When you hear about traveling to a Florida island by boat, you probably picture sand and palm trees and clear blue water.
While it’s an island reachable only by boat, Hontoon Island is different.
This state park is located in the tea-colored St. Johns River in DeLand. The vegetation is thick and jungly, with ancient cypress trees draped in Spanish moss. And it’s actually easy to reach: You travel only 500 feet on a free electric boat from “the mainland” to reach it.
And yet Hontoon Island State Park feels remote and away-from-it-all, just like an island should.
You can immerse yourself in this little bit of wilderness by camping or staying in a rustic cabin operated by Florida State Parks. Even if you don’t spend the night in the park, it’s an ideal place for a hike and picnic or a good base for a kayak or canoe trip. There’s also a playground for kids and a small museum.
Camping and cabins
Because there are no cars or parking lots in this park, the camp and cabin sites are among the prettiest you’ll find. They are situated in a shady hammock secluded from the busy waterfront.
There are 12 campsites and six very basic cabins clustered around a central bath facility with hot showers and flush toilets.
These aren’t luxury cabins; they are just one step above camping. There’s no heat or air conditioning, no kitchen and, like the campers, you walk to the central bathroom. The cabins have bunk beds with vinyl-covered mattresses and you bring your own sleeping bag (or linens).
The cabins are inexpensive ($30 a night for a four-bunk cabin; $35 for six bunks) and for some they provide a perfect option: The fun of being in the woods and cooking over a campfire, while guaranteeing you’ll stay dry in a storm and avoid mosquitoes.
Kayaking and canoeing
Circumnavigating Hontoon Island in a canoe or kayak is a perfect day’s paddle. You can bring your own or rent them at Hontoon at a rate of $20 an hour or $40 for the day. Note, however, that there are only two double kayaks and five canoes and they cannot be reserved. On busy weekends you must get to the marina early. (A backup plan would be to take the ferry to the mainland and drive 15 minutes to Blue Spring State Park and rent a boat there, where there are more available.)
Hiking
Hontoon is also a great place for hikers. The 3-mile-long Hammock Hiking Nature Trail takes you through a thick hardwood forest with lots of sprawling live oaks draped with Spanish moss. The path ends at a huge Indian shell mound, a hill about 20 feet high and 400 feet long. The midden is thousands of years old so on its top you’ll find some of the biggest oak trees in the park. There are miles of other trails that are actually sandy roads.
History on Hontoon Island
The park has an interesting small museum devoted to its history, particularly to the Native American Indians who gathered shellfish from the St. Johns River and left that midden some 2,000 to 3,000 years ago.
To reserve a cabin or campsite, go to ReserveAmerica.com
Hontoon Island State Park website: floridastateparks.org/hontoonisland/
More Links
You’ll find more details about paddling and hiking around Hontoon Island State Park in Florida Rambler.
While you’re in the area, visit nearby Blue Spring State Park
More about the Wekiva River Basin, which encompasses Hontoon Island.
Nearby: Five things to do in Ocala National Forest
Bonnie Gross gives tips on visiting the natural and authentic Florida at www.FloridaRambler.com.
