Egmont Key on BeachHunter.net

Florida Beaches Home

Beach photos & info

Beach Guidebook

Media / Press

Florida Beaches Links

Beach Safety

About BeachHunter

David's Beach Blog

Contact BeachHunter

Beach Forum

Where is Egmont Key?
Located at the mouth of Tampa Bay, Egmont Key is an island with an odd history and is accessible only by boat. Private excursion boats leave from Pinellas County and Manatee County to take you there if you don't have a boat. Egmont Key is a State Park and a Wildlife Refuge. It can get very busy on weekends and holidays, but during the week is a very quiet place. It is not a really large island, but is plenty big enough to keep you busy exploring all day and wanting to come back for more. The water is particularly beautiful, especially during the spring and early summer. Snorkeling is popular around the submerged remnants of old Fort Dade. There are no cars on Egmont Key, and camping is not allowed.

How to get to Egmont Key
Tour boats (like the one pictured below) operate from Cortez, on the south side of the bay, or from the Pinellas beaches. It's easiest to access Egmont Key from the St. Pete beaches area.  You could even take a kayak on a calm day if you are an experienced paddler. I wouldn't recommend kayaking to Egmont for beginners unless accompanied by an experienced paddler.

Tampa Bay Ferry of Hubbard's Marina on St. Pete Beach leaves from Fort Desoto. This is the ferry I've used. Visit their website at: http://www.hubbardsmarina.com/egmont.html. For recorded information with lots of details, call 727-393-1947 or Toll Free 1-800-755-0677. This is the least expensive way to get to Egmont.

Adventure Cruises - Captain Ian operates offers daily trips to Egmont Key aboard his 40 foot, 49 passenger boat. The boat leaves from the Corey Causeway (the Pasadena Avenue approach to St. Pete Beach). Capt. Ian also offers trips to Shell Key, sightseeing trips, dolphin watching, and Egmont Key snorkeling trips. The Egmont Key trip is a 4 hour excursion. Snorkeling is optional. Call Cap'n Ian at 727-423-4247 or visit his website at www.adventurecruise.net. Adventure Cruises also offers private charters. More info on their website or by calling.

Tropical Island Getaway tours leaves from just south of John's Pass Bridge and their website says they also depart from the Cortez docks in Bradenton. Call to confirm that. They have quite a few different boat tours to choose from. Check out their website at http://www.tropical-island-getaway.com/

Dolphin Landings Charter Boat Center has a dock on St. Pete Beach behind the Dolphin Village Shopping Center. Visit their website for more info. The cost is about $40. They won't make the trip if they don't have enough people ( I think they need 6 if I recall correctly).
http://www.charterboatescape.com/speed_pages/flash_index.html

Accommodations near Egmont Key
Egmont Key is a great day trip if you are staying on the St. Pete Beaches. St. Pete Beach has many accommodations right on the beach, even major hotels like the Don Cesar, Trade Winds Resort, Howard Johnsons, Holiday Inn & Suites, St. Pete Beach Travelodge, Florida Dolphin Motel, the Sirata Beach Resort and a host of others.

Onboard the Tampa Bay Ferry with Egmont Key in the distance.

Approaching the north tip of Egmont Key. Note the very deep channel indicated by the dark water.

Cruising along the palm fringed Gulf beach, looking for landfall.

Making landfall. The ferry pulls right up to the sand and lowers the gangplank onto the beach.

Looking north up the beach on Egmont Key.

The ferry leaves after it drops us off, and returns for us a few hours later.

This is a typical upper beach scene on Egmont. Many of the palms were killed during the hurricanes 2004.

Note the white sand "fingers" spreading into the palms. This is sand washed inland by hurricane Jeanne.

The trail through the dark and shady interior of the island.

The brick road used in the early 1900's by the residents of Fort Dade. Now a superhighway for gopher tortoises.

A view south as the tide comes in and leaves very little beach to walk on here on the central part of the island.

Beachhunter finds shade to have a bite to eat.

The beach on the northern part of the island is wider.

A view of one of the armored batteries of Fort Dade.

Gopher tortoises are common on Egmont Key. They are slow moving and cannot swim, but they thrive on the island.

A view from the top of one of the armored batteries at the north tip of the island. Fort Desoto Park can be seen in the distance.

The lighthouse on Egmont Key, as rebuilt in 1858.

To find out all the important details about all the beaches on the lower Gulf Coast of Florida, consider purchasing my book: Florida Beaches - Finding Your Paradise on the Lower Gulf Coast. It covers all the beaches from Dunedin to Marco Island, more than 96 named beaches. It has 176 pages, 25 maps, and 48 black and white photographs. 

How to Be Safe From Sharks, Jellyfish, Stingrays, Rip Currents and other Scary Things on Florida Beaches and Coastal Waters. My new ebook tells you what you need to know to have a safe and fun stay on the Florida Islands and Beaches. Click the blue book cover at left to find out more information about what's in the book and to download to your computer. If you are a first-time visitor to the Florida Beaches, this book is a MUST! 70 pages with color photos and illustrations. Where else will you get this information?