After spending our first day in Clearwater Beach exploring the beaches and towns, we decided to spend our second day out in nature at Honeymoon Island State Park. A barrier island featuring 4 miles of beaches and a beautiful pine forest with a 2.5 mile nature trail, the park offers ample opportunity for hiking and wildlife spotting.
We took an Uber to the park and paid the $8 per vehicle entrance fee before being dropped off at the Rotary Centennial Nature Center. After wandering through the exhibits, we grabbed a map and asked a park ranger for directions to the Osprey Trail. The ranger gave us driving directions and didn’t know what to say when we told her that we did not have a car. We quickly learned that the trailhead is a mile from the nature center and is only really accessible by car. When we said we didn’t mind walking she said that there was not a sidewalk or trail and they did not recommend walking on the road. An alternative was to walk along the beach but it was longer and also the route we planned to take back. Without a car, it seemed like we were a little stuck.
Luckily two very kind women who had just come from the trail overheard our plight and offered to drive us there. We were so appreciative of the ride (and after the drive agreed that it would not have been a good idea to walk there). Thanks to the kindness of strangers we were able to safely start our hike… on the trail instead of the road.
The trail was primarily sand and pine needles… and bugs! We definitely spent a lot of time swatting away the bugs, and the especially sweet among us were miserable for part of the time. In terms of accessibility, the section of the trail up to the eagle’s nest is packed sand and is bike or stroller friendly, but after that it becomes much softer sand that would be difficult to navigate with wheels. (We saw several people walking their bikes.)
This is definitely a trail where you want to look up frequently. We were surrounded by some really cool trees and there were lots of birds both flying around and nesting in the trees. Eagles, ospreys and great horned owls are the most commonly seen birds along the trail. We definitely saw a lot of osprey!
The eagle’s nest at the top of the trail is one of the main attractions on this hike. This was especially true when we were there because there was a new resident in the nest – a baby eagle had recently been born and could occasionally be spotted peering over the edge of the nest. The section of the trail that goes past the tree with the nest is closed seasonally in order to provide distance and safety for the bald eagle family so we had to settle for watching from afar. I wish I had brought my real camera and zoom lens, as I definitely could have captured better photos than I did with just my phone. But it was neat to see one of the parents perched on a branch next to the nest, standing guard.
After watching the bald eagle and resting for a bit, we continued along the trail. While so much happens in the trees and in the sky along this trail, don’t forget to look down too! We were so excited when we heard some rustling in the bushes and spotted an armadillo! He was a little camera shy but we had a great time watching him scurry around in the brush.
And for a last treat, the end of the trail brought us to several gopher tortoises. They were mostly in the sandy areas just off the trail, munching on whatever greens were nearby and retreating to their burrows when they were done.
The trail ended back at a picnic area. If we had a car, we could have driven back from here. But as we had planned, we continued our walk back to the entrance of the park along the beach. We were stunned at how crowded the beach was. And even more stunned at how rocky the beach was. At the northern end, the beach was pretty and wide, with sea shells dotting the soft sand. As we continued south it got narrower and rockier to the point where I could not understand how people were sitting comfortably on it. Having walked along the white sand beach in Clearwater Beach, I could not figure out why anyone would come here instead. These weren’t just small stones; they were huge rocks that we struggled to walk across without putting our shoes back on. It seemed so bizarre that anyone would choose this beach over the powdery sand of Clearwater Beach.
Overall we really enjoyed our afternoon at Honeymoon Island State Park. The trail was beautiful with lots of opportunities to spot wildlife. My two points of caution are that it is not easy to navigate without a car and that the bugs will eat you alive. So bring a car and bug spray and you will have a great day.
