Canaveral National Seashore

Originally, my plan was to visit Canaveral National Seashore on the day of a SpaceX launch. I was going to spend two days in the area, visiting both the Apollo Beach Visitor’s Center at the north end, and Playlinda Beach at the south end – and closest to Launch complex 39A from where the Falcon rocket was supposed to lift off. I was also planning a side trip to Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge which abuts Canaveral National Seashore on one side, and the Kennedy Space Center on the other.

Then the launch got delayed by several days. I decided to simply visit the northern part of the park where the Visitor’s Center is, as I had been to Playlinda Beach a few times already (each time to view a launch, each time the launch got scrubbed!).

Unlike Cumberland Island National Seashore, with its rich history and stories, Canaveral National Seashore is predominately a stretch of pristine beach. There are a few historical locations, but people come here for the beaches. Maybe not on the day I visited, since the temperature was in the low 60s (though otherwise nice), but I suspect hot summer weekends see more crowded beaches. There is a fee to enter the park (which a quick wave of my Senior Pass handled) and annual passes are fairly cheap for locals that want to come often.

The northern unit of the seashore is reached from New Smyrna Beach. Head south on South Atlantic Ave (FL SR A1A) and you will eventually reach the park border, with the fee collection booth a short distance further, followed soon by the Visitor’s Center. Here you can find a wealth of information about plant and animal life within the seashore.

Turtle Mound, an ancient mound built by the Timucuan people, is located along the west side of the island overlooking the Indian River. Further south, a small parking lot and trail give access to Eldora, the remains of a small settlement in the late 19th century. I did stop in the parking lot, but just to get some photos across the Indian River.

I followed the road south until it ended in a small circle after passing around 5 parking lots and beach access points. I pulled into the last beach access and walked on the boardwalk across the sand dunes to be greeted by a mostly empty beach. It was a nice day, just cool, and the ocean breeze didn’t help.

The southern unit is reached from Titusville, across a bridge onto Merritt Island. Merritt Island is where Apollo 11 departed on its trip to the moon. As you head east, you will pass the entrance to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. A little further, just to the right, is the Space Shuttle landing runway, though trees obscure the view. The road eventually reaches the ocean and turns north. Just like before, several parking lots offer access to the beach. Again, the road ends in a circle. Between the two roads is over 12 miles of untouched shoreline. One can walk along the beach between the two points (if you have all day and a way back). There also appears to be an unimproved road/trail that goes part of the way from north to south.

This particular National Park unit is the closest to my home. I expect to return here often, not so much for the beach, but to explore some of the short trails it has, to visit the Wildlife Refuge, and one of these days, to watch a rocket launch up close! I had arrived here late in the day after a long drive from southern Georgia. I had followed the coastline (generally highway A1A) most of the day. Given my expectations to return here often, I did not spend as much time exploring as I might have otherwise.

Steve