Beach

Stump Pass State Park, the most remote of the four beaches on lovely little Manasota Key, consists of the southernmost mile of Manasota Key, Peterson Island, Whidden Key and the protected channels between them. Although numerous beaches are found throughout the park, the only one accessible by car is the one at the southern end of Manasota Key. The beach technically begins at the parking lot, where a $3.00 daily parking fee is collected, but this portion is narrow, somewhat steep, and has suffered considerable erosion. It is also somewhat unattractive, as the dunes are topped with a stand of dead Australian Palms, an invasive species that the State is slowly killing off. To find the beach that everyone raves about requires a boat or a 1.3 mile one-way hike, either on a nature trail through dense sea grapes groves or along the sloped beach.

Aerial of Gulf Islands. On the left, near the southern tip of Manasota Key and part of Stump Pass State Park; on the right, Peterson Island.

Visitors who make it to the trip are rewarded with one of the most pristine, deserted stretches of sand in the State of Florida. Here, the warm Gulf waters are excellent for swimming and snorkeling year round. Fishing, both from shore and on nearby submerged grass flats, provides anglers access to a variety of game fish, including flounder, snook, trout, redfish, snapper, whiting, sheepshead and tarpon. Dolphins are frequently spotted, as they use Stump Pass to move between the Gulf of Mexico and Intracoastal Waterway. Ranger-led turtle walks during the summer months explain how giant sea turtles clamber up onto this beach to lay their eggs each year, and birders will find Stump Pass to be a avian wonderland!

Storm front rolls in over Stump Pass State Park

The facilities at Stump Pass State Park include restrooms, a boat launch, six covered tables (one next to the restrooms and five at intervals along the hiking trail), and a pavilion that is available on a first-come, first-serve basis, but vsitors who plan to hike to the southern tip need to keep in mind that the only restrooms are located at the parking lot. Two roads lead to Manasota Key. From SR 776, turn west onto either Manasota Beach Road or further south, onto Beach Road. Once over the Intracoastal Waterway, turn south and follow the oceanfront road until it ends at the entrance to Stump Pass State Park. To learn more about the beaches of Manasota Key, read previous reviews of Manasota Beach, Blind Pass Beach, and Englewood Beach.

Looking north to the southern tip of Manasota Key and Stump Pass State Park, from nearby Palm Island

Photo credits: Aerial photo at top courtesy of www.CharlotteHarborTravel.com; others by Barbara Weibel
Article by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels