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December 26, 2004
By W. Dean Pulley, Freelance
News-Press Newspaper
Cayo Costa's location at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, isolated from the rest of civilization by a boat ride, is at the heart of its tropical magic. Even though it still bears the scars left behind by the 2004 hurricane season, a visit to the island is something every resident must do.
It's hard to escape the hype when you live in coastal Southwest Florida: "Another day in paradise," "Island time," "Life's a beach."
You see it on billboards, the side of delivery trucks, promos for this paper and lots of other places that (for all of their good intentions) don't really channel sand and surf.
When you're stuck in traffic on Del Prado Boulevard, the mnemonic device of a dreadlocked alligator exclaiming, "Hey mon, Flex-Bon" seems a bit of a stretch.
You know what it's like to zone out on a beach, and it doesn't have much to do with a "Cape Coral, it's Paradise" bumpersticker on the diesel belching smoke in front of you.
Don't get me wrong - I thank the Great Cosmic Muffin every time I wake up in Southwest Florida. It's a great place to live on its own merits, but local boosters push it a bit when they imply that life here is one long samba through the sand.
You've been to the islands. Islands have unspoiled beaches, solitude, clear water and exotic flora. To get that kind of experience, you have to travel - all the way to Cayo Costa.
Like many of you, I had never been. My turn came on the winter solstice, the coldest day of the year so far. Having heard stories of devastation and ruin, I wasn't expecting much from the chilly day's trip.
Cayo Costa looks pretty close on a map. A thin strip of sand separating Charlotte Harbor from the Gulf, iguana-flinging distance from Boca Grande. If you've been to Captiva, what could be so different about Cayo Costa?
Everything - starting with getting there.
Cayo Costa is served only by boat. After booking passage with Tropic Star Cruises on the 10-passenger launch "Cayo Costa Star", I drove out through Pine Island's still-visible storm damage to the boat's temporary launch spot at Jug Creek Marina.
Things began began to thaw out when Captain Ted Serrell met the folks gathered on the dock with a big smile.
Along the way across Charlotte Harbor, the water changed from murky brown to translucent green, and my misgivings faded with the chill in the bright, clear sun. Passing Cabbage Key, we entered tiny Pelican Bay, home to the island's ranger station and our landing.
Since Charley chewed up the island's only dock, private boats are no longer permitted to land, but the rebuilding effort is well under way. Although several folks who had previously visited were taken aback by the absence of Australian pines lost in the storm, it looked like paradise to me.
A couple of mullet fishermen worked the nearby sandy shore from the platform of a well-loved boat, the choreography of their cast nets setting the day's rhythm. Underscored by the sails of a skiff carving a gentle arc against the blue sky, island time had taken hold.
My fellow passengers milled around to shake off the last sticky bits of stress, then piled into a makeshift wagon with sunbleached wood benches for the milelong tow to the western side because of the island. Our dusty road soon turned into a white band of sand turning gently through the thick cabbage palm hammock. Intertwined with oaks bent from their lifelong dance with the wind, these woods were dark, dense and beautiful. Some trees wore burn marks like tattoos to remind you that they were there when fire came to visit. It wasn't hard to imagine these woods full of life, but as it turned out, no imagination was necessary.
The road opened again to a clearing, and there it was - the Gulf, as we always wanted it to look. Thick white beach, bright green surf, gentle and welcoming and a cure for what ails you. Off to the right were a few very basic cabins, the destination of Charles O'Connor, an environmental education instructor for the Lee County School system. "I was here 35 years ago, with the Scouts," he said. "It changes, but it's always beautiful."
The cabins were simple - racks of double-decker bunks around the walls, a shelf for food, and a hook with a well-used broom and rake. Running water and electricity were left behind with traffic and noise.
Walking north toward Boca Grande, the sand was piled high and rich with shells of all kinds - "gifts from Charley," one of the rangers had told me.
The storm took sand from some other places, but brought Cayo Costa a beautiful beach. I was surprised to find a perfect bleached sea urchin shell set like a jewel on the shore. Soon another appeared, then a dozen. Horseshoe crabs, whelks and sponges were everywhere.
Following a trail off the beach, I came upon a Calusa midden turned condo for a gopher tortoise. Prickly pears and seagrass gave way to palm hammocks. A noise in the underbrush sounded too loud for a bird, probably because it was an almost completely black pig the size of a miniature poodle. The mini-porker dashed off, but soon returned with Mom and five other squealers to charge across my path on their way to a less busy neighborhood.
The path broke through the trees to the beach, revealing the towering condos of Boca Grande just across the pass, a reminder of how special and different this place was.
I walked back to the dock on the tram road, waiting for the launch home with a few campers, some day trippers and kids snagging fish off the sandy bottom.
John Densmore, a graduate student from Notre Dame, was returning from an overnight stay, glad to be in the warmth and natural beauty that we can enjoy every day. Patrick Kitely and John Dwyer made it over from considerably further, leaving London to spend a night in the sand (and seeing a snake for the first time). Smiles and relaxed looks all around, and not a boom box in the bunch.
So there it is, right under our noses. The imagined island that haunts the back of your mind, the place you vaguely know you want to be, the real deal. Torn by hurricanes, burned and battered and beautiful. Cayo Costa Island. The last of Twelve Things To Do Before You Die in Southwest Florida.
Just don't wait that long. This paradise is here, now and ours.
If you go
What: Cayo Costa State Park
Where: On a barrier island approximately 12 miles west of Cape Coral, and accessible only by boat
Hours: The park is open 8 a.m. to sunset; campers must register before 4 p.m. Tram hours are 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Cost: Park admission: $1; cabin rentals (no electricity): $30 a night; tent camp sites: $18 a night. Ferry day trips: $23 and $29 round trip; children younger than 7 $17. Rates subject to change; call to check.
For information: Call (941) 964-0375 or online: www.florida stateparks.org/cayocosta. For the Tropic Star shuttle ferry, call 283-0015 or online: www.tropicstarcruises.com. Reservations for the ferry are required.
Etc.: There are no facilities or vendors - bring what you need with you. Binoculars, water, a change of footwear and a towel are recommended for day trippers. The park has 30 campsites and 12 cabins.
Transportation: Tropic Star shuttle ferry www.tropicstarcruises.com or 283-0015
Cabin rentals (no electricity) $82/night Overnight tent camping facilities $18/night through www.floridastateparks.org/cayocosta/
There are no facilities or vendors - bring what you need with you
Park is open 8am - Sundown year round unless you are a registered camper
No pets.
Binoculars, change of footwear towel highly recomended for day trippers
Free tram from landing to beach runs from 10:00 AM ETH› 2:45 PM.
Cayo Costa State Park, accessible only by boat, is located approximately 12 miles west of Cape Coral, Florida. The Park occupies most of an island that lies in a chain of barrier islands that shelter Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound from the storms of the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropic Star of Pine Island provides ferry service to the island. For information on this service, visit their web site at Tropic Star Cruises
Hours of Operation Florida state parks are open from 8 a.m. until sundown 365 days a year.
Campers must be registered prior to 4:00 PM, the park office hours are 8:00 AM ETH› 5:00 PM.
Tram hours are 10:00 AM ETH› 2:45 PM.
Driving Directions Cayo Costa State Park is located directly south of Boca Grande.
Accessible only by passenger ferry or private boat. Reservations are required on the ferry service. Call Tropic Star of Pine Island at 239-283-0015.
Park Fees Admission Fees - Honor $1 per person
Tent Camping Fee All Year: $18 per night
Cabin Fees All Year: Primitive $30 per night
