The GTM Research Reserve by the Numbers: 76,760 Acres From Ponte Vedra to Palm Coast, a 1957 Dam, 9-Plus Miles of Trails and $3 Parking

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Between Ponte Vedra Beach and Palm Coast lies the largest protected stretch of coast in Northeast Florida, and many people know it only as the $3 beach lots along State Road A1A. The Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, or GTM, covers 76,760 acres of salt marsh, mangroves, oyster bars, lagoons, dunes and uplands, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is one of 30 reserves in the national system, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection manages it with NOAA funding and guidance.

Here is the reserve by the numbers, drawn from NOAA, the reserve's website and other sources. Hours and fees are as posted in November 2026. The reserve's phone number is 904-380-8600.

76,760 acres and 60 miles of coast

NOAA puts the reserve's boundary at 76,760 acres stretching about 30 miles north and 30 miles south of St. Augustine. The figure has grown over time: more than 60,000 acres were conserved between 1985 and 1995, a 2003 expansion added more than 8,500 acres of Matanzas State Forest and Faver-Dykes State Park, and City of St. Augustine submerged lands were added in 2020. The southern component also takes in Fort Matanzas National Monument, which was designated in 1924 and is the oldest conservation area inside the boundary.

The northern piece, the Guana peninsula between the Tolomato River and the ocean, is the part most visitors see. The state bought the Guana tract from Gate Petroleum in 1984 with Conservation and Recreational Lands and Save Our Coast money, and split it into Guana River State Park and the Guana River Wildlife Management Area, according to the reserve's published history. The Florida DEP puts the uplands purchased that year at nearly 12,000 acres, while Gate's company history says it sold more than 13,000 acres.

1999, 25th and 30

NOAA designated GTM on Aug. 19, 1999, as the 25th reserve in a national system created by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, according to the reserve's website. The system now has 30 reserves protecting more than 1 million acres. The first GTM office opened in Marineland in 2001, and the visitor center and headquarters opened on the Guana peninsula in 2005.

1957: the dam that made Guana Lake

The Guana River was dammed in 1957, under private ownership, to flood upstream marshes and create wintering habitat for waterfowl, according to the reserve's published history. The result is Guana Lake, brackish near the dam and fresh farther upstream. The dam is the reserve's main fishing spot, open from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

9-plus miles of trails and 17 archaeological sites

The trail system on the Guana peninsula runs more than nine miles, according to the reserve's published description. The trails and the three beach lots, North, Middle and South, open at 8 a.m. and close at sunset daily. The Guana Trailhead Pavilion west of the dam is the starting point for guided hikes on the first Saturday of each month.

People lived here long before the dam or the reserve. The reserve contains 17 archaeological sites, including shell middens at Shell Bluff Landing and Wright's Landing and a prehistoric earthen burial mound. The guided hikes cover both histories, and the reserve asks hikers to wear closed-toe shoes.

$3, $1 and $50: what it costs

Fees are paid through Premium Parking by QR code at the lot or by text to 504504. Veterans get a 10% discount with ID or a DD214, and veterans with a service-related injury can get a free pass. The $50 annual pass covers the Visitor Center, the dam, the trails and all three beach lots.

The Visitor Center: 505 Guana River Road

The Visitor Center at 505 Guana River Road in Ponte Vedra Beach is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sundays, Mondays and days when state offices are closed. Inside are an exhibit hall and aquariums and terrariums holding local estuary, ocean and forest animals. From Jacksonville, take Butler Boulevard east and A1A south for 16.8 miles, then turn right on Guana River Road, the reserve says.

60% of the water every 2 weeks

Oysters in the reserve filter 60% of the estuary's water every two weeks, according to research summarized on its website. Scientists have also documented tidal wetlands shifting from salt marsh to mangroves as hard freezes grow rarer, and NOAA notes that the reserve holds the northernmost mangrove habitat on the U.S. East Coast. Water-quality monitors report data every 10 minutes.

Whales, tortoises and a beach mouse

The ocean off the reserve is a calving ground for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, NOAA says. Prescribed fire maintains the coastal strand that supports gopher tortoises and painted buntings, and the Adopt-a-Nest program funds sea turtle research and the volunteer Sea Turtle Patrol. Other residents listed in the reserve's published descriptions include dolphins, manatees, alligators, river otters, the endangered Anastasia Island beach mouse and roseate spoonbills.

Monthly programs, all 9 to 11 a.m.

• First Saturday: guided exploration hike from the Trailhead Pavilion.
• Second Saturday: family seining in Guana Lake, with nets provided.
• Third Saturday: beach exploration, starting with a talk at the Visitor Center.
• Fourth Saturday: beach cleanup, no registration required.

Seasonal guided walks are also offered at Matanzas Inlet and at the River-to-Sea Preserve from the reserve's Marineland office. Guana Outpost South at the dam rents kayaks, paddleboards and bikes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Beach gatherings and use of the pavilion or picnic area require permits.

600 acres that stayed protected

In 2025, The Upland LLC applied to swap 600 acres of the state-owned Guana River Wildlife Management Area for land elsewhere in Florida, Jacksonville Today reported May 15, 2025. Gate Petroleum founder Herbert Hill Peyton, who sold the land to the state, said none of it should be sold, swapped or developed. The application was withdrawn, according to the Florida Wildlife Federation.