Anastasia State Park by the Numbers: 1,600 Acres, 4 Miles of Beach and the Quarry That Built the Castillo

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The stone walls of the Castillo de San Marcos came from a quarry just across the Matanzas River, inside what is now Anastasia State Park. Today the park covers more than 1,600 acres of beaches, tidal marshes, maritime hammocks and ancient sand dunes on Anastasia Island, according to Florida State Parks. Locals have long called it South Beach, and the state says it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

The park sits at 300 Anastasia Park Road, near the city's historic district. It combines a 4-mile beach, a lagoon called Salt Run and a hammock campground. Here is a look at the park by the numbers.

The Quarry Behind the Castillo

More than 300 years ago, workers at coquina quarries on the site hauled out blocks of rock for buildings in St. Augustine, according to Florida State Parks. Coquina is a form of limestone made of sand and mollusk shells. The state says the Spanish Coquina Quarries were the primary source of the stone used to build the Castillo and other buildings in the Spanish colonial town.

The Spanish began building the Castillo in 1672, and the first phase was finished in 1695, according to the National Park Service. Workers cut the blocks with bars and pickaxes, and the fort's walls average 12 feet thick. When English forces bombarded the fort in 1702, the porous coquina compressed and absorbed the impacts instead of shattering, the park service says.

The quarries were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Feb. 23, 1972. Florida State Parks says most of the 36 surviving colonial homes in St. Augustine contain walls built with stone from them. Visitors can see the quarry site and its interpretive displays inside the park.

How the Park Took Shape

The state of Florida acquired the land in 1949, according to Florida State Parks. The shoreline itself has changed a great deal since then. When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredged a new inlet linking Matanzas Bay with the Atlantic in the early 1940s, the tip of the peninsula it cut through grew into what is now Conch Island.

The island is named for fisherman Florence D. Edge, who was known locally as "Conch." Tides and currents carried sand from the Jacksonville Beach area, and the island more than doubled in size, swallowing a shoal called Crazy Bank and joining Bird Island. In 1964, after Hurricane Dora dropped even more sand, Conch Island was linked to Anastasia Island and the park.

Beach, Dunes and Salt Run

The park's beach runs about 4 miles, and it is open to walkers and cyclists but not to motor vehicles. A lifeguard watches a designated swimming area near the Island Beach Shop and Grill from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The state calls the beach break some of the better surfing on Florida's east coast, and shell hunters do best at low tide.

The dunes are off-limits to all visitors because they shelter protected wildlife. They are home to the endangered Anastasia Island beach mouse, according to Florida State Parks. Pets are also not allowed on the beach.

Salt Run is the park's estuarine tidal marsh and lagoon. Canoeists and kayakers paddle its waters, and a fishing area on Salt Run has a fish-cleaning station. Anastasia Watersports rents bicycles, kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and sailboats inside the park.

Trails and Wildlife

The Ancient Dunes Nature Trail loops through shaded maritime hammock and over old dunes, with uneven ground, hills and some stairs, according to the state. Flagler College describes it as a 0.7-mile loop that takes about 30 minutes. The Marsh Trail runs along the banks of Salt Run and starts near the Anastasia Watersports pavilion.

The park is part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. Least terns and black skimmers rest on the beach, while wood storks and roseate spoonbills feed along Salt Run. Ospreys and bald eagles fly overhead, and painted buntings and warblers move through the hammock.

The marsh also holds dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, fish and crabs, according to the state. Gopher tortoises are sometimes seen along the Marsh Trail. Kiosks around the park cover sea turtles, prescribed fire and the North Atlantic right whale.

Camping by the Numbers

The campground has 139 sites for RVs and tents, all in the maritime hammock a short walk or bike ride from the beach. Every site has water, electricity, a picnic table, a grill and a fire ring. Four bathhouses have hot showers and washers and dryers.

Florida residents 65 and older, and those with qualifying disability certificates, can get 50% off the base campsite fee, according to Florida State Parks. Reservations are made through the state parks reservation website or by calling 800-326-3521. The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is within walking distance of the campground, and the park notes that its music can sometimes be heard from campsites until the city's 10 p.m. limit.

How to Visit

Anastasia State Park is at 300 Anastasia Park Road, St. Augustine, FL 32080, and the phone number is 904-461-2033. It is open from 8 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year, according to its website. Campers arriving after sunset must call the park that day for gate instructions.

Admission is $8 per vehicle for up to eight people, $4 for a single-occupant vehicle and $2 for pedestrians, cyclists and extra passengers. The park has about 350 parking spaces, and the state says lots can fill on busy weekends. Parking is included with admission, but overnight parking is not allowed.

Two picnic pavilions rent for $100 a day plus tax, and the Hilltop picnic area is first come, first served. Beach wheelchairs are free on request, and elevated boardwalks and a Mobi-Mat lead to the sand. Alcohol is prohibited except inside campsites.