Canaveral National Seashore

Reviews 3

ST

Steve Markos

I am a writer and photographer for National Park Planner and I visited Canaveral National Seashore in March 2016. The park protects a 24-mile barrier island off the coast of Florida, creating what has become the state’s longest stretch of undeveloped beach. Beaches at each end of the park, Apollo in the north and Playalinda in the south, are accessible by vehicle (bridges connect the island to the mainland). A park road runs the length of each, and the beaches can be accessed from one of the many parking areas along the roads—you cannot climb over the sand dunes to reach the beach. Due to its proximity to the Kennedy Space Center, a huge tourist draw, and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Playalinda Beach is much busier than Apollo Beach. Unexpected at a National Seashore are two nude beaches. Access to these is from the very last parking area at both Apollo and Playalinda Beaches. The National Park Service follows state and county laws in regards to nudity, since there is no federal law addressing the subject, and both nude beaches were established before Canaveral National Seashore was created. At Apollo Beach, which is in Volusia County, nudity is legal and an agreement was made between the nudists and the National Park Service to keep suits on until 150 yards south of the last parking area. At Playalinda Beach in Brevard County, nudity is illegal, and while arrests have been made over the years, law enforcement tends to turn a blind eye to the matter unless complaints are made. In either location, you can be arrested for lewd behavior or photographing naked children—yes, whole families are known to enjoy the beach. Ironically, the largest crowd is at Playalinda, though this is mainly due to the limited parking at Apollo Beach. Klondike Beach sits between Apollo and Playalinda Beaches and it is accessible only on foot. A backcountry permit is required to enter the area. You must walk through one of the nude beaches to reach it. Camping is allowed on designated islands at the northern end of Mosquito Lagoon. A backcountry camping permit is required, and you will need some sort of boat to reach the campsites. Canoes can be rented from the Apollo Visitor Center for those using Campsites #1 through #5. In the past the park had two beach campsites, but these were closed in 2016 and beach camping is no longer permitted. There are a few short trails in the Apollo Beach area and two historic sites, the Eldora State House and Seminole Rest. Both are open a few days each week and both are accessible by vehicle. The National Park Service also offers Ranger-led boat tours, walks, and canoe trips during January, February, and March. Any discussion of Canaveral National Seashore must also include Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge since it and Canaveral border each other, and the typical tourist will make no distinction between the two. The Refuge is the best place to see wildlife, particularly birds. You may spot a few alligators in the park, but this is not the Everglades where alligators are as common as dogs. I saw less than a half dozen during my one week visit to the park. The Refuge allows fishing and hunting, both of waterfowl and big game such as deer. Federal, state, and Refuge regulations and licensing apply. For complete information and hundreds of quality photos, visit National Park Planner (npplan).

PA

Pat Patten

Imagine, for a moment, going back in time a thousand years. Youre a tall, honey colored native woman living in a village along what would in the distant future become known as the Florida east coast, between Titusville and New Smyrna Beach. Walking along the shore, draped in your handmade attire of woven moss and palmetto leaves, your feet sink into the luscious warm sand. You revel in the luxury of the moment with the place all to yourself, an exotic haven with over one thousand different kinds of plants, 310 species of birds and an endless supply of fish in the sea. Feeling hot and hungry, you jump into the cool refreshing water. Standing in the surf spear in hand, with one swift blow you impale a glinting white fish that swam too close to the shore. Eyeing you from a safe distance are a flock of red-headed, black-winged Turkey vultures waiting patiently to gobble up the soon to be discarded fish head and bones, remnants of your lunch. They have a lot of competition from the plethora of other birds anxious for a tasty morsel. You scrape the scales from the fish using a sea shell youve sharpened over time, filet and leisurely eat the raw succulent fish. Relaxing after the savory meal, you begin to study the busy little sand crabs. Incessantly, they pop in and out of dozens of holes and dance sideways across the sand, doing whatever sand crabs do on the beach, a curious mystery indeed. The sun is bright, the day is warm, and you think to yourself life simply couldnt get any better than this. Move forward in time and imagine youre a woman in 2016 visiting this same place. Now it is a nationally protected 24-mile long beach on the east coast of the United States. Its looks pretty much the same as it did a millennia ago, except the beach is crowded, and the people come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Surf fishing is still popular. Instead of crude spears, there are long poles planted in the sand, with fishing wire rising high over the heads of passersby and extending into the water. The enormous plants are dense and abundant, anchoring the shore from erosion. The multiple species of birds are still there, waiting to snatch up the discarded remnants left by the humans scattered along the beach. Located on a barrier island, in the shadow of NASA and the launch pads at Cape Canaveral, the beach is dotted with orange poles to protect the baby sea turtles nesting there from being trampled upon by indifferent visitors. This undeveloped area is a combination of exquisite scenery and pristine beaches and serves as a priceless resource for scientists to study this unique riparian environment. What a thrill it was for me to visit this wild and beautiful place. It really is a national treasure and only one of ten protected seashores under the National Park System. Be sure to check it out. I think youll find its well worth the trip!

RO

Robert Baker

NUDE BEACH ALERT- Not much in the literature for this location tells you that at any given time you will see nude sunbathers. Most of the time they stay near Parking Area 5 at Apollo Beach, and north of the Brevard County line at Playalinda Beach. However, sometimes a bus load of naturists arrives and theyll be seen everywhere. Ask about nudists before you pay your entrance fee if it bothers you or your children. Factor in fully nude seniors looking a lot like Magda from Something About Mary. The nudity downgrades this site from 5 stars to 3 or less. The Federal Govt and the State of Florida do not require clothing on beaches as long as the exposure is non-sexual. In this case Volusia County doesnt either, and there are no other jurisdictions that apply. The Canaveral National Seashore is a great place to visit if you like the natural beauty of an Atlantic barrier island beach complex without the clutter of resort-style amenities, but with plenty of nude old people. Its a great beach/boating location for adults and teens, but not setup to make things easy for toddlers and the gear that comes with them. There are hiking trails and Manatee viewing areas in the back lagoon areas of the park, with a pristine beach that stretches for miles. For kayaking, we liked the northern Apollo Beach access (3 launch areas) and the mini archipelago of islands and twisting waterways on the lagoon side. The southern Playalinda Beach has a single kayak launch point (Eddy Creek), but the ocean side beach was stellar. On several trips we saw bottlenose dolphins, seaweed-disguised long-nose spider crabs, various hermit crabs, Atlantic stingrays, fish and birds aplenty, plus lots of really leathery dark brown naked senior citizens.

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