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Big Talbot Island State Park
Nearby Parks:
Little Talbot Island State Park
Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park
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Fort George Island Cultural State Park
Fort George Island Cultural State Park
Amelia Island State Park
Fort Caroline National Memorial Park
Yellow Bluff Fort Historic State Park
Fort Clinch State Park
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| State Park Contact Information: |
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Big Talbot Island State Park
12157 Heckscher Drive
Jacksonville, Florida 32226
Phone: 904-251-2320
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| Adopt-A-Park Contacts: |
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Photography: add your photos
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| State Park Overview: |
| Located on one of Northeast Florida?s unique sea islands, Big Talbot Island State Park is primarily a natural preserve providing a premier location for nature study, bird-watching, and photography. Explore the diverse island habitats by hiking Blackrock Trail to the shoreline, Big Pine Trail to the marsh or Old Kings Highway and Jones Cut through the maritime forest.
Launch a boat from the north end of the island to fish and tour the salt marsh or rent a kayak and take a guided paddle tour with Kayak Amelia, (888) 30-KAYAK (305-2925). Kayak tours require advanced reservation.
Visit The Bluffs and enjoy a picnic at one of the pavilions overlooking the water or take a quick stroll down the trail to Boneyard Beach. The unique beach is famous for the salt washed skeletons of live oak and cedar trees that once grew near the shore. While visiting this unique park, please take only photos. The use of a metal detector is prohibited in the park and removal of driftwood or artifacts from the park is also prohibited. |
| Nature of the Area: |
| Wildlife Viewing
Big Talbot Island State Park is a great place for viewing shore birds and marsh birds. Along the beach you can see black skimmers, piping plovers, terns (including the threatened least tern), and brown pelicans. In the marshes you might find the endangered wood stork, egrets, herons, ibis and osprey. Venturing inland you might find barred owls, painted buntings, doves and woodpeckers. |
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| Trails: |
| Big Talbot Island State Park has several trails to offer our visitors. A trails map may be picked up at the Little Talbot Island State Park Ranger Station. The Shoreline Trail at the Bluffs picnic area provides access to the Nassau Sound beach. Black Rock Trail (off A1A) meanders through the maritime hammock delivering you to a one of a kind beach that has black, rocklike outcroppings and fallen trees that have become bleached and weathered with time. Big Pine Trail (off A1A) is a short walk to the shoreline and salt marshes along Simpson Creek. Old Kings Highway Trail and Jones Cut Trail (both on the west side of A1A) are unrefined trails that traverse through the heart of Big Talbot Island's lush maritime hammock and scrubby flatwoods. |
| Picnicking: |
| The panoramic view of Nassau Sound as it opens to meet the Atlantic Ocean makes Big Talbot?s Bluffs a perfect setting for a picnic. The Bluffs picnic area is located on the east side of S.R. A1A. This picnic area has an entrance fee per vehicle and offers park visitors picnic pavilions with grills, tables, and an absolutely gorgeous view of Nassau Sound. |
| Boating: |
| Boating
Boating abounds all around Big Talbot Island. Numerous tidal creeks along the Intra-costal Waterway are easily accessible via power boats and kayaks. The Atlantic Ocean is just around the corner.
Boat Ramp
For fishing and boating enthusiasts, Big Talbot's boat ramp is the gateway to bountiful fishing grounds. The deep-water ramp has a floating dock that provides easy access to the Intra-coastal Waterway, Nassau Sound, and the Atlantic Ocean. The ramp is located on the north end of Big Talbot. Remember to file a float plan and ALWAYS carry proper communication and safety equipment! |
| Fishing and Hunting: |
| With the large tracts of saltwater marsh that surrounds Big Talbot Island, this is unquestionably a prime area for fishing. With a little luck and skill whiting, redfish and speckled sea trout are just a cast away all year long. During the spring and fall, baitfish and shrimp can be caught in many of the creeks and along the shoreline. A morning canoe trip through the marsh can easily result in an evening fish-fry. Fly fishing has become very popular throughout the islands as ?tailing? reds venture onto the flats during the fall and spring flood tides. A map of Big Talbot and its marshes can be obtained at the Little Talbot Island State Park Ranger Station. |
| History of the Area: |
| The Talbot Islands have experienced over six thousand years of human activity and tens of thousands of years of natural forces. In 4000 B.C., when the earliest evidence for human occupation can be dated, the climate was much as it is today.
Inhabitants, known to scholars as the Archaic people, began to adapt to the marine environment and developed into what is now known as the St. Johns culture. Signs of this long-lasting culture are evident on Big Talbot Island. The St. John?s culture was still being practiced when the first Europeans arrived in the 1500?s.
The Europeans called the inhabitants of the area, the Timucua. This area was explored and settled by Spanish, French, and English people throughout 1500?s and 1600?s.
General James Oglethorpe, named the Talbot Islands in 1735 in honor of Charles Baron Talbot, the Lord High Chancellor of England. By the late 1700?s, all of Florida?s original inhabitants had died off from disease and warfare.
Starting during the brief British period (1763-83), and continuing through the Second Spanish period (1783-1821), the island was used for plantation agriculture. Oranges, sugar, indigo, and cotton were grown on the islands. Prominent planters of this period included Spicer Christopher, John Houston, John McQueen, and Zephaniah Kingsley.
In 1984 Big Talbot Island opened as a State Park. Today, the island attracts many visitors to its unique cultural and natural heritage. |
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