LIMITED VISITATION AT THIS PARK

Effective July 2, 2020: Anclote Key Preserve State Park is open. Due to local orders, facial coverings or masks are required inside buildings for staff and visitor safety. Primitive camping is available. Restroom availability may be limited. All other park facilities are closed. Visitors are expected to maintain distances of at least six feet apart.

Located three miles off the coast of Tarpon Springs, the park is accessible only by private boat or ferry service. Enjoy the blue-green Gulf of Mexico waters that lap gently along the sandy beaches of the four islands that make up Anclote Key Preserve State Park – Anclote Key, North Anclote Bar, South Anclote Bar and Three Rooker Island. The 11,773-acre park is home to at least 43 species of birds, including the American oystercatcher, bald eagle and piping plover. A picturesque 1887 lighthouse stands as a sentinel on the southern end of the island. Visitors can swim and sunbathe at the beach, fire up a grill and enjoy a picnic, or pitch a tent and enjoy a night of primitive camping under the stars.

There are no provisions offered on the island, so be prepared to bring your own water and supplies.

Anclote Key Lighthouse

Anclote Key is the largest of a collection of small islands, known as the Anclote Keys, found three miles offshore from Tarpon Springs and the mouth of the Anclote River. The islands were named Anclote, Spanish for anchor, due to the method Spanish sailing vessels would use to navigate the shallow channels in the area. The navigation was accomplished by attaching a line to a kedge anchor, dropping the anchor at a distance in the desired direction of travel, and then using the line to pull the boat to the anchor. Although the name Anclote appears on maps dating as far back as 1715, it wasn’t until the mid-1860s that the area was permanently settled.

Park GPS coordinates

• Location of Lighthouse: N 2810.020 W 08250.687

You can find more information at https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/anclote-key-preserve-state-park