Anastasia State Park, State park on Anastasia Island, Saint Augustine, Florida, United States
Anastasia State Park covers 1,600 acres on a peninsula of Anastasia Island, across Matanzas Bay from downtown St. Augustine. It holds beaches, tidal salt marsh, and marine and upland hammock, with 6.5 km of Atlantic shoreline. A long low wooden boardwalk on short posts crosses the dunes near the beach.
The park was established in 1949 as part of Florida's state conservation system, which developed to protect coastal habitats. Beneath the sand and within the forests lie traces of early Spanish settlement, closely tied to Saint Augustine's colonial past.
The park's name comes from Anastasia Island, the barrier island it occupies across Matanzas Bay from downtown St. Augustine. Visitors today use it for surfing, sailboarding, kayaking, fishing and beachcombing along 6.5 kilometres of Atlantic beach, and the Old Spanish Coquina Quarries are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The park has marked trails of varying lengths, camping areas for overnight stays, and direct access to beaches and waterways. Visitors should bring plenty of water in hot, humid weather and protect themselves from insects, especially during early morning and evening hours.
The park holds the Old Spanish Coquina Quarries, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Coquina stone cut here was used to build the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine. Visitors can see the quarry pits where that stone was mined.
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