This Hidden Florida Beach Is A Photographer's Dream With Its Driftwood Views And Coastal Beauty

Imagine walking along a desolate beach, surrounded by skeleton-like trees scattered along its sandy shores. It probably sounds like a scene in a post-apocalyptic movie, but in reality you're at Boneyard Beach, along the northern coast of Florida. Boneyard Beach is located in Big Talbot Island Sate Park, 28 miles from Jacksonville International Airport. This isn't your typical Florida beach, with jet skis and bikini-clad beachgoers. You won't find any lifeguards, and swimming is particularly discouraged because of strong currents. This is a hidden, unadulterated sanctuary where you can stroll along the remote coast and really appreciate the wonders nature has to offer. 

Located on one of Florida's last undeveloped barrier islands full of wildlife and coastal trails, Boneyard Beach is a must-visit spot when you're near. Folks might be familiar with neighboring Jacksonville, Florida's coastal resort city with water thrills and an art scene, but few have wandered beyond Jacksonville's urban sprawl to Boneyard Beach. Not even Jacksonville's moss-draped, riverfront neighborhood of Mandarin can compare to the awesome, yet unsettling, beauty of this stretch of coastline. The dead oak trees bleached from the sun give the beach its peculiar name, since the dead trees resemble scattered bones. 

To arrive at the beach, visitors have to hike half a mile along a sandy trail in the woods, so you'll want to bring comfortable shoes and plenty of insect repellent. You definitely want to bring a camera — or your phone — to capture the spectacular alien-like backdrop you are about to witness. Once you arrive at the beach, the eerie landscape takes you by surprise, opening up into a spectacular graveyard of trees along the sandy coastline. 

When you first step on whimsical Boneyard Beach, you're greeted with an impressive collection of scattered dead oak and cedar trees. These hauntingly beautiful dead driftwood trees aren't just an unusual spectacle to behold. They serve a very important function in guarding the Florida coastline from wind and water erosion. Tree root systems hold sand together that would normally be swept away by waves or storm winds, while the trunks guard against strong gusts threatening the coast. 

Regardless of the wonderful protection they provide for the shore, they give the beach the appearance of a gorgeous desolate wasteland. It's not difficult to see why Boneyard Beach is a photographer's paradise, brimming with unusual formations along its surrealistic landscape. Visitors can pay a minimal parking fee, $3 at time of publication, to visit Big Talbot State Island Park and catch a glimpse of these magnificent trees with their gnarly roots and branches. Florida's pastel sunrises and rustic sunsets provide an iridescent background for photographing these strange structures, while visiting during low tide allows you to see trees that otherwise would have been covered by water. 

When visiting Boneyard Beach, please use caution not to disturb any nests, as it is a designated nesting environment for sea turtles and birds. Keeping that in mind, take all the spectacular pictures you want of this impressive driftwood graveyard. It is one of the most stunning and unusual beaches you are bound to encounter along Florida's legendary coast.