Marco Island at BeachHunter.net |
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Marco IslandMarco Island is located about 30 minutes south of Naples. It is the southernmost island on the southwest coast of Florida that has beaches accessible by car. Marco Island is very overdeveloped. It was once covered with mangroves and Indian middens, but most of the mangroves were bulldozed, finger canals were carved into the coast so everyone could have a boat dock, and the land was filled in so homes and condos could be built. So here it is, out in the middle of nowhere, a retirement/vacation paradise with all the comforts of any small city. Development on Marco is relatively recent, so everything is new. The landscaping is beautiful, with coconut palms and tropical foliage and flowers everywhere. The beaches are beautiful. There are a lot of condominiums and luxury resorts on the beach. Marco Island is upscale all the way and caters to the well-to-do. But you can still get a good rate on a beachfront hotel, especially in the off season. |
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Do you have all the beach gear you need to be comfortable during your beach vacation? Would you like some great suggestions & tips? Have a look at some beach chairs, umbrellas, totes, floating chairs, towels, kids gear, and a LOT more! |
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You will arrive on tropical Marco Island after crossing the tall Jolley Bridge. The height of the bridge gives you a good overview of the island: lots of green tropical foliage and palms, and a heavy helping of high rise condominiums. Don't be fooled into thinking the tall buildings you see in the distance are the downtown area. They are the beachfront condominiums. |
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Here is a view of Marco's beach looking south from Tigertail Beach Park. Tigertail provides the best and easiest beach access on the island. It is the BEST beach facility on the island, with bathrooms, a playground for kids, rentals of beach equipment and kayaks, and a beach restaurant/snack bar. There is a lot of nature here.
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Here is part of Tigertail Beach. As you can see, the shoreline is natural here and has no buildings. The lagoon in front of the beach is very shallow and calm and is great for kids to swim in. There is a lifeguard during certain hours. To get to the Gulf beach, you have to either wade across the lagoon, or take a long walk around it. |
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Boardwalks lead from the parking lot and snack bar area across the beach vegetation to the sand. In this photo you can see the shallow lagoon, beyond which is Sand Dollar Island and the Gulf beach. |
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Sand Dollar Island is a bird nesting area and some parts are marked as off limits. This is a very popular birding area during spring migration. You just never know what kind of unusual bird will land on the beach to rest. |
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Wading across the shallow lagoon to Sand Dollar Island. Yea, it's kind of muddy, but you can wear shoes if it bothers you. Don't forget to shuffle your feet to scare away the stingrays. The water in the lagoon isn't very clear, so it's hard to see them. |
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On this trip to Marco, I waded across the shallow lagoon onto Sand Dollar Island. Halfway across the island I turned around and snapped this photo looking back toward the lagoon and Tigertail Park. There are no trees on Sand Dollar Island, no picnic tables, no restrooms, nothing to eat or drink, and no lifeguards. It's a fairly remote beach. |
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Here is a view up the beach on Sand Dollar Island. It is very flat and wide and the water is shallow and clear. |
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Marco Island is not known for having a lot of shells, but as you can see here, there are shells to be found. |
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A couple walks south on Sand Dollar Island as several people play in the water in the distance. The high rise condominiums on Marco's beaches can be seen on the horizon. |
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This is one of my favorite photos of Marco beach just south of Tigertail Park. It is low tide and the sand bar is exposed. The reflection of the sky in the water was beautiful. This was a magnificent October afternoon on Marco. |
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Tigertail Park has a nice playground facility for the kids. |
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Todd's On The Beach is a snack bar type restaurant on the boardwalk at Tigertail Park. It is closed in this photo because it is after 5pm on a weekday. |
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Marco's beach renourishment project created a really wide beach on northern Marco. In fact, the beach is so wide here that it would be a real chore to drag one's beach gear to the water's edge. The lines in the sand are from the tractor-driven beach rake that keeps the new sand from becoming hard-packed. Reminds me of a strawberry field just before the plants go in. |
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South Marco has a beach access that is nicely landscaped, but is nothing like Tigertail Park. You must park across the street in a pay-and-park lot, then walk half a block to the beach. |
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The South Marco beach access is right next to the Apollo Condominium. |
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Here is a view of the beach at South Marco and the condominium-lined shore as it curves northward. This photo was taken before the beach renourishment project, so the beach is rather narrow. |
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South Marco beach is the southernmost beach on the west coast of Florida that you can visit without needing a boat. This photo was taken looking north. If you follow the gentle curve of the island you can see the greenery at Tigertail Park just to the left of where the condominiums end. There are other islands with beaches south of Marco Island, but you need a boat to reach them. In fact, there are many islands south of Marco. They are called the Ten Thousand Islands, but most do not have beaches. They are mangrove islands and many do not even have dry ground during high tide. The only people you will likely find between Marco Island and the Keys are fishermen and others enjoying nature. There may be a few other types of people out there as well, but you'd want to avoid them.
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If I could point to a photograph that would represent the future of the South Florida area near Marco Island, this would be it. Out of the vast mangroves large condominiums are rising as fast as developers can get the building permits. This part of South Florida, long overlooked while the areas around Naples, Fort Myers, and Sarasota boomed, is now in the sights of the bulldozers. Come and enjoy the quiet while you can. In a few years it will all be a memory. I was amazed to see this giant towering above the surrounding mangroves as I drove by. On my previous trip to Marco Island this was just a mangrove forest. I am not kidding. And fishing will decline as the fish lose their mangrove habitat for breeding grounds. It happened in St. Pete, and Sarasota. Now it's happening in Ft. Myers/Sanibel. Next is Marco. |
