was in charge of NOT renting kayaks - not so much. We walked in and before we could finish our inquiry she raised her voice and practically yelled at us that she wasn't renting out 'her kayaks' on a day like that - adding that one would have to be crazy to think about kayaking that day. Yes, there had been some rain in the early morning but the skies were then clear and it actually turned into the most beautiful day ever - but just her anger was a bit over the top. It was obvious that - for whatever reason - she did not want to be bothered with checking the weather or renting out kayaks.

Fortunately, the weather was absolutely beautiful, the beach was pristine, calm and quiet. And, we kept joking about the horrible apocalyptic weather that never was. ;-)

We will definitely be back.

We enjoyed three nights of camping on this pristine, untouched island off the Florida coast. From swimming and fishing in the blue water to shelling and walking the well kept trails, if you're looking for paradise look no further!

Yes, bugs and heat and absolute beauty and wilderness are absolute true! We stayed in a cabin and those cabins with screened porches are absolutely a must! The bugs are mean and those that are sensitive to their bites (like me) will suffer immensely. The heat is not for the faint of hear either and i will not recommend elderly, small children and those with cardiovascular problems staying there for the night (day trip should be ok, if you bring sun shelter). The rain and wind stays away, even though you can witness spectacular storms every night, therefore there is no relief even at night. Biking and hiking during the day (in August) is not recommended for the same reasons. I am a healthy 36 year old and I almost had a heart attack trying to bike for more then 1 mile. Cold showers are, therefore, a god sent and lifesaving. The water is potable. the island has its own well, where the water is tested daily. No food can be bought on the island, so bring your own and hide it inside. Its seclusion, its beauty and the abundance of wildlife makes it all worth it! From dolphin, to sea turtles, to manatees. But you have to be ok with racoons and spiders and mice and snakes. Brace through those and you will have most gorgeous sunsets on the deserted beach, bright starry night and, on occasion, the sea that lights up with phytoplancton at night, when touched.

Cayo Costa was one of the highlights of my vacation, and it is a place I know I'll be returning to. I almost don't want to review it for fear I'll draw attention to the island, and what I treasured most about Cayo Costa was the sanctuary of it. We booked a day trip through Tropic Star, and with about 20 other individuals we launched at 9:30 for the state park. It takes about an hour to get to the park, but the Captain gave us a lot of history while we sailed, and dolphins splashed just off the side of the boat. On the island there's a small gift store where you can purchase drinks and ice cream and souvenirs, and also a ranger station where you can rent bikes or kayaks. Other than that, there's some cabins and some bathrooms, and the rest of the island is isolated and wild and ripe for exploration. Every hour a trailer goes between the store/station/dock and the beach/bathrooms/cabins. Between the two there are trails galore. The entire gulf-facing side is pristine beaches that are FULL of giant shells and conchs. If you walk far enough, you'll find your own little piece of paradise to set up a towel and swim with no one in sight. If you stay overnight, you can wake with the dawn and get down to the beaches first, and take your pick of the best shells there are to find...but even if you come in on your own a little later, there's plenty to see. I can't wait to go back.

John, Shannon, Marcus park rangers and Ann, Dennis, were beyond wonderful. They make your trip extra special. They were there for all campers needs. The volunteer and Ranger staff were as magnificant as the scenery, wildlife, beachs and shelling. I don't have any suggestions as to what would have made our trip better unless you find a way to keep nosums at bay.

The cabins were secure, the screen front porch a pleasant osasis for eveing conversations and early morning coffee. The stars and moon were brillant and brighter that any I have experieced since childhood. Wildlife was plentiful, we kayaked and saw 6-8 Manatee with a young calf who loved to frolic, we went to both lagoons and saw many species of fish, an alligator sunning, snowy crane, a duo of hunting ospry, a bald eagle, live conch, local oyster crops, a small band of jelly fish, schools of fish who protected the entrance of their sanctuary and a wide variety of birds that I can't name.

My husband has a degnerative bone disorder that severly limits his walking ability yet the staff went out of their way to be sure that he too would be able to eperience the beauty of the island.

Things to plan for.... Power is available to charge battery and electric devices, trams run to shuttle you from camp grounds to ranger station daily on the hours, gift shop has ice, klondike bars, soda, bottled water, simple items like dish soap and a very limited supply of can good products. They also carry frozen bait fish. There are also sovenier items for purchase. Make sure that you have a light source and bug spray. Nosums are the major culprits of discomfort. If you bring your bike bring extra tubes since sand spurs put your tire out of commision within minutes if you happen to find a patch.... So suggestion... don't ride on the edge of the deep sand, just muscle through it, it won't last long. Be sure that you have your camera with you at all times, you never know what might be around the corner. The bath houses were clean and well stocked with paper products. There is a dish washing sink at the bath house so you don't need to worry about taking two wash basins for dirty dishes. The showers were cold water but I must say it was refreshing at the end of the day and pleasant mid morning.

I hope that you find this post helpful and that you enjoy your trip and find it as relaxing as our family did. Best Regards to you all.

Tammy

Well this is about the closest I will ever get. Only way in and out is by boat, no running water or electricity, just a few sand roads and all natural beach. Once you dock it is about a one mile walk on the sand road to the beach. The cabins are just a few yards off the beach. A few other things there like an amphitheater but just the bare essentials. Nature, peace and solitude rule here.

We go here 6 times a year by boat from Cape Coral. Good shelling on west side. Shuttles go here from Pine Island... Always friendly people on beach.

After spending the winter here & visiting several beaches, we found this one. But far the best in the area, but don't come here, we want it to ourselves! We packed snacks & adult beverages and spent the day. It felt/looked like our beach in the Dominican. There were about 4 other families in a mile of beach.

The shuttle takes you right to the breach. There are also camp sites if you want to plan to stay.

Camping on an island requires a lot of preparation and effort. If you forget it or it breaks, you will do without and everything must be hauled to and from the boat, to the tram, and to the campsite....and you'll do that in reverse when you leave. That said, we had a great trip.

Our family of 5 (2 adults and 3 girls aged 16, 13, and 10) tent camped for 4 nights on Cayo Costa, leaving yesterday. Highlights of the trip included gorgeous and uncrowded beaches, cerulean blue water, amazing sunsets, lagoons full of fish and wildlife, awesome shelling, great paddle boarding and biking, really nice rangers, store staff, and (mostly) volunteers.

Drawbacks:
1. The island is infested with rats (no, seriously....it is awash in rats). While not a nuisance and especially if you are tent camping, be prepared to hear them from dusk til dawn. They will peer into your tent windows/screens and are quite adept at fast roping up the guy lines for the tent. They like to hang out at the bathrooms/dishwashing area in the hopes that some random frightened camper will drop their dirty dishes, toothpaste, shaving kit, etc. They are harmless and actually kind of cute.
2. Biting insects are most unpleasant. We were at the island in early April and also had 3 nights of good wind to drive them away, but spray with 20% picaridin was a lifesaver on the one night the noseeums were pretty thick.
3. There is no hot water nor electricity.
4. All the bathrooms are in the cabin area. The park really needs to rectify this and put a couple in the tent camping area.

Tips:
1. Pack as light as you possibly can. I cannot underscore this enough. You essentially move your gear 5 times on tge front end and on the back end.
2. Campsite 8 definitely has the most shade but Campsite 7 ( at which we stayed) had a great combination of shade and privacy. These are also desirable sites because the tram drops all campers in front of Campsite 1 and from there you are on your own to get all your gear to your site. It is a really long haul to some of the campsites in the back....in the blazing sun and in loose sand.
3. If you want to cover any ground at all, bringing bikes is highly advisable. The tram runs hourly from 9 to 4 but if you desire any degree of independence or to access trails not served by the tram, you're forced to either ride a bike or endure a death march through Saharan-type terrain (at least to go back and forth to the ferry and store). Please note...the tram will not transport your bike to your campsite. Bikes can be rented at the store if you do not bring one.
4. For $15 a person, you can take the Tropic Star from Cayo Costa to Cabbage Key for lunch. For our family, the total cost of the ride plus lunch (with dessert) was about $175. It was worth every penny to not only break up our camping days but also to visit the beautiful little oasis of the Key. We were greeted at the dock by a friendly half-ton manatee and also visited with some friendly gopher tortoises (who are very happy to take any excess lettuce from your sandwich).
5. Bring a LOT of good insect repellant (20% picaridin or 100% DEET) and sunscreen (we used SPF 70 and were fine). Use liberally.
6. Visit the beach at sunset every night.
7. The best shelling we found was at the north end of the island. Take the Quarantine trail to its terminus and walk north on the beach. We found lots of intact sand dollars, lettered olives, and whelks there. On the beach close to the campground, there are a lot of great 'sit and sift' piles of shells which contain many treaures.
8. Bring a 1 or 2 gallon thermos with dispenser and fill it with ice and water each day. In this heat you need to drink a lot.
9. Check all equipment and supplies for completeness, function, waterproofing, etc., prior to your trip. It can mean the difference between a pleasant trip and a suffer-fest.
10. Cell phone charging is highly competitive....think Black Friday. There are 8 plugs to serve the entire island (that includes campers AND day trippers). Unplugging, though, is a good thing.
11. Enjoy meeting new people. They come from all over and are friendly and helpful.

All in all, with humor aside, we have camped on many beaches in NC, SC, and FL, and this beach is definitely in the top 2 or 3. We will certainly be returning in the future to visit and explore this true jewel of an island.

We made it to the Island, Cayo Costa, running from black clouds and a upcoming storm. The Island was still recovering from the last hurricane that swept that way. Sept 2013 is not the correct date of visit, it was a few years back after a major storm, which, knocked down a lot of the trees and foliage. The shelling was the same as some beaches on Sanibel, you just get to go to the private Island and fresh pick your own. We saw a wild bore and 3 babies. There are no facilities so if you have to pp or po po you best find a tree tree. Take plenty water and you can swim if you want to. We had to head back to beat the storm so would actually like to go again someday.

The island is a beautiful piece of Paradise. We stayed in cabin 12 for three days and enjoyed every single part of our stay. The park rangers we all helpful and willing to answer any questions asked. There was a super nice campground hostess named Sandy-that lady seriously is an angel i tell ya-just an amazingly friendly lady all around. It rained every night and we enjoyed listening to it beating on the tin roof of our cute little cabin from the screened porch.The trails were nice for when we weren't wanting to swim. Took kayaks out to Manatee Cove to see the Manatee. Then paddled up to the north end of the island and swam on a little sandy spot. We even took a night hike in the dark up to the north end of the island. The only complaint would be the rude lady in the gift shop. She just wasn't friendly at all and we had other guest mention her rudeness as well. We will be returning very soon to our little piece of paradise. However the ferry fromTropic Star cruise was an awful experience

If you love looking for shells this is the place for you. We have found huge starfish, sand dollars and beautiful shells. Bring a bag u will need it. My teenage boys were bored.

Had a fun weekend at the state park. The staff and ranger were friendly and accommodating. The water at the beach was a weird ice tea color which made it impossible to snorkel but there plenty of cool shells and sand dollars to collect on shore. We rented bikes and checked out the trails which was fun. Overall nice place

Not sure if it was because it was a rainy day or because it was off season but this place definitely didn't live up to it's reputation. We didn't stay long...

On arrival we where greeted by a atmosphere of a military boot camp.

The park rangers are very aggressive in posture and try to imprint the visitors with a image of "We are the police here" making sure you know they will enforce the law.

Cayo Costa Island is a beautiful place to visit the "Cop" mentality should be dropped.

The ferry ride is very informative and relaxed in nature
The crew are very informative and very helpful

Paddled to Cayo Costa for 3 nights of camping. It is a very beautiful place to visit, and camp.

But I do have a complaint about it. You have to buy your wood at the camp store, it is $10.00 for 4 smallish pieces of wood. My favorite thing about camping, at 62 yrs. young, is the campfire. Their wood would burn for about 25 or 30 minutes, kinda expensive to have a 3 or 4 hour campfire each night...Their rules prevent a camper from burning either Palm Fronds, or driftwood.
They encourage (their rule) to leave everything that's on the ground, on the ground. So, with that being said, you will encounter massive amounts of No-See'ems there. They appear at sunrise, and an hour prior to sunset.

We recently spent two nights in Cabin 12. We hiked many miles of very well-marked trails, spent time on a secluded beach, and saw many kinds of wildlife. ALL park staff and volunteers were very pleasant and helpful. Contrary to hearing otherwise cell phone reception was excellent for our Verizon phones. There were cell phone charging stations outside the rangers' office. Our concerns about bugs were minimalized with proper precautions. Our battery operated fans were a great necessity this time of year. The camp store was well-stocked with varied items such as the basics:firewood, ice,snacks and beverages and of course souvenirs. Shower and bathroom facilities were clean and had potable water and hand soap. Enjoy!

We anchored our boat in Pelican Bay and used the Dinghy to go into the docks to get to the park. They have a great dock setup; there are ferries that bring people over to the island for the day or there are campsites and cabins for overnight stays. There are trails and a great beach. They even have a shuttle to take people from the docks to the other side of the island to the beach (it is only a .4 mile walk). They have a cute little store with ice cream and tourist stuff. There is an old cemetery for previous settlers of the island. The graves are outlined in conch shells. They also rent kayaks, paddle boards and bicycles. Since it is remote and only accessible by boat, it is not too crowded, but I understand that reservations for cabins or campsites are needed well in advance in the winter season.

This island is so beautiful! I found lots of beautiful shells. The beach has white send and the water is very transparent and warm at least around summer time. This island has lots of birds.
The state park has camping grounds with running water and bathrooms. There are several trails that you can walk and explore. You will need to take a boat ride to go to the island. The boat company in Bokeelia offers a boat that is very slow and takes forever to arrive in the island where the state park is but it is a safe boat ride. Bring food and water with you. There is no facilities on the beach. Great place! I highly recommend it.

I love this place so much. We took our 4 years old boys and they had a blast. The only bad is how pricey the ferry is but what are you going to do is worth it. The weather was great (April) water a bit cold but it was nice and sunny. I had a great time taking pictures and shelling. (go early in the am before everyone else wakes up) Lol . Make sure you read the information the park offers online before you aarive. Bring you own cooler. I cant believe we saw a couple trying to find one in the island. Lucky for us no bugs that weekend. Didnt even use my bug spray once. Let's see what else? Pack your stuff in big plastic bins as much as possible. The Ferry Captain seems to like it that way. I guess easy to stack up. I was surprise to find out I had cellphone reception. But hey!!! who needs a cellphone when you are having a great time. I cant wait to go back.

I went to Cayo Costa by pontoon boat out of Bokeelia, Pine Island on 03/23/2016 which is a nice ride. Stay the full day if you can as there's more to do than just lay on the beach.

On arrival there are kayaks, bikes, a small camp store and a tram available to take you to the beach and camp ground. If you want to walk, it's about a mile to the beach. I rode the tram over to the beach, but walked back and explored 2 side trails. On one there is a small cemetery of earlier settlers. Both the Cemetery and Quarantine trails were worth walking....or a better idea might be biking.

The beach is beautiful white sand. I went left (south) on the beach and at one point there is a lagoon on one side and the ocean on the other. The lagoon is worth exploring as well. Lots of shells, sea urchins, and star fish were on the beach to the south. Ran out of time so couldn't walk north on the beach past my initial starting point as I intended to walk back to the docks exploring the side trails. If you explore the trails, bring bug spray as some of the trails go into wetter areas of mangrove and tropical hammocks. Didn't encounter mosquitos on the beach or uplands. Also bring drinks and lunch. Had cell service.

Great place to explore the beach, lagoon, and several different land environments in close proximity. Also nice not to have condo towers or over sized houses / McMansions marring the skyline nor to worry about traffic.

Cayo Costa is a fabulous island and well preserved. We stayed here for a night in one of the state park cabins - reasonably priced. We have stayed in many state and national park cabins over the years and they have all been very basic (as expected) but they have been clean and without graffiti. The cabin we stayed in (no 7) was in a fabulous location but inside was horrible. It was filthy and not just sandy but dirty and the plastic covered mattresses were dirty and grubby. There was a table in the centre of the cabin which was sticky and dirty, presumably from previous residents. There was a covered screen at the front but absolutely nothing to sit on, just a basic bench or chair would have been wonderful as sitting on the external bench was impossible due to the mosquitos and other biting insects. We wanted to hang our mosquito net over our bed but were unable to as the beds were attached to the walls

I went to Cayo Costa during Thanksgiving week with other family members, we were 8 in total. The actual renting for the tent campsite is not expensive, but the Ferry to get there is not cheap. I recommend Tropic Star they were awesome. I also recommend getting there on a Sunday morning, since it's less people on the Ferry. The place is so beautiful with miles of beach for you to walk an explore. You can find many beautiful shells. During the weekdays, people like to wind down and go to sleep like at 9 pm so be respectful of that. Then comes the weekend campers who are a bit more energetic and start to wind down like at 11pm. I did hear some people at 2 am on the having fun on the beach. Caution: there is no hot water. You could however take a portable gas tank water heater and connect it to the second bathroom, there are two restrooms. One restroom has open showers and the other has closed showers. You can also take all your dirty dishes to wash at anyone of these restrooms, there's a big sink for that. The bathrooms don't have electricity so make sure you bring your flashlight at night. There is drinking water available outside the restrooms, but don't use the water from the dish washing sink, that one tastes bad. I suggest booking a camp site as close as possible to the bathrooms, if you are the type to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. The night sky is breathtaking! I literally was in awe, I've never seen the stars and moon so close. I camped on tent 9, it was pretty private on one side with lots of trees. Warning: there are a lot of noseeums/mosquitos. I suggest going went the weather is cooler. Bring a repellent that had lots of deet and other repellent equipment if possible. There are a lot of good walking trails, especially the Quarantine trail that takes you to the shore where you can take beautiful pics, worth the walk. Be on the look out for a green can by the trees on that trail, we found it and you're suppose to leave an item inside the box with the date you left it, we put all our names. Buy fire wood ahead of time before you get to your tent because if not you will either walk, walk, walk, to buy some or wait for the team to take you, I think it runs at certain hours. There is a small store that sells candy, chips, chocolate, cold drinks, deet, sweaters, etc. but they don't sell food, so make sure you don't run out of food during your camping trip. Ice is $4 each bag and wood is $10 each bundle, take cash. You can charge your phone at the ranger station. I loved the fact that it feels like you're the only one on the beach. The sunsets are beautiful. Lots of fishing! Someone even caught a shark and they cooked it and gave us some to eat, delicious.
I suggest taking at least one bike. Even though they rent them there, but it's pricey. Take your own. Most campsites have the fire pit on the floor, and that's the only one you have for cooking, a little uncomfortable bending down to cook. I suggest taking your own portable Coleman stove. I would go again but this time not so many days, the bugs are ruthless, but that's camping! I highly recommend Cayo Costa to everyone.

Good experience getting there. The ferry was a bit pricey but it was seamless. Punctual and helpful. The tram on the island was great to get to our site. The cabin was adequate. Ask for one with an enclosure. We didn't know any better. There Is a picnic table and 3 bunk beds inside. We took two if the twin size mattresses each and set up a more comfortable bed on the floor. I improvised a curtain put of tulle to keep door open at night keeping mosquitoes out. A battery operated fan made sleeping a bit more bearable with the heat. There is a fire ring, grill, and a picnic table outside. Get the strongest bug spray possible. Bugs can drive you crazy. I'm happy to announce that the rat problem has been eradicated. However, don't let your guard down because there are raccoons and coyotes roaming around at night. There are bathrooms with flushable toilets, they were very clean. There is drinking water and semi-private showers. No hot water. Not needed in July. The beach was very pretty, clear emerald green water. Lots of sea shells and sand dollars. Nothing exciting to see if you're snorkeling. Not much to fish.. Bring an beach umbrella or canopy. Bring a book or board games. If you have low tolerance for very hot weather, don't come here in the summer. There is a small store with very basic supplies, firewood and ice. Bicycles, kayaks and paddle boards available for rent. There is phone service and internet but bring back up batteries or chargers if you can't live without them. Charging stations were down due to storm damage. If you are high maintenance and can't handle discomfort caused by heat, bugs, lack of electric power, etc, this is not the place for you.

We have a condo on Pine Island and a shallow draft boat (Andros 26). My daughter and wife enjoy fishing in the sound. I always wanted to visit Cayo Costa and do some exploring and shelling. We tied up at the dock, $2, and the ranger tram took us across the island. Nice beach, had to walk a bit, south end, to find shells and very hot ( it's July in Florida), beautiful trails, lots of wildlife including bugs but worth it. Fishing very good on flats on sound side of island, caught many seatrout..Nice little store, friendly staff. We'll be back in May.

We boated over to Cayo Costa from pine island on our boat while visiting family. After arriving & paying a $2 per person fee (bargain!) a pickup pulling a seated shuttle drove right up & shuttled us across the island to the outer beach. It was quiet and almost nobody was there! There is a small campground on the island with some cabins, but it's NOT crowded. Had we not had family with a boat, we would definitely take a shuttle over. It costs about $37 pp to take a shuttle but it would be worth it. WAY better than the beaches in ft Myers or Bonita beach. A natural gem. Also, we saw that you can rent bikes for $10 for 4 hrs. Lots of trails to explore. After we left the island, we boated south a short bit to a small inlet pond on Cayo costa & saw several manatees & a large alligator. GREAT place!

So, first time here, didn't have a lot of info to prepare. It's kind of a hidden gem for good reason.
Like walking on a white, sandy beach without seeing another person? Check. Like bike riding on interesting flora and fauna trails? Check. Like finding beautiful shells? Check. Like sensational sunsets? Check. Like friendly and knowledgeable park rangers? Check. Like electricity? Not for you. Like hot water? Ditto. This place is natural, rustic, and the perfect way to go off the grid for a few days.
Bring powerful bug spray, beach chairs (we forgot ours and your butt gets numb after a while of endless lounging watching the waves), firestarter (friend burned my book to get the fire going, sorry Randy Wayne White, I'll buy another, I promise!), wine in a box - lasts longer, and frozen shrimp and fresh veggies work great for shrimp cocktail or grilled.
You can get bags of ice and firewood at the little camp store. Bring cash.
Heard a few critters outside the cabin at night, but the windows are wide open for fresh air and screened with mesh, so no way inside unless they've mastered doors.
Turn off your phone and enjoy.

Loved the day long visit by ferry to the island. You will love this state park the crowds are controlled by the number of people that can only come by ferry. This is a wonderful natural island the reminds you of old Florida. You can walk for miles along the beach and not see another person. Beautiful shells, Along with starfish washing up on the shore. Love this park and will return again and again.

We (my wife and I) were part of a Sierra Club group that spent a week at Cayo Costa State Park kayaking and hiking. We were pretty much self-contained and transported our food, equipment and kayaks with us. The cabins in the island are basic but adequate. Each contains 3 bunk beds. Nearby bathrooms have toilets, running water and outdoor showers.
There is no electricity or hot water. Each cabin has a picnic table and a fire pit with a grill. You can purchase firewood at the ranger station.

The kayaking was fantastic: in the bay, around nearby islands, through mangrove tunnels and in lagoons. We hiked several of the island trails and walked for hours along pristine shell covered beaches, fished from the shore and enjoyed a wonderful sunset each night.

Cayo Costa is a magical place. Do not hesitate to go if you have the chance.

We just paddled out to Cayo Costa State Park and stayed one night out there. I wanted to get some information about the paddling trip before and did some research. I was told you had to be an experienced paddler and need navigation from one resource and a there is markers all the way out there from another resource. So we (three of us) went and started from Pineland Marina. You can leave the car there over night for a fee and launch your kayak for a fee. The island is visible from the marina and you are almost unable to miss it. It took us 2 and half hours to paddle out there and the current was pushing us, but overall not to bad. We had to cross three busy boat channels, but since the weather was clear we had no trouble. The entry to the State Park is easy to find since they built a new dock and it is well visible once you get out to the island. We got our stuff into the trolley, they had a kayak rack for private kayaks and off we went over the island to the campsite. We chose number 8 because we researched that there is some shade which was true. Also number 26 and 27 as well as number 7 have quite a bit of shade. Once the day visitors left we enjoyed the beach with the overnight people - not to busy during a weekday - and found a lot of beautiful shells. We saw a lot of dolphins, some manta rays and lots of fish and birds.
The night was breezy and since we live in South Florida we came prepared with bug spray so the bugs did not bother us to much. We also had heard that fresh dryer sheets keep the bugs away and tried it out. It seemed to help that we placed them around our tent and on some trees. The next morning the weather started to get questionable, so we decided to paddle back a little earlier then planned. We stopped at Manatee Cove and saw five Manatees having a good time. The way back was a little harder and took us 3 hours of constant paddling since we had some head wind and the current against us. But it was doable. The marina is visible as soon as you come around the first bend of the island leaving Cayo Costa. You have to know your limitations to make the decision if you want to paddle out there, but it is an easy to find spot since you see the destination the whole time in front of you.

We have used Tropic Star for the past 3 years going several times a year to Cayo Costa, and this trip was the worst we have ever encountered. We paid $42 per adult and $32 per child to go and spend 3 days on the island and we were packed on the ferry like sardines, both going to the island and coming from the island. We had to hold the kids on our laps for an hour, because there wasn't enough room.
I noticed on my account an additional charge of $84, I called and asked them about the charge and I was told that the lady that takes care of that is out of the office and won't be back for several days. I told her that there was an additional charge of $84 and she said "Well, someone in your party made arrangements to come on Saturday and called and canceled". I explained that the reason they canceled was because they had asked you about coming for the day and she never received an answer so she thought she would be stuck on the island over night. So was charged for them, because in the office they didn't get the credit card info on them so Tropic Star just decided to charge me for it. When I called to tell them I was told "Oh well, you won't be getting your money back." I explained that I didn't authorize the charge on my card, and I was promptly told "That's not the way we do things."
So now I have to go to my bank and tell them that I didn't authorize that charge.
I have never seen so much chaos in my life as I did this past weekend.
WE WILL NEVER USE TROPIC STAR AGAIN. PLEASE BEWARE

Took a 3 hour cruise trip to Cayo Costa to hunt for shells. Beautiful day for it, with warm sunshine, light breezes, and quiet beach. Came home with far more beautiful shells than we needed, but loved every minute of it with my family!

Have been there many times and can vouch for the shelling on the gulf side. Never forget the day we boated there and, in addition to the dolphins that were flirting with the young ladies to the stern, I saw a giant sea turtle rising up from the waves on the way back. They have primitive cabins and campsites - notice they are often featured in Sierra Club featured volunteer stays. There is a vibrant Friends Group that shows the commitment of the locals to this special place.

Accessible by boat only. Be sure to check out the other local islands on your trip (Cabbage Key, Useppa, and Pine Island - home of the Randall Research Center where the Calusa used to roam).

Had a wonderful day on ferry and on the beach. We took the ferry out of North Pine Island at the Jug Creek Marina. We arrived with all our "stuff". Three chairs, small cooler, fishing equipment for shore fishing and of course sun tan lotion. We arrived at the marina 1/2 hour before (9:00 AM) for departure to Cayo Costa. You go to the Jug Creek Marina store to pay a $6.00 parking fee and buy and bait etc that you might need. (Friendly folks!)
Captain Mike pointed out very interesting current and historical facts and some legends of the area. It was approximately a 45-60 minute ride to the dock at Cayo Costa State Park. We quickly disembarked and loaded the tram with our "stuff". Some folks had bicycles, others kayaks, or others with minimalist attire/gear for the day. There are bathrooms at the arrival dock or at the drop off area near the beach if needed, then it is a short tram ride to the beach area. When you reach the beach after a short walk you choose to go to the right (North) or left. To the right looked to be more sandy and a wider beach. We chose going to the left because I thought it might offer better from shore fishing opportunities. You arrive and are settled at your spot about 11:00 AM. Your need to be back to the tram area by 3:00 for a 3:30 departure. We would have liked another hour but it was still OK. The cost was $32 which includes the cost to enter the State Park ($6.00).
All in all we had a great time! Even caught a few fish!

Looking for an outdoor adventure, my husband and I kayaked to Cato Costa from Bokeelia.(not sure of the distance from up Jug creek to the state park but anywhere from 5-8 depending on your route.) It took us about 3.5 hours of fairly steady paddling. We did make one stop on Patricio Island about 1/2 way. We spent some time on the lovely beaches of Cayo Costa. The water seems cleaner than other beaches in the area. There is no development to speak of on Cayo Costa and it's out further in the Gulf than most barrier islands in the area. We walk around the lovely trails. I had been here before to bike around the island. The bugs were bad- mosquitoes and no-seeums and there are showers- cold ones that is and no supplies to speak of for sale. But we passed a quiet night. Due to wind and fog the next day, we decided to take the ferry back- a bit pricey- $42 each. Everyone we encountered was helpful and friendly. People seemed to go out of their way to accommodate us. I had forgotten the tent poles and the rangers helped by searching for things that might help. The lent us posts and rope, which did the trick. A fun adventure!

It's a long boat ride, but totally worth it. It would be even more worth it to have time to stay on the island in one of their cabins or tent-camping. There definitely isn't enough time to enjoy the island on the King Fisher's time schedule. Great shelling beach. A trolly takes you from the dock to the other side of the island.

We stayed at Cabbage Key and took a small Skiff to Cayo Costa. We only saw one other boat and had the beach to ourselves. Of course August is very hot with mosquitoes.

great place to walk inky the sun set and just relax love it so pretty not so busy with people go and enjoy your self

We took the cruise over to Cayo Costa to go shelling! A few things to be aware of...this is not a typical tourist area...there are no concessions or bathrooms. The boat will stay with you and you can keep items on the boat but there are things that are essential to bring. Sunscreen, hat/visor, sunglasses, light clothing/bathing suits and WATER are musts. Walking around is very hot since there is no shade. The shells were ok... we didn't find anything different than on Sanibel but the plants/scenery were nice!

One of the most untouched beaches that you can imagine.Take a boat over to the island,relax and enjoy the quiet!!!

Spent the day. This place only accessible by boat so to a day ferry over. State ranger took us by tram to beach. Only 4 people on ferryvthatcday so besides usxand few campers we had beach to ourselves. Its a place to go shell. Nonelectricity on island so if you want to camp be prepared. About as remote as you can get in Florida and not commercial!

Our family has religiously tent-camped on Cayo Costa a week at a time for the last several years. The fishing is plentiful, the shelling amazing, the tent sites spacious, the rangers and volunteers friendly, and we love the seclusion. The bugs, the heat, the raccoons, the cold showers we easily deal with, no biggy, but this spring break, however, we've encountered the island infested with rats. Not mice and not just some. Big curious bold rats that swarm the tent sites in armies as soon as the sun goes down, and keep chasing each other, squealing all night long. Even during the day we've seen them in the sink by the bathroom. The thought of the rats on top of the tent (yep, they used it as a jungle gym), picnic table, chairs etc, their feces and urine all over our site, and particularly the diseases they might carry was worrisome. Two in our group developed a blistery rash. Another family left the island early because of an identical rash, which they thought might have been just sun poisoning. We liked to think of it that way, too, rather than a symptom of some rodent-borne disease. We completed our week-long stay despite the rats, but they're enough to keep us from going back. I hope the park service will come up with a solution for cutting down on the tremendous rat population not just for the tourists' health and comfort, but it seems like any species that's exploded so quick on a tiny island is bound to created havoc in its ecosystem.

My family recently rented a house on the island for a holiday escape. I'm not much of a beach bum, preferring ski resorts to sandy beaches in the winter time but this was fantastic. We basically had the beaches to ourselves. "Busy" days were when we saw maybe 4 other people on the beach. Lots of walking, shelling, bird spotting, and fishing. My dad and brother caught some fish both in the lagoons and from surf fishing. The water wasn't quite warm enough to swim but for December I couldn't really expect anything less. It was still okay to wade in when the sun got a bit warm. If you're idea of a FL vacation is beyond Disney and crowded "hotspots" then this is the place for you.

One has to catch a ferry to get to this island, but the trip there is another good adventure. The beach is very nice and going south on the beach there is a place where the shells are layers deep, varied, and in beautiful color and shape.

Cayo Costa Island is a great place to visit and the camp sites are very nice. The beach is gorgeous and the water is full of life. Shells, manatees, dolphins and a myriad of fish and wild life abound. Staff are very nice and helpful. A tram runs regularly to go from the campsites to the entry where the station and store are.
2 words of precaution, the hammock sites only handle 1 hammock per site if you use the poles. They do not want you to use the trees. 2nd, depending on the time of year, the No-Seeums are crazy. These tiny gnats will get through most nets and chew on you all night. The volunteer says they usually go away after October.
Overall, great destination with campsites close to one of the best beaches in Florida.

We come here almost annually. It changes each year as the tides rearrange the landscape, but the shelling is always plentiful and the beach is rarely crowded. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen. There are restrooms on each end of the main pathway through the island and a tram runs continuously. That said, from the dock, the beach and campground is only about a half mile walk, mostly in the shade.

I loved the ferry ride to Cayo Costa. I loved the beautiful clean cool beach. The water feels great, the shells are unbelievable. Found some like I never seen before. I took pictures of all the different trees and plants. They also have showers by the bathrooms.Take a picnic and cooler with drinks. I also bought some very large shrimp and grouper when we got off the ferry to go back to vacation home. That guy has a nice selection right beside where you pay for ferry. You can buy some items in store before you get on ferry and a small store on Cayo Costal..with no food.

If you are looking for the "Real Florida" like it was before all the attractions got built - this is the place. Great low keyed camping. Sites and cabins are primitive and you do need to take a ferry boat to get there but it is well worth it. We drove 4 hours out of our way to get there and it was well worth it. I hope to return soon. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I was very impressed on how the ferry and shuttle services operate very timely. The hiking trails are good and beaches even better. You can rent bicycles and kayaks there also

It's about $50 a person for the ferry to get to Cayo Costa, and I was led to believe that we would be heading to the island promptly at 2 pm and leaving at 1 pm the next day. We were told we had to arrive an hour prior each time. We arrived to wait for the ferry at 1, and didn't actually leave until 3. Once we finally got to the island, it was another hour of waiting for everyone to load onto the tram until we actually stepped onto the campsite. So, our stay actually started at 4 pm. The whole day was pretty much gone. The campers next to us were very loud and obnoxious until 1 AM, despite the quiet hours. There was no enforcement of them. The next morning, we had to be packed up and ready to go at 11 because we were told we needed to catch the 11 am tram to be on the dock by 12 for the ferry, which leaves at 1. We were specifically told to take the 11 am tram. So basically we had no time to do anything at all on this trip, complete waste of money, will never go back unless staying multiple days and even then it wouldn't be worth it (nobody wants a bunch of noise all night when you go there to get away from people). If you have your own boat it would probably be much better, but be prepared for a good 3 hours of waiting if you're taking the ferry. We did try to call to get a later departure time the next day, but it was all booked, so don't count on that option. The park itself is lovely, it's a shame we couldn't really enjoy it.

Worth a visit for walking and shelling; beyond that there's not much reason to go there, and little that would interest children and teens. There are minimal facilities besides a small gift shop. Access to the island is via Captiva Cruises. A free tram is available to ferry you the mile or so across the island to the Gulf side, where the beaches are located. Cayo Costa State Park's principal purpose is wildlife preservation rather than tourism. There's more to see and do at neighbouring Boca Grande.

Since the park website can be short on details I thought I would share some practical advice on visiting and camping on the island.

The daytripper and camping boats are met in the marina atea by tram which will take you the 0.75 miles to the Gulf Beach. If you prefer to walk, there's only one road out aof the marina area (east side) and it is a 15-20minute walk to the beach.

On the marina side there are bathrooms with flush toilets and a camp store. The camp store has some basic supplies and snacks. You can rent kayaks and bikes from the camp store. The kayaks are sit on top single and doubles. They do not have a good place to store gear and expect water on the bottom of the kayak. If you take your phone put it in a dry bag to protect it.

There are bathrooms at the marina area and the gulf beach side. There are flush toilets at each. Cold water showers are available on the beach side.

Start your outing with a narrated cruise up to the island by very friendly crew members. Arrive on the dock and a short ten minute walk through the mangroves opens to beautiful beaches as far as you can see in both directions. We enjoyed 2 hours of shelling.... More shells than I have ever seen. I would definately recommend booking with Captiva Cruises. The AM half-day cruise was just perfect as the day was sunny and hot.

I have been here in 30 years... Island was beautiful . Sunset amazing . Beach weather perfect.. Any part of island you can claim your own private beach . We did fishing and rented bikes . We had a cabin.. Perfectly sectioned off from all others .. I don't think any one cabin is best :: they did nice job spreading them out .. Bring cash // for firewood. Recommend mosquito netting for bed and skin so soft for mosquitos in am and dusk. Showers had great water pressure .. We are most definitely going to return but this time for more than 2 nights .

beautiful secluded beaches... ospreys on nests, dolphins in the gulf with their young, and lots of gorgeous shells.... definitely worth the trip!!

Great island. Away from the crowds!!
The night belongs to the rats. If you stay overnight be prepared!! They chew through anything that has food unless you have a critter proof container.

I have visited Cayo Costa twice now both times were very memorable. It is an undeveloped barrier island just North of the hustle and bustle of Captiva and sanibel but it feels like being stranded on a deserted island. I recommend renting one of the small cabins. They are not luxury but it gets you off the ground and away from the florida ants, which I got to experience the first time we tented it. The florida state park website handles all the reservations. When you arrive on the island (usually from the tropic star in Bokeelia) a tram meets you and you load all your gear onto it where upon they drive you a mile or so to the other side of the island where the campsites are. The park rangers have a small store where they sell firewood, ice, even ice cream treats, shirts, bags and some food. But plan ahead. Dont forget your bug repellent to keep the noseeums away from your ankles, and some ant killer to spray around the cabin doorway. At night we heard/saw som 7 banded armadillos searching around the campsite. They are not too shy. The first time I was there we saw alligators and wild pigs (small ones), lots of ospreys nesting too. They have great trails to explore with the kids. The island has some of the best shelling in the United States. Perfect sand dollars, whole shells everywhere. We had fun, camp fires at night. The island is very dry, alot of the plants reflect that with cactus's and succulents among the normal florida australian pines, sea grapes and such. I would love to return. About a 3-4 day trip is perfect. After that long I was starting to imagine a burger and fries. Winter visits seem best as the summer temps here can soar. Bring bottled water.

An absolutely beautiful day trip but it wasn't enough time to see much except the beach. It felt like the minute we got there we unpacked our beach bags and it was time to pack back up. No shells to report but the tide was wrong for that. Disappointed but not surprised. No bugs either.

We took a boat over to the state park where we were dropped off at the dock. From there we drove a tram type vehicle to the beach on the other side of the park. We had packed a cooler and picnic lunch and beach chairs. The views were absolutely gorgeous. We walked for hours along the shoreline looking for seashells and sea life. We saw a starfish, several sand dollars, some sea urchins and sea sponges along with a plethora of seashells. It was a very relaxing, enjoyable day.

We set out from the marina on Captiva Island, and enjoyed a short boat ride (30 minutes or so) to Cayo Costa. As an extra treat dolphins played in our wake for a few minutes, leaping and twirling for us. According to the boat's captain, they actually enjoy the cheers and attention of humans, and get livelier the more attention is paid them.
We docked on the Pine Island Sound side of Cayo Costa, and traversed the island via a short path, to the Gulf side. Ours was the only boat on the island that morning, so people stretched themselves out along the beach pretty quickly and it did not feel crowded. My wife and I quickly walked pretty far down the beach to get ahead of the crowd, and then started seriously shell-hunting. Cayo Costa is covered with seashells. As with many beaches, most of the shells have some damage to them, but with so many shells it is possible to find some real prizes. We came home with lots of periwinkles, cowries and olives, more vari-colored clam and oyster shells than anyone could know what to do with, but most especially several intact tornados and conch. Not giant conch, but nice ones nonetheless.
The ocean is kind to those who respect her. My wife picked up one pretty shell, but discovered that it was occupied, and carefully set back into the surf. Moments later, an incoming wave deposited one of the intact (empty) conchs right at her feet.
Other than a handful of private homes, this is an undeveloped island. I.e., no snack bar, no restrooms, bring water. Just FYI.

We have visited a few times over the years to do walks to the beach. Today we did that plus cemetery trail and walked for 2 hours and 5 miles. Gorgeous day and not many people. Just nature at its best.

Beautiful island, with no commercial businesses. Natural habitat with beautiful beach. Very clean, lots of wildlife.

we stayed at a private house rental and explore the state park daily.it was awesome, the staff is great. the beaches are uncrowded and pristine,the wildlife is abundant,,this place takes you back to days when life was simpler. we stayed one week,if you do not have a boat.. bring everything you need.. the small store at the ranger station sell simple staples.. barely,, bait, ice, and soda.. candybars..sunscreen bug repellant i believe firewood..

We used King Fisher fleet to get to the island, with a tram ride to the beach side. No time to stop at the small visitor center for snacks, rentals, or anything.Don’t even know if it were open.

The beach is beautiful ( what beach isn’t?!), the water warm and easy to enter or more important - to get out. ( if you don’t understand this part of my review, you’ve never been swimming where a ledge/drop off and waves conspire against you as you try to walk out gracefully).

DO NOT bring a large cooler, esp. one that doesn’t roll over sand!
DO bring water and sunscreen as it is a longish walk to the beach.

For shelling, a scoop/ sieve can be helpful or you’re sure to have the shell that got away.

Disclaimer: we were staying on a Key with a private beach. There were about as many people on Cayo Costa as on our beach. If you are not staying/ living on a beach, this place could be a Must Do.

Our cooler exhausted us trying to lug it to the beach. I did find my best shells here but for pure quantity, try North Jetty beach.

I've been going to this Island since I was 7 years old, It's absolutely beautiful and a great place to vacation.

We anchored our boat in Pelican Bay, not too far from the small dock, and spent the night. It was absolutely beautiful! The natural habitat and peacefulness made it a perfect anchorage. We kayaked into a small, quiet cove where we saw a baby manatee and mother.

The following day, we went down to the south end of the island, through Captiva Pass and spent several hours on the beach. It's nice to have an opportunity to go where there are no roads and very few people. We look forward to returning an exploring more of this slice of paradise!

One of the nicest beaches we have seen since moving to cape coral.. Enjoy more than Sanibel or fort Myers beach. Away from the crowd

My sister and I go on trips together, and a 4 day stay in one of the cabins was part of this year's trip. However, the weather did not co-operate so we cancelled 2 of our days. If you go, you need to book way, way ahead. Took the ferry from Bokeelia. Take everything you need but a mattress. All cabins are close to the lovely beach. We hoped to snorkel but the water was cloudy. Not much of interest shelling. Definitely rent a kayak and ask for directions to the bay where the manatees and the alligator live - you can do it in an hour. Good bike riding also. Will hopefully go back.

We spent two nights on Cayo Costa...fantastic, memorable, buggy.

We took the ferry over, and had nice chats with Capt. Bruce & first-mate Joe (who has a funny story about his grandfather). It takes about an hour, then another 10 minutes or so on the tram to the Gulf side.

The tram drops off you & your gear at the "amphitheater", which is walking distance to the camp sites, then follows a loop to all of the cabins. Part of our group was in a cabin and the rest of us camped.

The reservations system through Reserve America was irritating and confusing. Why aren't there better maps and explanations of what to expect on the State website? Anyhow, we got off to a bad start. But once you see the beach (about 1/4 mile hike from the campsites) your daily troubles melt away.

The beach is pristine, quiet, long. The water is pretty clear, although the drop-off is quick; watch your little ones. We saw dolphins within minutes of getting in the water. And the sunsets were really stunning.

I would agree with other TripAdvisor reviewers who claimed this to be the "buggiest place on Earth". Rough night, even after smothering ourselves with bug repellant. Armies of mosquitoes, no-see'ums, spiders, gnats...and that was in the first 15 minutes. Semper Paratus.

The campsites were fairly spacious, although you can hear other campers easily. Some campers had boom-boxes going, one group was mangling Nirvana on acoustic guitars and the worst was the couple who carried on cellphone conversations...on speakerphone! People: turn your cellphones off! You're on vacation! I am, too! But everyone observed the 11:00 pm quiet rule.

Each night, we were visited by armadillos. We also spotted a 5' snake next to the tent. Bring a flashlight.

We rented kayaks for an hour, but could have done more. The highlight was seeing a huge dolphin meander right past our kayaks in Manatee Cove, a 20-minute paddle south of the launch. We also saw a croc in the Cove and a brown recluse in our kayak.

The bikes are simple but can be a tough pedal in the sand. Most trails are ground shells & pine needles. I took one trail to the northern tip of the island...a sweet, secluded spot looking across the turbulent channel to Boca Grande. Then I biked to the site of the old Quarantine House, where a plaque explains the history, and you can see the pilings where the medical examiner lived 100 years ago. The trail south of the campsites is also interesting, leading you to a gator-filled lagoon.

The staff people at Cayo Costa were all very friendly and helpful, including the ranger who helped us relocate the brown recluse, Mary the Tram Driver and the sweet volunteers in the gift shop.

Other than frustration with Reserve America and battle fatigue from fighting insects, our Cayo Costa Caper was fantastic. I would return (better prepared).

It's interesting to read the various reviews, from one star to five star. They all describe Cayo Costa more or less the same but the reviewers have very different reactions. Cayo Costa State Park is a pretty natural experience, for better and worse. That means you get the sun, wind, stars, meteors, sunsets, surf, sand, odors, heat, sweat, insects, dolphins, birds, manatees, tortoises, snakes, raccoons, spiders, etc. that naturally exist in a place like this. If you love that, CC is 5 star. If you love your comfort more, it's less than that.

In my opinion, the park has just the right level of amenities, which is not much. This is not a resort or mall. The screened cabins can be sultry and sticky but we slept ok. We used insect repellent but still got pretty bitten up, so ok we itch for a few days. Running water at the minimal rest rooms is nice to have. The tram works well but only runs once an hour, so plan on it or take a nice 3/4 mile walk. Boat access is limited, so plan on that also and take what you need but not a lot more.

Nine of is visited last week, arriving in our sea kayaks with everything we needed. We occupied two screened cabins for four nights and did hikes, bike rides, and wonderful day paddles. Days were in the low 90s and nights were in the mid 70s and VERY humid. It took us 2 1/2 hours to paddle from Pine Island Marina and 4 hours to paddle back because of a stiff headwind. Much of our visit we were tired, sweaty, and bug-bitten but we loved it for the beauty.

We were pretty self-sufficient but all the services we needed worked very well. I recommend that potential visitors get a realistic idea of conditions to be expected and prepare themselves well. If you go with unrealisitic expectations of comfort or care, you will probably not have a good time.

Beautiful beach. We use a private boat, so we don't have to worry about the ferry, but you do need a boat or ferry reservation to get there.

Holiday weeks have been crowded - maybe 150 people there and visible. Off weeks are less so (from prior years experience). They have updated both the gift shop and ranger station. Do check out the sea turtle shell and shell displays.

Shelling requires vigilance, but the shells are there. My sister in law pulled a sand dollar out of the surf yesterday. We are getting dropped at a more remote area today for better shelling (several miles away from the beach).

I love this island. It's peaceful, calm, and you have moments of blissful solitude.

Stayed 3 nights. Fabulous weather. The park rangers were friendly, especially the lady tram driver. Stayed in cabins 1 and 2. Rented bikes (get there at 9am) rode to Boca Grande Pass. Ice cold showers -
refreshing. Stars at night were bright. Bring bug spray.

What a jewel this State Park is! My husband and I took our rental boat over and docked for a few hours. We were not camping but wanted to see the area.
BIG TIP~ Rent one of the bikes there to get around! Much faster and cooler! And stash some cold drinks in your backpack because it can get hot! Very friendly park rangers.
I can't comment on the camping but the view at the north end is stunning! Beautiful turquoise water!!

You can come by ferry or by private boat or dinghy. A great place to spend the day or several days for camping. Wear comfortable shoes to walk from the entrance to the beach or if you come by private boat you can beach your boat and go shelling on the beach. They also have a road called "Cemetery Rd" which leads to a small well cared for cemetery. Bring a picnic to enjoy on the beach.

Cayo Costa State Park is a true gem in the Florida State Park collection. accessible only by boat, the park offers peace and tranquility. The island (Cayo Costa) is pristine and tropical, with miles of trails and miles of white sand beaches (great shelling). Canoes and kayaks and cabins/campsites are available for rent.

Went there for a couples retreat... expected to get bug bites but never thought id come home with unwanted guests.

Rat/bird mites were camped out all over my gear. Seven months and thousands of dollars later, im still dealing with the problem. Most expensive trip ever for my family and I.

Dont get me wrong, the island is pretty but brought forth a lot more headaches, expenses and possible health issuea than i bargained for. I will never set foot on that island again.

If you have never been to Cayo Costa State Park it is a must-do if you are in the area. The beach was amazing, unspoiled and not very crowded. We traveled by water taxi out of Jensen's marina on Captiva island with Captain Jack as I wanted to arrive earlier than some of the other charters. We arrived at the dock at 8:40am and walked to the beach on the gulf side is the island. This was a very pretty walk that is just under a mile in soft sand. We only saw 2 people on the beach before 11am!!! There were some families in the campground, and cabins but no one at the beach when we arrived. If you want peace and quiet head north (right) when you get to the beach. There is a tram that takes you to the beach from the docks that runs every hours beginning at 9am for those who choose not to walk. There are restroom close to the dock and in the camping area. This is a very secluded state park so plan accordingly. We packed everything we needed for the day, lunch, water, sunscreen, but spray, towels, etc.

We've always rented a small charter or our own boat from Jensen's Marina to get here. On a weekday it can feel like you're on a deserted island. On weekends, there is more boat traffic. Cayo Costa is scenic, has clear water for snorkeling, and offers a great variety of shells on either side of the island.

In trying to figure out how to spend the day until we could check into our condo, I am so happy I stumbled upon Cayo Costa. We had a wonderful day. With a young child, two hours was perfect for us. (We did the combo tour with lunch first at Cabbage Key.) Without a child, though, I easily could've spent longer.

I wrote details about our trip in my blog: http://meetthespooners.blogspot.com/2014/04/killing-time-in-paradise.html

We have visited the island many times, each one being a delightful experience! We go by boat (dingy to shore) and have never spent the night. The beaches are gorgeous with fabulous shelling and are never crowded. Outstanding wildlife: birds, armadillos, manatees and alligators in the lagoon, etc. We also enjoy riding the rental bikes on the various paths. We came day enough wonderful things about the island!

The shells on the beach were unbelievable. I have never seen so many at once. The island is only accessible by boat, we went with Captiva Cruises. It was a 30-min boat ride from Captiva and we had 2 hours on the beach. There are no facilities in the area we were, so if you go by private boat, plan accordingly. 97% of the island is state park and the water/sand were great.
If you’re looking for a place to do some great shelling; this is a must-visit! We even found several sand dollars.

Cayo Costa was a great day trip for us to leave Sanibel and truly experience a remote beach. Red tide was a minor issue on Sanibel and Cayo Costa had no issues so kids had a great time snorkeling. We found sand dollars and star fish. Great day!

We all enjoyed our day on the beach at Cayo Costa. The hiking trails are very nice, the beach and water on the gulf side are beautiful. There are bikes, kayaks and cabins available to rent at reasonable prices.

Very peaceful and relaxing setting. Non commercial and later back. Nice shops and food choices to walk around. The canopies of the trees are beautiful. Exciting to watch fishermen boats off shore when the Tarpon are hitting.

Best beach by far. Few people. Isolated and great birding. Good restrooms. By boat or ferry only. We had a boat which was a great way to visit.

The beach here is very nice. I should say "Beaches" for there are several. Well, actually, it's just one very long beach about 9 miles long with lots of turns and coves and wraps around the end. The majority of the visitors that come here don't venture too far from the main beach area, but several do head off around the island in search of seashells, seclusion and serenity. For serious shell, seclusion and serenity seekers, I would not recommend the "3 hour tour." For one, the name itself reminds me of Gilligan's Island and that scares me a bit, but mainly because 2 hours on this beautiful island oasis is just not enough. Bring you're umbrella, your favorite picnic lunch and lots to drink and spend the day exploring and getting LOST in this beautiful island rhapsody.

We took a boat trip out to Cayo Costa through a charter service at Punta Gorda. It was a great experience. Dolphins followed us to the island and we enjoyed our time there. Come prepared with lunch and snacks because you don't have any options (aside from a small snack shack) on the island. And be sure you have your snorkel gear, great sights!!!

Bare bones basic cabin #6 became our humble abode for 2 nights & 3 days! Great place to get away from city life! Build a fire in the evening, shell and enjoy the fabulous Gulf Coast sunset on night #1 and even got to experience a lightening & thunderstorm over the Gulf on night 2! Rangers were very friendly, professional, thanks much Shannon & your staff. Volunteers on the island were just as friendly & professional and very informative!

We rented a pontoon boat from Jensen's marina on Captiva Island and headed to Cayo Costa Park early one morning. We were glad we got there early, as docking spaces can fill up fast. Cost to get in is $2/pp and there is no additional fee to tie up at the dock. There is a shuttle that will cart you from the docking area to the beach; it is 8/10 of a mile, which can be a long walk with all of your beach gear! The shuttle is much appreciated, thank you state park volunteers, we truly appreciate you!!!
There are some trails to walk (we did not do this) and a couple of sheltered picnic areas, and restrooms near the camping area and where you get dropped off by the shuttle. From there it is a short walk on a trail through the sand/brush to the beach. There were plenty of open spaces for us to find a private little spot on the beach. We could look all the way to our right and see not a soul, it was beautiful. There are some waves/surf and the water is not super clear. We found a few shells, but nothing spectacular. Lots of spiny sea urchins rolling up on shore, so wear your water shoes! Don't forget the sunscreen!
This state park is only accessible by boat - there are a few places that ferry people there and back and it seemed to work pretty well. I would use that service if I were to return to the area. Having our own boat was nice too; we had a picnic lunch on the boat and just generally hung out and relaxed, people watched, etc.

The crew was very friendly and helpful to all passengers, young and old. We arrived at beach and were able to search for sea shells and swim in the warm Bay water. The First Mate assisted passengers to off load via a ladder upon arrival. Also assisted boarding at at departure time.

You can only get to Cayo Costa State Park by boat (your own or one out of Punta Gorda or Pineland). It's seven miles of unspoiled Gulf beach. No commercial development, so bring a picnic lunch. There are also funky cabins to rent for overnight stays.

Pam Rambo from ILOVESHELLING ran a shelling trip to Cayo Costa. Fantastic Time, educational, gift certificate to conger's jewerly. Great day!

A beautiful secluded beach, arrive only by boat. Arrival by boat only, personal or the local ferry; after docking a SP worker will take you on the tram to your cabin, campsite or the beach. Extremely rustic sites with no electricity, and cooking on a fire pit/grill.
Bring your camera, bathing suit and a towel and enjoy the stretch of beautiful beach in which a plethora of seashells abound.

Can only arrive to this beach via a boat. Check out Tropic Star of Pine Island Boat Tours to travel there. Lovely island with fantastic shells and sand dollars in the water and beach. Super beautiful beach but take your lunches and drinks because nothing really to buy there.

THE RATS!!!! They have taken over the campground. They crawled over our tents in the night and they chewed anything and everything. We loved this park but we will not go back until the park does something to remedy the rat problem. If you are considering a cabin instead, you should know that on our last day a rat was in one of the cabins and bit a woman. We heard her scream. They left early too. It is too bad that the park staff could not eradicate the rats during the Covid shut-down. The situation is horrible and I strongly recommend you reconsider camping overnight at this park.

Went to Cayo Costa for the first time over Memorial Day weekend. Took the Tropic Star charter boat over to the island. This was my first time tent camping.

The good - very friendly staff on island - rangers, grounds keepers, camp store clerks were all great! Although quite old, the bathrooms were well kept and well stocked. Had a great time riding bikes on the trails, walking on the beach, watching sunsets, relaxing at our camp fire and star gazing.

The not as good - other reviewers are on point, it is HOT and there are a lot of BUGS (end of May). I recall reading one review noting the sun rules the day and the bugs rule the night - this is very true. No amount of bug spray saved me. I will take loose fitting long sleeved clothing next time for the evening.

Tips - The ferry and camp were very busy due to the holiday weekend. This is to be expected, but if you want a more relaxing/less people experience I would recommend to go during the week or a non-holiday weekend. Once at the camp, we made the mistake of thinking we could walk to our site with our heavy cooler (with tiny plastic wheels). It was brutal, we pretty much drug it over a mile through a sandy path. Be patient and wait to load your stuff on the shuttle.

The ferry - Tropic Star staff were great! You have to leave your car keys at the marina. I think each bag is to be 50 lbs or less. I think coolers are the exception to this, as there were many giant coolers on our boat. They will take kayaks and paddle boards for additional fee and I think bikes too. There is a food truck at the marina selling BBQ, burgers, etc. I didn't try it, but it smelled good.

Tents and Cabins - I was expecting the tent sites to be a little closer to the beach and not so close to each other. There is a large dune between the tent sites and the ocean. It was a five minute walk to the beach. The tent sites are very sandy and have a lot of ash from camp fires. My feet were dirty all weekend. Take a tarp/welcome mat for your tent to help keep the sand out.

We stayed at tent site #10. It has evening shade, but not much in the morning. Despite the distance, we had a nice sea breeze through the tent. Site #9 was directly beside us with only a two rail fence between. If you have a large group booking #9 and #10 together might be nice. Sites #11 and #12 were more secluded. Also note that only some sites have hammock poles - I think it says which sites somewhere on their website. #11 and #12 are also furthest from the bathroom. This makes for a long and dark walk to the bathrooms if you have to go in the middle of the night.

There are also cabins. Some with screened porches and some with open porches. I'd like to come back and try a cabin. The bugs were terrible, so the screened cabins 1-4, 7 and 12 would be my pick. Cabin #7 and #12 were my favorites.

Bathrooms - There are a few bathrooms (I think three) for the tents and cabins. The bathroom nearest the tents has two stalls for ladies, two sinks with mirrors. I think one stall for the men. It is dark in the bathroom, even during the day, as there are only sky lights. It was very well kept all weekend and always stocked with toilet paper. The deck of the bathrooms has two open showers. If you fancy a shower with a door, there was one in the cabin section - still outside, but more of a stall with a door that goes from about knee to shoulder.

Water - The water from the bathroom sinks is fine to drink. They also have sinks outside the bathroom for doing dishes. We filled our water at these sinks.

Trash - there are trash and recycling collection areas throughout the camp.

Camp store - you can purchase shirts, hats, hoodies, charcoal, water, fire wood, ice, soft drinks, ice cream and other snacks here. There is also a small assortment of medicine and such. We rented bikes from the camp store. Come early to get your pick of bikes! The hours are 9-3. I think you can buy fire wood from the ranger station after 3:00 - cash only.

I'll be back, but probably will rent a cabin during a cooler time of the year.

The day was beautiful the sun was out and the water had the teal color. Hearing the waves crash was so relaxing. The shells are amazing there are so many to capture while your there. Make sure you bring plenty of sunscreen and shoes to walk on the shells, net for the shells (I had a bucket and shovel and it didn't do as well as I liked), bag for the shells, A small cooler (just remember you will have to carry all what you bring). This would be perfect to go at low tide and see all the shells that the water covers. I even had live clams wash up my feet which I made sure they were placed back into the water. This is a must to come visit for the day and just take in the beauty of the island!

You have to be able to ruff it. The island is amazing, cabins are clean , but cots are hard, lol Remember your camping, Beach is gorgeous, Saw lots of dolphins. Pet friendly on a leash , great time. Little store has a little stuff , enough to help you with ice, and charcoal and wood for fires.

Best time to camp here is Spring. Should not go in Summer. Lot of bugs(no see ums) and I had allergy after returning back from trip. You will need lots of sunscreen and Insect Repellent.

But it's a good place for people who like camping. Beautiful place with dolphins so close to the beach.

We understood before coming to the park that it was rustic - no electricity, not a lot in the cabins etc. That was fine. We were prepared for that. What we were NOT prepared for was being eaten alive by mosquitoes and sleeping in cabins with holes in the screens and full of massive spiders, mosquitoes and ants. We brought bug spray for the cabins and OFF for us - lots of it. IT DIDN'T WORK AT ALL. We literally have hundreds of bug bites all over each of us. When we got picked up the next morning ( because you are trapped at night - there's no getting off if you want to) the lady laughed at our story and said " ONLY 100% DEET bug spray works at all here"... It would have been REALLY NICE TO KNOW that beforehand. Put it on the website! Talk to arrivals about it - have it in the gift shop and tell people they need to buy it! SOMETHING. We literally DID NOT SLEEP for the entire night. With 7 kids between us - it was MISERABLE. Granted, coming in early June, you expect to be hot and you expect to have bugs --- BUT NOT LIKE THIS. IT WAS RIDICULOUS. DON't COME HERE ANYTIME AFTER MARCH. Come for a day trip and enjoy the beach BUT LEAVE WAY BEFORE DUSK - that's when everything changes.

I don't understand why my previous review was rejected.
Basically we liked it a lot it was really hot and some bugs but nothing out of the ordinary the park is very peaceful and enjoyable. heres some pictures..

This was the 3rd time for us camping on Cayo Costa. The untouched beauty of this island is enough to keep me coming back. I've never been when there are very many people on the beach, if any. I've been told it can get busy at times though. I have never experienced that. We found many sharks teeth and unbroken beautiful shells, live starfish along the shore, sand dollars, and various other sea life.

The previous times I have camped on the island, I had to fight the noseeums and mosquitos. Thankfully, this time the bugs were not a problem at all. Apparently, the drought and winds have kept the bugs from being a hindrance. Instead, the drought has caused an influx in palm rats to be in the camp areas, because they are searching for fresh water. They come out at dusk and you hear them all night long running around in the trees. This may sound awful and scary to some.... but they really don't try to bother you (except for the noise) they do climb on tents and cabins at night..... but they aren't trying to get to humans. Just make sure you have a lantern or headlamp when you are headed to the bathroom in the dark.

Exploring the island is what makes this trip worth it every time...too many wonderful highlights to name....... and The rangers are the nicest and most informative people ever! We loved them. I had so many questions and wanted to chat with them everyday.

Also.... this particular trip was the first time I had cell service anywhere I was. This was good and bad. I planned on disconnecting... but since I had service, I used it. They have also added a 'charging station' at the ranger station. While we were there, no one else used it. We took advantage of it, though.

Can't wait for another visit.

Its awesome! We camped 3 nights and due to the shuttles you can take lots of stuff, but just be prepared for little to no shade, 3rd world restroom facilities (1 sit-down toilet for all the campground in the mens, only 2 outdoor public / unisex showers), no electricity. All of which is good, it keeps the mainstream away, well at least at night. I hear the bugs are terrible in summer.

This was my first visit and I'll be back, especially recommend it for the late fall and winter months. It was a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving, very relaxing week. We hiked on the trails, rented bikes, walked on the beaches, and played in the water. Temps were in the upper 50's and low 60's at night which was great for sleeping. We were lucky to have some windy weather so it was comfortable during the day and the bugs were only pesky on our last day as the wind died down. We liked campsite 10. This site has morning sun and afternoon shade. Restrooms were clean. You can walk up to the camp store and ranger station, get snacks, firewood, and ice and take the tram back to camp. The tram is also how you can get your gear to your campsite. There was a small town feel to the place, plenty of space and privacy but also the opportunity to visit with other campers.

I have been coming to this beautiful state park for 40 years. It has always captivated and mesmerized me, but it now grosses me out because there are so many rats in and around the campground. The rangers explained that this happened when the snake population started dying off. I never realized why we need snakes around, but my last two visits to Cayo Costa explained it. Snakes eat the rats that scare the hell out of the campers. There was a rat in the bathroom in the evening and that was just too much. I went home a day early.

My family boated here from Cape Coral. We traveled in our pontoon boat and had a very smooth ride. Cayo Costa was about a 2 hour ride for us but it was well worth it.
We saw lots of dolphins while boating there.
Cayo Casta has 10 boat docks on the north side of the island. We had no trouble finding a slip. Free too.
There is a $2 per person fee for visiting the island. Again well worth it. The park had clean bathrooms and a small store with some snacks and drinks.
There is an hourly tram that takes you to the beach and back.
The water was unbelievable !! Clear blue green. Lots of sea life too.
Definitely will come back again with snorkeling gear.
Highly recommend this stop.

We hired a small boat from Beach Bums on Captiva Island and headed out for the day. It is very easy to navigate from Captiva to Cayo Costa as it's marked quite clearly. We saw dolphins, sea turtles, osprey and pelicans on route - quite amazing. You pull up the to dock and then the ranger runs a shuttle over to the beach for a small fee. It is quite a trek and it was very hot - so you need a lift over. The beach is stunning. Completely unspoilt. Miles of sandy beaches. There where only three other families there. Caution there are no facilities there except restrooms, so you will need to take food, drink, chairs, and umbrellas to provide some shade. The water is so blue its like being on a paradise island. There are large fish that swim right up to you, watch out for the jellyfish those - we saw loads in the water!!! I read the reviews about shelling - I wouldn't say it was the best of shelling, Captiva and Sanibel are much better!!! The ranger runs a shuttle back to the dock every hour/ It was really a beautiful, natural beach away from the rest of the world!!! Well worth a visit!!

Nothing like anything I have done before! Camping in the most amazing location. We got a cabin. The twin size beds are very uncomfortable, I wish I had brought an extra sleeping bag to add some padding to the bed! The cabin had its own fire pit as well as grill right outside the cabin. They sell logs as well as several other supplies and snacks in the little gift shop when you arrive. We bought Jiffy Pop and had fun with that over the camp fire! Really enjoyed our time on the island, it was the most peaceful place I've ever visited.

What an awesome place to spend Mother's Day! Brought lunch and plenty of water for a great day at the (uncrowded) beach.

Went for my nephews birthday weekend! February was an awesome month pretty cool @ night time no mosquitoes!! Stars were amazing to watch at night.

Spent a day off Cayo Costa on a sand bar shelling, snorkeling, watching dolphins. We then went to swim at the end of this island in Captiva Pass to see manatees, dolphins, and rays in the inlet.

We took the ferry from Punta Gorda (through King Fisher Fleet Cruises) to Cayo Costa. The captain and the "mates" on board were all friendly and informative, giving us prior notice when dolphins started following the boat. Watching wild dolphins swimming alongside us on Charlotte Harbour has to be one of my personal highlights of an amazing 11 days in southwest Florida. The King Fisher ride from Punta Gorda gives you around 2.5-3 hours to explore the island - more than enough for a young family but more intrepid explorers may wish to hire a cabin overnight.

Regarding the beach itself - it certainly looks beautiful. There are shells aplenty (but mainly further along the coastline from the entrance to the beach) - a friendly couple had amassed a large collection and gave a dozen or so to us so we could make a shell hunt for our girls. It is uninhabited and only accessible by boat, so there were no more than a couple of dozen other people on the whole beach when we visited.

Only complaint: it was a windy day, and colder than average. The beach itself is quite exposed - there is some shelter inland but it's a bit of a trek. We also made the mistake of sitting too far in the dunes and ended up with sand burs (tiny little thistles) all over our clothes! However, if you pick the right day and come better-prepared, I can imagine that it would be the perfect beach location.

Beautiful island to visit by boat. We landed on the gulf beach and found tons of shells and there were no people. Beautiful remote beach. I have also landed at the docks and taken the shuttle over. Bring all the supplies you will need

Great visit in mid-late December of 2016. Weather was ideal and even a little, hot, which should not be a complaint! Anyway, very little bugs, noseeuhms: little white bugs, got me fairly well at dusk, but after that, no issues and my Off bug spray worked fine; however, this was December! Wear long sleeves and pants at night. The sunsets and star gazing was ideal and fantastic! Definitely bring over what you want and stock up on ice, food and other provisions you want. The crew getting over was great and ppl had a lot of gear!
Camp spots, they are kind of on top of each other, i would book 11 & 13 as the best sites. 13 is always in the shade, which is good. Some other sites are just wide open and you need a some sun shade tent! If you have multiple ppl I would get 13&14 together and 11&12 together!
The beach is spectacular! No need to be there more than 2-3 nights max!
The facilities are fine and the cold shower isn't bad, very refreshing after a day walking and sitting on the beach soaking up the sun!

I took the Tropic Star ferry from Jug Creek in Bokeelia. Arrived at the ferry dock and hopped on the tram for a short ride to the Gulf side of the island.

The beaches on the island are primarily made of crushed shells mixed with quartz crystals. The shell fragments are coarse so they are not easy on my city dweller tender feet. Did not find any unbroken sea shells for collecting. Perhaps because there were no storms to push the shells from the sea floor to the beach.

I hiked the 1.3 mile trail from the campsite to the northern tip of the island overlooking the Boca Grande Pass and found a nice completely deserted beach. Ah, found my little paradise ! In fact, the entire stretch of the Gulf side beach north of the campsite is mostly deserted due to the low season (early June). Got bitten by kamikaze mosquitoes along the hiking trail.

The Park Ranger told me about the presence of wild boars, racoons, and coyotes on the island but I did not see any on my short stay. I saw pelicans, dolphins, ospreys, white ibis, snowy egrets, cormorants, great egrets, and terns. Saw spots marked off by rangers as sea turtle nests, but no sight of the animal itself. The waters around the island are well known for manatees, but I did not see any on this trip. A few years back in the same waters, two big manatees popped their heads up with their ugly whiskers just two feet from me to check me out.

Unless you have booked a cabin, there is only one covered shelter at the campsite and one at the ferry dock to shelter from the thunder storms. So knowing the daily weather forecast and careful planning of what you bring are essential for an enjoyable trip. Bring your own water and food for there is no food concession on the island.

Our tent camping experience at Cayo Costa Stage Park was fantastic. Site 003 was perfect for our family - close to beach access and restroom facilities while still tucked in to feel somewhat remote. Site 003 also had a few trees that provided shade which was a bonus. The beach was beautiful and peaceful. The ferry trip with Tropic Star Ferry was excellent as well. Overall this is a must-do Florida experience. We will return.

I love Cayo Costa! I visit every time I vacation in this area, the island never disappoints. The beach is undeveloped, sometimes there are sand dollars and shells you can collect, we always see live whelks and conchs, dolphins, and other wild life.
This island is wonderful if you want to enjoy the beach, there are picnic areas near the beach.

There is a trolley like wagon that you can ride across the island to the beach and there are restrooms on the island.
The island is a state park and people can camp on the island. There is a store that sells water and a few souvenirs.

Isolated and pristine, this is the perfect place to spent a weekend or more. There is a ferry that goes twice daily but if you miss it, you can rent a boat. Water life, birds, nice trails, empty beach, just lovely!

We had a great weekend unplugging and enjoying the SW Florida area. We went with another family and rented 2 cabins, 8 and 11. There were not far apart and there were 2 bathrooms very close by. As other reviewers have stated, the cabins are bare bones. Picnic table inside and out, 6 beds, three on top, three on bottom. There are no rails on the top beds, so not a great place to put kids. The mattress’ are plastic covered so we brought Clorox wipes to quickly wipe them down, but they were in good condition. The cabins are definitely far enough away from the boat dock that you will want to arrive by 4:00 or you will miss the last tram and have to walk about 1.5 miles with all your gear. The beach is a quick walk from the cabins and the sunsets were beautiful. If you go in the summer, a battery operated fan would be vital. We were lucky to have a wonderful breeze at night, but much later than May and the heat will be oppressive. There are bike rentals on the island but we received conflicting information on them. One attendant said they MUST be back at 4pm each day, while other campers said they were told that it wasn’t a big deal. Showed are cold and there was a bee problem in one, but we did end up having a great two nights.

Cayo Costa is a gem - 5 stars for the park. Tropic Star cruises (the official boat that takes you there) was a terrible experience.

Lady Charlotte boat:
-Amenities on the boat such as drinks, snacks, alcoholic beverages, seating in the front to see dolphins, two stories, kind staff, live music! Free parking! 2 hour trip, but fun. Tickets same price as the Tropic Star.

Tropic Star boat:
$20 surprise parking fee, changed our time when we arrived so that instead of getting out to the island in the morning, we did not arrive until late afternoon. This changed time was very little notice via a voicemail on my phone a few hours before hand. Tiny boat, no amenities, no bathroom, had no more parking spots in the lot for my car. Called me *during my vacation* to tell me that they were changing my time on my return ride the next day. I asked them to reconsider as I had plans to go kayaking, they said no. They said they reserve the right to "change the times" because of weather emergencies. It was a beautiful sunny day - they are just maximizing profit. Only good thing is that it is a 40 minute ride.

We took an hour-long ferry ride to Cayo Costa State Park off Charlotte Harbor in Florida, which is only accessible by boat. There are boat docks in a couple of spots on this barrier island which is part private homes and part state park. It costs a couple of bucks to visit the island, but if you go by a commercial ferry, such as Tropic Star Cruises, they pay the fee for you. We visited on a weekend day in September and there was barely anyone there. If you like your beach private with no condos, this is for you. A tram will meet visitors on the dock side of the island approximately every hour and carry you and your camping equipment or beach bags and coolers to the beach side of the island and the camp grounds. There are beach style bathrooms and outdoor showers on both sides of the island park. There are no snack bars, so bring your own food and drink. No glass bottles. Please understand this is a park with wildlife and large and small water areas. So, younger children and pets running around unattended is not a good idea. Please consult the park rules regarding pets. I saw raccoon up a tree, deer tracks, and, water and raptor birds. There are also snakes, but I, thankfully, did not see any. There are small rustic cabins on the island with little screened porches. I didn't see signs of any A/C units, just large prop out windows with screens to catch a cross breeze. They are situated together among sparse trees, but little shade. There are bathrooms/showers nearby. The campgrounds, cabins, bathrooms and beach are conveniently located within a couple of minutes walk of each other. The beach is white sand with lots of shells. The water is the color of iced tea, but not due to pollution. It gets its color from the tannic acid produced by the natural breakdown of mangroves in the harbor in combination with the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico. It is less stinging to the eyes and cooler in temperature. You also get the joy of the waves, seabirds and dolphin of a barrier Gulf island, so bring your sand pail and shovel to bury your kids, or husband or wife. There are no lifeguards. We enjoyed a picnic on the beach after a nice play in the cool water. Do not feed the seagulls or they will be your unwanted friends for life. There are small sand dunes and nesting sites for sea turtles, which are illegal to disturb. The campsites are close together and sometimes some of the sites are under water when it has rained a lot. There are fire rings and, again, limited shade. If you need shade, bring an umbrella, wide brim hat and lots of sunscreen. There is usually a nice breeze. There are short hiking trails that have some shade and this is where you will see animals, their tracks and scat, and, wildflowers. Some of the trails have impassible swamped areas during periods of heavy rains. Rangers suggest you keep your travels on the north end of the park in order to avoid getting lost since all of the north end trails lead back to the main road traveled by the tram. I've been to more beautiful parks and beaches in Florida, but the uncrowded, undeveloped beach and park with no meters to feed and plenty of room to spread out makes for a wonderful day in the Sunshine State.

If you want to see what old Florida used to be like this is a must see. What a nice way to unplug from the world, explore and relax in the beauty of true Florida. We have our boat in Placida and make a run over to Cayo Costa Beach to chill with friends.

Great day to get away and relax. Great scenery and lovely beach. You need a boat to get here. $3 park entrance. I always have a great time here. Pack food and drinks.

I spent 4th of July with my daughter and grand daughter. we saw many beautiful flowers .the ride across the island to the beach was very interesting pine,oak and cactus , the beach was wonderful and refreshing . the rest rooms clean . My children will be back again soon to visit this pristine place in lee county captain jack boat tours

We had an amazing time here. We took the ferry over (about 1/2 hour) then we checked in with the ranger. The campground is only a mile a way so we grabbed our gear and walked instead of waiting for the Tram. We setup camp and went out to the beach. We got to see an amazing sunset and walk around on the beach. Since it was fairly clear we decided to stay up and take some pictures of the stars over Cayo Costa. We retired to our tent and read for a while in almost absolute silence minus the sound of the gulf. We woke the next morning and did 3 hours of shelling and checking out the wildlife on the beach. We sorted through our shells and then packed up and hiked back to the dock for the ferry back. We did get a Geocache before we left though. The ferry back was on a different boat and we got pretty wet with the spray from the boat. All in all though we had a great time and would suggest it to anyone looking for solitude on the beach.

During the Summer months it is extremely sunny and humid on Cayo Costa. This also means biting insects. Come prepared.
The camp store sells ice, firewood, souvenirs and emergency supplies. We do not carry groceries or prepared food. Make sure you bring your basic food needs with you.
Also, if you are coming on a private boat there is a park entry fee of $2 per person.Please bring small bills as there is no bank or atm on the island.
During the Winter months the island is idyllic. Warm, sunny, dry, and beautiful.
We hope you will enjoy our remote piece of paradise.

Cayo costa island is truly a beautiful place, but I am sad to say the park ranger and the lady that works at the gift shop were not very welcoming or even remotely nice. We were there for 4 nights and stayed at a private home and trying to find the ranger station was very hard there are no signs to tell you which way to go only signs telling you that you can't go down many of the roads when we did come across the ranger he automatically approach us very mad and offered no help just said turn around when we asked how to get to the station he gave bad directions very fast and walked away. When we did find it the lady in the gift shop was very unwelcoming also and all we needed was to buy ice.lol from our experience bring everything you need so you don't have to deal with the park!

Great spot, beautiful beach. If you like a large resort setting this is a great place to go. Wonderful frozen drinks at the pool bar.

We decided to takes a Captiva Cruise from Captiva Island to Cayo Costa and of course the day we went was cloudy extremely windy, but that is how we do things. I was waiting for the rain, but it cleared in the afternoon. The boat ride over to Cayo Costa was about 45 minutes and was really a nice ride with the Captain pointing out historical and interesting items on the way. When we arrived at the island dock, we got off and took a tram (supplied by the park service) to the Gulf side of the island (about 1 mile). The beach was nice but because of the weather we did not get any pretty shells today, But, we had a picnic, got some sun thru the clouds and were on the beach for about 4 hours. We then took the tram back to the dock, for the return ride to Captiva. It was enjoyable. If you decide to go to the island, pack a lunch as there are no stores. Bring all you would bring for a day at the beach. We had a good time and will probably do it again in ideal weather.

My teenage daughter and I spent four nights camping this week on Cayo Costa Island. We did lots of research before we went, and had realistic expectations about what camping in SW Florida during the summer months would be like. Armed with our Thermacell, lots of sunscreen, and extra batteries for our fans we had a great time. I really loved where we stayed - Cabin 12. It was clean, has a nice screen porch, and is close to both bathrooms and the beach. I really felt like it was the pick for cabins - with cabin seven being a close second. The noseeums were our biggest challenge, but our Thermacell served us well. Bug spray did nothing to deter these little guys, so I really recommend bring a Thermacell! During our time on the island we went shelling (the peninsula on the south side of the island is an amazing resource for shells), we rented bikes (the cemetery is worth seeing), we kayaked (if you go right out of where you rent kayaks there is a little cove with manatees), and did our best at navigating ocean waters on our stand-up paddle boards. The park rangers were were all kind to us, and I was grateful for all the tidbits they shared. We will definitely return during the winter months when the weather is a bit cooler and the bug population is a bit smaller.

The nearby anchorage is perfect for even deep-hulled sailboats. You do have to bring everything. Cayo Costa has no available electricity, so you can't count on it for much of anything. It does have a shuttle to the beach side and the water is perfect for swimming -- or walking or sitting. If you travel with a dog, the dog beach is a good stop. In any case, bring an inflatable and a small motor. Otherwise, expect to have a few neighbors and lots of peace and quiet.

Cayo Costa is a beautiful unspoiled Florida Key with beautiful beaches and remarkable shelling. It is mostly a nature preserve so don’t expect any five star accommodations, just go for the beauty. Word to the wise, pick your travel dates carefully as it can be really buggy. We usually go in February and it’s been fine. I really can’t recommend a prettier unspoiled natural island. You just need to bring sunscreen, an umbrella and maybe a little bug spray!

Yes, Cayo Costa was beautiful. There’s no denying that. We camped here Monday night in a cabin. Cabin 12 was the best imo. It had a screened in porch, was by the bathroom, and right next to the trail to get to the beach. It was HOT, and that was to be expected. We took 3 types of bug spray, and they weren’t enough. You NEED to sleep in bug nets. The bugs do get Into your cabins. You NEED battery powered fans for each person.
Before you go, make sure the Red Tide isn’t there. We couldn’t swim at high tide because it was so bad. Dead fish everywhere. Low tide wasn’t as bad and the kids snorkeled a bit. We tried getting off the island within an hour of being there because we couldn’t swim. You can’t get off. Keep that in mind.
We made the best of it. We met a nice couple. Tropic Star Captain was amazing.
We were disappointed that Cayo Costa didn’t warn us about the red tide. If they would have warned us, we wouldn’t have made the trip. Not being able to swim really made it hard to beat the heat. We made do and survived. Kayak and canoe rentals were supposed to be back by 4 so that gave you nothing to do and lady in the store wouldn’t budge. We wanted to kayak in the evening when it wasn’t as HOT. Some websites said you could get them for 24 HRs. That wasn’t the case. Bike rentals had flat tires and chains fell off 2 of the bikes multiple times. When you stopped to fix them, bugs ate you alive.
Charging stations were a bonus.
If they fix the issues, I’d recommend. If they don’t, don’t waste your time and days of your vacations. You’ll be miserable.

This park is a hidden gem. With 90% of the island claimed as a State Park, it is undeveloped. One can find true peace there. I am excited to learn of camping opportunities, and may incorporate that into another adventure. I marveled at the dolphins, the birds, the shells, a few sweet conversations with others and the miles of quiet beach. I am grateful for the day spent at Cayo Costa State Park.

I took this trip with my parents and my partner. My parents visit Cape Coral in the winter and all of us had been to ft. Myers beach, Sanibel, and Bunche Beach. We wanted another beach day, but also wanted something a little different. We took the tropic star leaving from Pine Island. We packed a cooler full of sandwiches and drinks and headed up for departure at 0930h. The main boat was filled up so we were given a seat on a smaller boat with another couple. We later learned that the smaller boat was faster and we arrived at the island within 30 mins. There is a shuttle to take you to and from the beach, and it is fun and convenient.

The beach was amazing... Better than SAnibel and FM beach.we were the only people on the beach for hours. When others started to arrive, everyone stayed away from each other and gave tons of privacy, maintaining the "private beach" feel. We walked the whole island in time to leave for 1500h. We also picked up seashells (and pretty cool ones, at that) and flew our kites.

We took the main tropic star boat back to pine island; this was an adorable teal green shrimping boat filled with old hippies and tourists returning to cayo Costa many times over. We sighted Dolphins on the way back, and the tour guide taught us about this history of the island and spotted a few native birds of prey.

If my parents return to Florida, we plan to camp a night on Cayo Costa. We will bring a big beach umbrella because there is little shade at the beach. We will not worry so much about packing light as there is plenty of room, on the boat.

I never do these kinds of reviews, but my frustration and disappointment have reached a boiling point. I'm also writing to warn others about this experience.

Cayo Costa's website http://www.floridastateparks.org/cayocosta/ is very VERY misleading and confusing. So be careful. My buddies and I showed up this past Friday, only to turn around and drive back home.

So here's the deal with Cayo Costa. In order to make it to the island where you actually camp, you need to shell out 39$ per person for a ferry service. This ferry service ONLY runs on certain days and at certain times. The ferry service is a privately contracted business with no real affiliation to the state park--and so it's kinda scammy. When we showed up they were like we can take you there, even though you missed the two tour times, for 100$ a person. We laughed and left.

So before you're booking the reservation, be sure to call the company (captiva cruises) and ensure you're not going to show up at the incorrect time/day like we did.

http://www.cayocostaferry.com/

After all this was said and done, I called, got my reservation cancelled, and had reserve america charge me a $39 convenience fee--how convenient since the reservation was $44.50. Thanks reserve america!

Enjoyed walking the beach, shells were plentiful. Tram from marina to beach- was going back in time. GREAT experience

This beautiful island is accessible only by water which limits foot traffic on the island. This is a state park and well respected by the visitors--there is no litter. We are here by boat, anchored out and can take our dinghy in or the kayak. Love this place.

I absolutely love this park/beach! This is my favorite place to be in this state! We spent a lot of time here because we had our own boat. Teal water most days, clean, pretty park and gorgeous beach! I cannot wait to return here! Love that it's easy to find that perfect private spot to spend the day. A+++++++++++++++++++++++

We can either get in the car and drive an hour and go to Sanibel and deal with the crowds or hop on the boat and take a 15 minute ride to Cayo Costa and have a whole beach almost entirely to ourselves hmmmm... Don't get me wrong I love Sanibel but people take boat rides from Sanibel and Captiva to visit Cayo Costa. it's just perfect. Soft sand tons of shells and virtually uninhabited.

Off the beaten path beach location. You can catch the Captiva Cruises boat out of McCarthys Marina, however we rented a small skiff out of Cabbage Key and took it over there ourselves. This enabled us to get to a section of beach that is actually further south than where visitors go. It was absolutely amazing and the best day of our trip. We spent 5 hours at the beach and did not encounter one single human being. Had the entire beach to ourselves as far as we could walk in either direction. Worth the difficulty in getting there by far.

Another hot spot to bring guest to enjoy secluded beaches and search for sea shells, swim or just pain relax.

These natural islands are gorgeous and make one feel the true awe of the beauty of southwest Florida. The water is clear and warm, and the sand is like sugar. Lots of great shells.

Cayo Costa is our go to spot now. We love the primitive cabins. Steps from the beach and isolated beauty. The beach is beautiful with white sand and blue green water. Lots of wild life. Wood and ice available at the store but pay attention to the shuttle times although the rangers have taken on hitch hikers when headed that way. Everyone is friendly, Be sure to bring plenty of bug spray and sunscreen and yes your own food. Read about the island carefully before you go. You have to understand that you are in Florida. There are bugs, critters and heat. If you want a turn down service. Stay home!

This is my kinda beach in my own back yard. We go during the week ( retired ) and drop anchor on a private beach. Sometimes we even run into other lucky souls. This is paradise!! At its finest

This barrier island is a natural gem with untouched beaches. You can rent cabins for camping, kayaks are available and bicycles. Judy a wonderful place to explore. You can get there only by boat . Fun gift shop with dine wonderful items.

Perhaps I should have known, because I've lived in Florida for 12 years and all, but I just wasn't prepared for how extremely buggy this island is in April! Holy cow!

We booked a primitive site online a few weeks out (only got a Friday night because it was booked up almost through the rest of summer for weekends). After the arduous journey by boat (by arduous I mean unloading all of your camping gear from your car, loading it onto the boat, unloading it off the boat, loading it onto the tram that takes you to your campsite, unloading it off the tram, and then walking it to said campsite) we were pleasantly surprised to find that the ranger was going to let us stay an additional night in one of the few non-reservable walk up camp sites. (Very friendly rangers!).

The day on the island was great, we spent it walking up and down the long stretches of beach (and didn't see a soul for miles), swimming in the Gulf, and fixing up our camp site. This beach is insanely gorgeous and scenic; there aren't many places in the US where you can go and be so far removed from life and other people, it's very pleasant and relaxing.

Then came sundown. The NOSEEUMS started their 18 hour bloodbath on us and didn't give up until late morning the next day. Yes, of course we had bugspray. Did it help at all? Absolutely not. Thinking our tent was going to be a place of solace for us, we were disturbed to find that our tent mesh was not small enough to keep the noseeums out. Yep- we literally had no place to go on the whole island that would allow us a 5 second break of being swarmed by noseeums. When you're living this, it honestly feels like you're in a horror movie. We ended up relocating our tent onto the beach in hopes that some wind would help keep them at bay. You guessed it- Nope. We walked about 4 miles up and down the beach in the middle of the night just to keep moving and keep them off of us. To sleep, we had to fully cover ourselves with blankets. Let's just say, it was probably the worst night of our lives. So that being said, here are some tips.

TIPS
-Visit this exquisite island, but not during buggy season
-Get a tent with very small mesh that will not let noseeums in (or better yet, reserve one of their cabins)
-Perhaps bring a fan with you to keep bugs off if you do go in buggy season
-If possible- bring your own boat for a camping excursion, it'll be much less cumbersome
-Bring cash or check with you- to buy firewood or an extra night of camping, it's cash only. The store does accept card but they are only open 9am-3pm.

We traveled here for the full day trip 10-4. The boat ride alone ( which is awesome) takes up two hours round trip. The full day was great but went by fast. You need to bring lots of water, bug spray, lunch, an umbrella and whatever else you need to be comfortable at the beach. The full day takes you to the north side of the island. You can hike the trails or the beach. We did the beach. There is a free tram that takes you from the boat dock to the beach. Don’t walk, especially in June. No see ums will eat you. The beach is amazing and not crowded. We saw a manatee in the water. It swam up and surprised us. Yes a slow ten foot veggie eater snuck up on us - a little too relaxing. The shell hunting was great. We found two arrowhead sand dollars and a ton of other shells. Go here if you can!!

We only camped for one night but would've loved to stay longer! The cabins were great; some have screened in front porches..ours did not but I wish it had. The cabins sleep 6 people, have a picnic table in the cabin and outside of the cabin. The bathrooms had flushable toilets and showers - all within a short walk from any cabin. There were multiple trails for exploring the island. Bikes and kayaks can be rented at the gift shop (available by the hour, half-day, and full-day). They also sell ice, fire wood, snack foods, sun screen, bug spray, etc. I recommend renting a bicycle to maneuver the island. The gift shop and ranger station are a mile away from the camp grounds but a tram runs back and forth every hour, on the hour, from 9am-4pm; Ranger Matt was so helpful!

This, by far, was the best weekend I've had in a while! I will definitely be returning!

Loved our stay in Cayo Costa! We were lucky to get the last tent space in October for end of December camping! Reserve as early as possible. Cabins fill up as soon as you can sign up for them.

Definitely for rustic campers or
Day trippers. All of the camping and cabin spots we saw were great. We had campsite #1 which was close to everything and convenient. Spot #8 looked pretty sweet. Trams made bringing the luggage easy. If you are looking for a fairly remote spot, this is it!!!

Cold showers were refreshing. Well water so be prepared for water to work intermittently. It broke twice while we were there.

Loved the bike and kayak rentals! The bikes were a great way to see the island and go to less visited beaches. Bikes need maintenance but got us from a to b. Kayaks allowed us to see manatees and alligators and also kayak to another island, which we had all to ourselves for the day. Pack lunch and snacks and make it an all day adventure!

Pretty good shelling in the surf. Not good on the sand. Found shark eyes, whelks, and 1true tulip. Have to be fast though.

Great, clean beach and pier.

We brought our own water. The water is questionable imo. Bring plenty of water and food and anything else you may need through careful planning.

Cons: bugs. Even at the tail end of December, there were ALOT of bugs despite what other reviews say. It's not about the month, but the weather. The weather was unusually high (and gorgeous) while we were there, but that also means more bugs. 85 and sunny every day Dec. 27-31. Also, Showers and bathrooms could be better but okay. They were cleaned at least once a day maybe more.

Would go back in a heartbeat! My idea of a true perfect vacation - tent, beach, simplicity. May not be for everyone but we loved it.

We took a boat ride from Captiva to Cayo Costa. We had two hours to spend on the island and it was not enough time. We LOVED it there. The water was clear and blue. It was so quiet and peaceful. The shells were not as abundant as we had hoped but we still had an amazing time. Next trip we are doing a whole day on Cayo Costa. We love it there!!

We took a boat tour here!! Awesome beach for shelling and scuba diving! The water was so clear!!! We had the whole beach to ourselves!!! What a lovely day to spend outside!!

We arrived at Cayo Costa via the Tropic Star cruise company. The ride was about an hour. Upon arrival there are wheel barrows available to take camping gear from the ferry to the tram, which transports everyone to their sites. We stayed 3 nights in cabin 10. This particular cabin has an open porch, but others have screened in porches. There was a fire ring, grill, and picnic table outside. Inside the cabin there are 3 bunk beds, a table, and two shelves. The windows have a board that comes down to block the screened windows, which is nice for the nights that are chilly and windy. There are no linens in the cabin, so be prepared for the cool weather if going in winter. The trails were nice and very well maintained. I didn't see much wild life, but that may have been due to windy and cool conditions throughout our stay. It's definitely a place that I would like to return to once the weather is warmer.

Wasn't sure what to expect going into this but we had a wonderful time! We stayed in a cabin for 3 nights, but you can bring tents or just come for the day.
The only way to the island is via the Tropic Star Ferry (check their website for schedule and fees, but you MUST call them to make reservations).
Once you arrive, there is a shuttle that will take you and all your gear to your cabin or campsite (or to the beach for daytrippers). This shuttle also makes rounds hourly (9am-4p) around the loop to transport back to the dock.
The cabin is extremely rustic but it keeps the wildlife and most of the bugs out! It has 3 sets of bunk beds and a picnic table inside. There is a fire ring and a charcoal grill available at the site. THERE IS NO ELECTRICITY anywhere on the island except the camp store and ranger station! Bring your flashlights, lamps, and battery powered fans along with anything else you need for CAMPING (food, toiletries, linens etc).
The bathroom (also no electric) has a toilet, sink, and a dishwashing station. There is single shower (open air and only COLD water- I promise it sounds worse than it is and you WILL survive!).

The Gulf sun was absolutely brutal on us northerners, and despite applying sunscreen every 20 minutes, we all burned to a crisp! I wish I had thought to purchase UV swimwear for all of us to wear all day. The Mosquitos and no-seeums were nasty so bring LOTS of bugspray with DEET.
We enjoyed hunting for shells and swimming (bring water shoes, and a life jacket for little ones). You can fish anywhere but make sure you obtain a fishing license (3day is cheapest) prior to arrival.
The camp store has souvenirs, toiletries, ice cream, firewood, ice, and frozen bait).
The Rangers were all wonderful and tolerated all my pre-trip questions via phone, and helped me with a medical situation with my son and his friend.
Maybe it was because it was HOT and June or maybe it is a well kept secret destination, but we really did feel like we were the only ones on it. There were others there but the island was big enough to to hide from them if we wanted.
We would definitely return but we think we would be more comfortable visiting when it was a bit cooler.

This place was incredible! Took a cruise out and went shelling for a few hours. Found some of the best shells of my life! Grabbed a mask and went out to the sandbar in very clear water. Beautiful views and great for pictures!

We wanted a beach that wasn’t crowded so we could enjoy the day and be distant. Cayo Costa is only accessible by boat. We took our reveal over and beached it up on the sand. The white sand beach and clear blue water was paradise.

I visited Cayo Costa state park for 3 nights and 4 days in the middle of June. Probably not the best time to go. However, it was a blast. I went with a friend and we decided to do tent camping. On a whim, we chose site 8 which had a spot to hang a hammock. If this site is available when you make your camping reservation -- do it!!! I definitely recommend the site. It has trees around 3 sides of the site and because of this, the site it pretty much in the shade the whole day, something you will be VERY grateful for when you have been in the heat non-stop for 3 days. It is a fairly smaller site then some other ones, so if you have a family of 4, perhaps this isn't the best one as there isn't as much room. Sites 3-6 are larger but do not have very much shade. I believe site 9 is also pretty shaded and has more room.

We booked a ferry with Tropic Star Cruises and were very happy with the trip. Because it was off season, we went on a smaller 6-person boat that got us to the park in about 20 minutes. On the way there we were taken by Captain Bruce who told us about the best times to go to the park. He said that October is a great time because it's cooler than the summer and there are still not a lot of people there. He said the busiest times are January-April. The ferry does charge you $10 extra to bring a bike, so we opted not bring them, but we wish we did. I'll get to that later.

We get to the park and unload our things from the boat. LESS IS MORE! You will be happy that you were modest with your packing because you will be packing and unpacking your stuff A LOT of times. We brought two heavy duty boxes that we filled with all our camping supplies - tent, sleeping mats, gas stove, pillows, towels, etc. We also brought a cooler that we filled with food. We made it a point to only bring food that would not need to be cooled so that we didn't have to worry about buying ice from the ranger station every day. This was a good idea.

When we got to our site, we set up our tent and Captain Bruce gave us a great tip - to spray our tent screens with bug spray. This was a great tip because the small no-see-ems that you will find will eat you alive, would otherwise slip through the mesh screening. Spray every day!!!

We are a 2 minute walk to the beach, and a 3 minute walk to the bathrooms. There are only outside showers so you will not be showering privately. Plan accordingly. Do you think you have enough sunblock? Bring more. Reapply. This saved me and my friend, we made sure to reapply every 2 hours and 3 days later of being in the sun neither of us were burned in any way. Do you think you have enough bug spray? Bring more. This may be bad for you but MAXI DEET saved us. We wish we had more.

We went walking along of the trails but the bugs were so bad it was a really hard hike, even early in the morning. This is why we wish we had bikes. Another family that was there brought bikes and were able to ride along the trail with minimal bug issues. You will see more of the island with a bike. We walked up and down the beach every day. This is great exercise and you can just jump into the ocean if you are hot.

Again, you will be in the heat and sun for 3 days. This isn't an easy breezy sort of trip. You will be sweaty. You will be uncomfortable at night because of the heat. If you are easily discouraged, and you don't feel like roughing it, only come for a day trip. You really have to have a positive, can-do attitude. The cabins sound like a better option, but they are just a big room with nothing in them. The air is stale and still. We heard from people in the cabins and from rangers that tenting is probably a better option.

The sunsets are beautiful and the views are amazing. You will love it. You will want to come back. I know I do :)

My husband and I arrived at Cayo Costa on Memorial Day and left on Friday. With the exception of the noseeums and the relentless, beating sun, our stay was a wondrous occasion. For the vast majority of the week, we had complete privacy as we were pretty much the only ones in a tent. This was an added bonus. The water was crystal clear and refreshing. It offered relief from the heat of the day. For those who enjoy collecting seashells, this is the place for you. Aside from a small ranger station that is only open between the hours of 9am and 3pm, there are no other stores or businesses on this remote island. We were able to purchase our ice at this location. There are several trails that offer scenic views so make sure to bring comfortable shoes for walking. The bathrooms were very clean as was the remainder of the property. Also, the rangers and other staff were extremely informative and helpful.
Although I completely adored Cayo Costa, I would be reluctant to stay overnight during the summer months in the future. Constant and consistent applications of sunscreen and insect repellent were not sufficient for preventing sunburn and multiple no-see-um bites. For those planning to camp at Cayo Costa during the summer months, do not underestimate the no-see-ums! Please do your research on these insects and the harsh sun prior to your trip, particularly if you are unfamiliar with camping in Florida. Although I am a resident of Florida and an avid camper, I found myself slightly overwhelmed with the bites (from which I am still itching 3 weeks later).

Since you have to take a ferry to get to the island and they don't have restaurants or grocery stores, you also have to take all your food with you. Fortunately there is a great little sandwich stand where you can get hamburgers, hotdogs or fish sandwiches while you're waiting to load or when you just return from the island so you can get a good meal coming and going.
There is a tram that will bring you and your stuff to the campsite or cabin and pick you up throughout the day as well.
We were able to rent a rustic 6 person cabin and just loved the outdoor cold showers down the dirt street at the bath house, being able to walk to the beach in 1 minute and living on island time. We dug a 6 foot hole on the beach, collected shells, were able to view an amazing number of stars and boogie board surfing.
We had a campfire cookout and walked to get ice cream sandwiches from the camp store and were able to charge our cell phones at their charging station.
One day we rented kayaks and braved the winds and waves to see the manatees and kayak the 6 mile roundtrip to Cabbage Key for lunch in real restaurant and on the way back we saw dolphins and pelicans. Another time we saw an alligator surfing the waves on the beach.
Everyone was friendly, our neighbors were nice but not noisy and by the time we left we all felt completely relaxed and mellow as we rode the ferry back to civilization.

This is not a place with snack stands and places to buy things. Take your beach chairs and umbrella along with lunch and drinks. It's a place to enjoy the long stretch of beautiful beach. Today is New Years Day and we are heading there on our boat. It's a rustic state park which to me makes it all the more enjoyable.

We visited Cayo Costa midweek for a day trip. We enjoy hiking/walking and found the trails and facilities to be well maintained. There is a tram that will take you from the dock to the beach but we opted to walk. The beach is natural and there are many shells to be found. Cayo Costa is lovely place to walk through natural Florida or enjoy the quiet beach.

Bring 1 bottle of DEET spray and sunscreen for each day.
Firewood-$10
Bikes-
Bikes and kayaks rent fast so as a camper..I think you can rent per day
Ice-$4
Double Kayak-$18/hr
Single Kayaks-$10/hr
Paddle to cove and then the cove to the right about half way and you will find manatees.
Daytrippers come around 9am so campers get the first pick of washed up shells. Best time is after a storm.
- From the main path go right on the beach for olives and left for sanddollars, whelks. This is the place for horseconchs found closer to sandbar point.

I buy noseeum nets for upper and lower body to sleep in..the noseeums are that bad. Bring itch gel. They do sell in store for $7 or your sleep can be miserable.

Tropic Star no longer allows beach carts or carts so will no longer be using them. I use them to haul my things and firewood to campsite.

A great place to take a day trip or a few day camping adventure! This place is quiet and very family fun, you can kayak, fish, swim or look for shells down the beach. This is a must go place you can only get there by boat or ferry like we did from Tropic Star which i will be reviewing next. I will definitely be back.

Best part of our vacation! Captain Buck supplied us with our very own personal valet to take care of our every need. His knowledge of marine life was outstanding! We will do this every year!

Went with friends to spend the day but didn't stay long so I'll stick to the parts I can speak to factually as a person born and raised along the Florida's coastlines.
The shelling was honestly poor compared to Lovers Key, Boca Grande (across the pass from Cayo Costa) and Venice Beach and a few other places.
Daily afternoon rains do stir the water up quite a bit but we went around 10:00 am and the visibility was still bad, less than 4 feet and the Inland side was worse. We tried a few different spots and all were the same. Amenities - it's an island and a state park nothing fancy but if you love natural beauty this place has it.
I write lots of reviews and prefer to write fact vice opinion so we'll take another trip and re review Cayo Costa.

This island is spectacular with a beautiful beach and lush foliage. While shelling we found 2 live welks that were big and several smaller welk shells that were perfect. The tram takes you to the beach far to quickly to enjoy the islands lush vegetation so hiking or biking is a good way to explore the rest of the park. Cayo Costa can only be reached by boat; Captiva Cruises has ferry service to the park advanced reservations are required. There were fewer people making it more enjoyable; it was possible to find your own peice of paradise and bliss out.

Loved this place. Had the best tour guides on this island. A lot of history to be told. Watched the dolphins frolicking in the warm waters. Manatees in the bay came right up to the boat. Even saw an alligator. My first ever on my many visits to Florida. The bugs were not bad until mid day if you keep moving I didn't notice them as bad. The water was pretty calm today. I would recommend this island experience to anyone who loves primitive. Will definitely return.

Two ways to get here - either on a charter, or by means of your own boat - but the critical point is MAKE THE TRIP. The primary word that comes to mind is unspoiled, as Cayo Costa is a massive, uninhabited (excepting 17 houses at the far end of the island across from North Captiva pass, and the lonely state park rangers that get relegated to this removed waypoint) and completely un-commercialized spit of land and beach that spurs relaxation and reflection. Docking at the state park docks is as easy as it gets, and then there is a shuttle run by the state park that gets folks to the western side of the island, which is dominated by a miles-long, utterly pristine stretch of beach and calm waters. Loggerhead and Green turtles have extensive nesting grounds on the western shore, and you'll see their tracks in the sand, and might see researchers who come out to the island to track and protect the turtles. Notable advice: You have to bring everything with you that you're going to need (water, sunscreen, food, bug protection, towels) as there really isn't any resource to pull upon save a tiny state-park run necessities store (bonus, cool t-shirts) primarily designed to serve the very brave campers who rough-it out there on the edge of civilization. It's hot and sweaty on the western beach, but it's such a welcome relief from the bustle and pace of Captiva, Boca Grande and even North Captiva (which ain't exactly hopping), and is "Old Florida" as people imagine it to be. If you're boating, two other sidenotes: There is a manatee "hole" just about 250 yards south of the docks, accessible by a small channel, and we saw alligators and manatees back in the isolated bay; and just north of the docks there is a small inlet that lends itself for dropping anchor, enjoying the sun and swimming. It's about a 15-minute ride north of Cabbage Key, but I'd give it a "must-do" rating for anyone spending time down in the Pine Island Sound area.