If you want a full beach day with no buildings in sight, Little Talbot Island State Park has more than five miles of open Atlantic shore about seven miles down A1A from the George Crady bridge. It's one of a handful of undeveloped barrier islands left in northeast Florida, and it has been a state park since the 1950s. The island is still moving: its southern half has built up only since the late 1800s, when river jetties changed how sand drifted down the coast, and Hurricanes Matthew and Irma cut into the dunes in 2016 and 2017.
Entry is $5 per vehicle for up to eight people, paid in exact change or by card, from 8 a.m. to sunset. Two parking areas lead to three boardwalks, and Boardwalk 3 is the easiest for anyone with limited mobility. The ranger station lends two beach wheelchairs at no cost if you call ahead at 904-251-2320.
No lifeguards work this beach, so check the warning flags at the entrance. A few more rules:
- Get in the water only from boardwalks one, two or three, and stay out south of boardwalk three, where the Fort George River Inlet has drop-offs and strong currents.
- Pets can use the trails and campground on a 6-foot leash but not the beach or boardwalks.
- Collecting driftwood is prohibited, though metal detecting is allowed east of the dune vegetation.
- Bikes can ride the sand; motor vehicles can't.
The north beach has some of the best surfing in northeast Florida, per the park. At low tide you can walk or bike two miles north to the sand spit at Nassau Sound, where an old shipwreck sits within view. The 4-mile Dune Ridge Trail loops through maritime forest and finishes with a mile and a half on the beach. Pair it with Big Talbot's Boneyard Beach next door, or stop at the George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier on the way back to Amelia Island State Park.