Tag: Florida parks

The Boardwalk at Smyrna Dunes Park Nears Completion

A photo visit to Smyrna Dunes Park in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

One afternoon, on one of our cooler Florida days (60’s), I headed to the New Smyrna Beach peninsula and got my 2018 Smyrna Dunes Park pass for the year. I asked the woman at the gate about the boardwalk’s progress, because I hadn’t been there for months. I was told that soon (possibly May) the entire walkway would be finished, which is earlier than planned.

Passes are only $20 (or pay $10 per visit), and the area is perfect for walking and sightseeing, swimming and fishing. It seems that the biggest draw is for dog-walking. Nearly everyone has a dog on a leash and those dogs look very happy!

Dogs are not allowed on the boardwalk other than early AM and just before sunset. Signs are posted. Dog owners must take the sandy paths.

Those who like to fish will appreciate the new fishing pier.

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Dunes and Inlet beyond and Ponce Lighthouse

The boardwalk that heads directly toward the Inlet is nearly finished. There is one sandy area that must be crossed, and I’m not sure why that little section is not done, but maybe something special is going in there.

Still, I was happy to be able to get to the stairs leading down to the Inlet beach. Last time I visited I couldn’t get there on the boardwalk.

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View of dunes while walking the new boardwalk, looking toward Ponce Inlet

Lots of people kept going out toward the ocean on the boardwalk you can see in my photo below. It was a very windy day and not exactly perfect for beach-walking.  I was alone by the time I reached the stairway.

New boardwalk that leads to the ocean
Looking north toward New Smyrna Beach from the boardwalk at Smyrna Dunes Park showing the newly re-done walkway leading to the ocean
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Jetty seen from boardwalk near stairs
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Posts where old walkway met the beach

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End of boardwalk at stairs leading to Inlet and Jetty

The jetty rocks are fun for kids to climb on, and it’s a favorite place for fishing. I’ve never been very coordinated so I stayed off the rocks. I did walk down to the jetty in search of seashells, but found none.
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New stairway to Inlet beach area

I took a short video of the sand blowing along the beach. My legs definitely got sand-blasted, but it was a great day for collecting unique shells. I collected a Baby’s Ear seashell, which I’d never found before.

Late in the Day Trip to Smyrna Dunes Park

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One of the long boardwalks that make up the park.

Recently I went to Smyrna Dunes State Park to walk, visit the beach, and take photos. My camera was full, so I had to keep deleting photos to take more, which was annoying.   I would have taken a lot more photos.

My son had his girlfriend visiting over the Christmas break. She lives in New Hampshire and had never been to Florida. Well, the Christmas break is NOT the time to visit as everyone in the world is visiting Florida then…. or they are waiting to come for the spring break, which is also a horrible (touristy) time to come here.

We went to Smyrna Dunes Park late in the day and had to leave by 6:00PM or be locked in, so I was constantly checking the time. I was the odd man (woman) out accompanying the young sweethearts on a romantic stroll among the dunes, but I did come in handy when it came to photo taking.

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We ended up on the west side by the Intracoastal (Indian River) where the sun was beginning to set and my son wanted pictures. So I used the girlfriend’s cell phone to take most of them, and got some very good photos (if I do say so myself). The sun was setting and they posed in silhouette… ah, young love!

The Park is a long boardwalk over the dunes that leads to the ocean and river  in several places, and Ponce Inlet. I had visited this place years ago – probably 15 or 16 – and it has changed. Now there are trails just for dog walkers, and there were many people taking advantage. The dogs are not allowed on the boardwalks except at certain places.

seashells

At one point we walked down to the beach by the rocky jetty. The tide was out, and lots of little shells were caught in seaweed along the beach. My picture here shows some of the seashells I found. Pieces of shells that were once quite big, and the regular finds of the incongruous arks and cross barred venus clam.

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We saw a gopher turtle (tortoise) snacking on some weeds in the dunes (no photo, camera issues), and I was reminded of the one that used to live in the corner of my yard. They are big turtles and slide down into their dens that are a maze of underground tunnels. My daughter volunteered at the Central Florida Zoo (named differently now) and learned all about them. They are quite amazing wild animals. With all the building going on constantly in this state, they are threatened. The gopher turtle, like much wildlife in this state, has lost a lot of it’s natural habitat.

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Ponce Inlet lighthouse and beach at the end of the boardwalk.

We had a lovely time walking the boardwalk, and I was sorry I didn’t just buy the $20 yearly pass. I may go back and use this place as my exercise area. But I do have a beach pass, so I can drive onto the beach and then use the boardwalk, or simply walk along the beach. I’m lucky to live so close to this beautiful area.