Cayo Costa State Park

nice beach, friendly staff, lots of cool shells and sand dollars.
easy to find public dock and they have a trolly to the beach because its almost a mile walk. we wound up walking back because we missed the last one and 4pm.
looks like a cool camping experience

This place is one of Florida’s last untouched treasures. I feel in love with Cayo Costa a few years ago when my parents bought a place in Cape Coral. My dad took us all out on the boat and over to Cayo Costa. When we came upon it, it literally looked like a deserted island. The sand is white and there’s a deep brush off the beach. The island is located west of Pine Island and Cape Coral, and north of Sanibel and Captiva Islands. West of Cayo Casta is nothing but the Gulf of Mexico.
There is actually no way to get to the island other than boat. You can use your boat of course, or you can take a ferry over. During high times, the ferry can be packed and usually has a lot of older individuals looking to hunt for some sea shells. This place is great if you’re looking for shells. Tons of em. I’ve seen some starfish there too. If you find one, please don’t take it, let it live it’s life. Anyway, if you do take it, it’ll smell like death a day or two later. You don’t want that.
We usually dock down at the southern point of the island. You’ll want to be aware of the different navigational channels in the area because there are some sand bars out in the water. We have docked on the Gulf of Mexico side before, but the last couple times the waves were too hard to do so, so we it on the other side of the island. There are a few houses on the island, but for the most part it’s just sand and trees. It’s just a really neat place to spend the day and take in all the beauty. Don’t be surprised if you see stingrays swimming in the water or hawks and eagles soaring in the skies. I’ve personally never camped there, but would love to.
WARNING: There are small, little plants that are up by the tree line. Don’t go up there. Stay buy the water unless you are on a trail. The little plants have barbs on them that are SUPER sharp and will not only stick into your skin, but they are like an arrow and when pulling them out it hurts even more. You have been warned.

Spent 3 days tent camping here and I can’t wait to do it again. What an amazingly beautiful and peaceful place.
Pros:
* Park rangers/​store attendant were very helpful and friendly.
* The park itself was full of beauty and there were very few people there. During our stay we were 1 of 4 – 5 families there. You could walk the beach for hours and not see anyone
* There was a really tiny but cool cemetery in the middle of the island, recommend hiking the trail late at night to find it
Cons:
* Noseeums (midges) were unbearable. 2 couples cut their camping trip early because they couldn’t deal with it. We didn’t have that problem — see tips below!
* Very little shade on the island, come prepared
* Shop didn’t have much food, only candy and health bars
* Expensive ferry to get there … $ 45 pp
Tips:
Do yourself a favor and buy a thermacell device and a bunch of refills. We read about it on another review and I am glad we did. It creates a bubble of protection from biting insects around your tent. We didn’t get bit at all! Amazing.
Book the ferry in advance. There are several options. I used tropic star (see my review of them)
Secure your trash! Wild pigs and raccoons ransacked our trash

We arrived to Cayo Costa by private water taxi at about 10am on Friday, July 3. There is a $ 2 entrance fee to get into the park (bring cash, as there is no change given), and then a tram will transport you to the other side of the park to the beach.
Once we arrived to the beach, about a 5-​minute ride, it was as if doves flew. It was gorgeous and unspoiled! I imagined it to be like some deserted beaches in the Caribbean, and it wasn’t quite like that, but it was definitely unspoiled. The water was warm, and although it wasn’t clear, the sand felt amazing through my toes!
There are no services offered at the beach (except restrooms), so be sure to bring your own chairs or umbrella if you need shade. Since we arrived via private water taxi, we just had water, towels, and sunscreen. If we’d planned to stay longer than just a couple of hours, we probably would’ve wanted our beach umbrella.
Many boaters pulled up and anchored there while we were enjoying the beach, and the Cayo Costa ferry arrived around Noon when the place became very busy and no longer very relaxing. It was nearly time for us to leave anyhow, but it’s a tidbit of info for anyone planning for some quiet time — go first thing in the morning, and plan to leave by Noon. It became so packed when the ferry passengers arrived, that people were stacked so close to each other, and it just was no longer a respite in the sand.
Nevertheless, I will return again and again!