Skip to content
Egmont Key State Park, Tierra Verde, FL

Photo: Dlohcierekim's sock at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureHistory Buff

Egmont Key State Park

Take a boat to an island at the mouth of Tampa Bay to walk old brick roads past an 1858 lighthouse and the ruins of Fort Dade, then swim off quiet beaches.

Egmont Key, mouth of Tampa Bay (boat access only, ferries leave from Fort De Soto Park) · Tierra Verde, FL

About Egmont Key State Park

Egmont Key is a wildlife refuge and state park on an island at the mouth of Tampa Bay, southwest of Fort De Soto Park, reachable only by boat. Trails follow hundred-year-old brick roads past the 1858 Egmont Key Lighthouse and the ruins of Fort Dade, a Spanish-American War era fort that once housed 300 people. Gopher tortoises, sea turtles and more than 30,000 nesting pairs of birds use the island, and beaches marked as bird sanctuaries stay closed all year. There are no restrooms, drinking water or shops, so bring water, sunscreen and bug spray. Commercial boats run daily from Fort De Soto and nearby marinas.

  • #island
  • #wildlife refuge
  • #lighthouse
  • #fort ruins
  • #beaches

What's around here?

The closest stops to Egmont Key State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums

    Anna Maria Island Historical Society Museum

    Check prices

    A local history museum on Anna Maria Island housed in a former 1920s icehouse building.

    5.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Sunshine Skyway Bridge

    Under $25

    Drive over Tampa Bay on a four-mile cable-stayed bridge, or view the whole span from the old-bridge fishing piers.

    6.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing

    De Soto National Memorial

    No admission fee

    A National Park Service memorial near Bradenton marking Hernando de Soto's 1539 arrival in Tampa Bay.

    8.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Bradenton Riverwalk

    Check prices

    Waterfront park along the Manatee River offering a riverside walking path, fishing, beach volleyball, and a skatepark.

    14 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Sunken Gardens

    Check prices

    Historic botanical garden in downtown St. Petersburg with old tropical plants, waterfalls, flamingos, and rehomed tropical birds.

    15 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Lake Seminole Park

    Check prices

    A large Pinellas County park on Lake Seminole with wildlife habitat, trails, playgrounds, picnic shelters, and boat access.

    17 mi awayMore like this