Goodland Area
Located just east of Marco Island is Goodland. The tiny community of Goodland, located off State Road 92 at the southeast corner of the island, offers visitors a laid back charm unlike any other place in the region.
The stillness of the village, where cats and dogs can be found napping in the streets, changes drastically on Sundays when hundreds of residents and visitors make the pilgrimage to Stan’s for an afternoon of outdoor music, drinks and dancing.
While mostly known for boating and fishing in the mangroves of the Ten Thousand Islands, Goodland does have a few beaches in the area. These beaches are accessible only by boat and are almost NEVER crowded.
Tripod Key Beach
Tripod Key is the closest beach to Goodland and is only 1.16 miles from Goodland Boat Park. This is a good adventure for beginners to explore the Ten Thousand Islands. The west side of the island is a mud flat along Coon Key Pass with a driftwood lined marl and rock shore on the south side of the island.
This is not really a traditional beach, but is interesting nonetheless. The mud flats along Coon Key Pass are not really that pleasant to walk through and are best viewed from the water. Water along this section is shallow and even small kayaks CAN RUN AGROUND here.
The mud flat section is about half a mile long and dolphins often feed just off this shoreline. Dolphins are very active here and will chase fish up the gradually sloping mud flats along this section, so this one of the best areas to see dolphins.
The south shore of Tripod Key is a half mile long and faces the Gulf of Mexico with Coon Key just offshore. This beach is the closest actual beach to Goodland, but it is mostly unremarkable. The beach here is very narrow and is lined by driftwood and stumps.
Goodlanders often come here when Coon Key is crowded, but this beach is best avoided at dawn and dusk as the mosquitoes and no-see-ums can be vicious.
Coon Key Beach
Coon Key is a small islet in the Gulf just outside the entrance to Coon Key Pass. Coon Key is a popular hangout for boaters in the Goodland Area and features several small pocket beaches around the island. The sandbar on the northern tip of the island is the local boater’s “party beach” and is the place to see and be seen in goodland. Every Saturday Goodlanders come here to fish (and drink beer).
The island has a population of raccoons, and one has to be on the lookout for raccoons when having a picnic at this location. RACCOONS in the ten thousand islands have been known to chew through water jugs and drink up mariner’s water supplies.
The pocket beach on the southwestern shore of the island is a quiet beach with minimal wave action that gets a fresh batch of the area’s delicate seashells on the tidal currents twice a day. Its 2 miles from Goodland out to Coon Key, and its simply a ride the tide situation for paddlers and motorboaters to get out here.
Brush Island Beach
Brush Island features just under a half mile of beach and is perhaps one of the best beaches in the Goodland area. This beach is a great place for beach camping and is only 2.5 miles from Goodland. This is a great place for an intermediate adventurer looking to explore and camp in the Ten Thousand Islands. This can be a good day trip or an overnight and no camping permit is necessary to camp here.
The northwestern point of the island features a large sandbar suitable for a paddler’s stopover and the entire west side of the island is lined with several pocket beaches as well as uplands suitable for camping.
The southern end of the island features a stumpy and brushy beach that traps lots of shells, which gradually gives way to a rocky and brushy southern tip. The brush tangle at the southern tip is why this island is called Brush Island.
Jackfish Island Beach
Jackfish Island is a rather unremarkable beach located only a tenth of a mile east of Brush Island. This is a great spot to visit from Brush Island and offers fairly good shelling on the eastern shore. If Brush Island is ever too crowded with campers, you can head to Jackfish Island and you often have the whole place to yourself.
The beaches of Jackfish Island are in a sheltered cove and are a great place to camp during adverse weather conditions due to the fact that winds are blocked by land.
The eastern shore of Jackfish Island has a large beach area with ample space to camp (it could hold a whole army platoon). The south end of Jackfish Island is mangrove shoreline and is not a sandy beach.
Camp Key Beach (Welk Island)
Camp Key is a tiny islet just offshore between Jackfish Island and Shell Key. Camping here is permitted, but I wouldn’t advise it due to the island’s exposure to winds and storms. The island is tiny, and can be a stopover on the way to Shell Key and Turtle Key.
Shell Key Beach
On Shell Key you’ll find a quarter mile of beach of which only the western 1/3 is sandy. The eastern 2/3 of the beach here is rocky with stumps, marl and driftwood. The Long Rock Shoal juts south from the island which is an excellent fishing spot. On the island’s western beach you will find numerous “bay side” shells such as the rare and prized pink telin. Camping here is allowed, but there are much better camping beaches not far away.
Turtlette Key Beach
Located between Shell Key and Turtle Key is Turtlette Key. This small island features just under half a mile of beach. There is a large sandy beach on the northwestern end of Turtlette Key which is a great place to land your vessel and enjoy the beach. The beach on the southeastern part of Turtlette Key is a stumpy “wild beach”. Turtlette Key is so named because of the sea turtle hatchlings that are often seen on the beach here. Camping on Turtlette Key is discouraged in order to help protect sea turtles.
Turtlette Key is approximately a 4.5 mile voyage from Goodland, so if you are looking for a destination for a good adventure this is the place. Turtle Key which is a great backwoods camping spot is just across Turtle Pass from Turtlette. This beach offers excellent shelling, especially the northwestern sandbar along Shell Pass facing shell key. Shell Pass offers a deeper water approach, and there is a sheltered lagoon behind the sandbar which serves as an anchorage for small craft.
Turtle Key Beach
At 4.76 miles from Goodland, this is the beach for serious adventurers looking to camp in the backcountry of the Ten Thousand Islands. The beach here is a mile long and you often have the whole island to yourself. You can run your jet ski here and no one will complain. Blow through where the rumrunners used to run their goods during prohibition. Turtle key has small secret cove near the eastern end of its beach leading to a narrow mangrove creek into the center of the island. Local legend says that this creek was once used by bootlegging operations and the island was once home to an active moonshine still and drug processing operation.
Port of the Islands Area Beaches
Port of the Islands is the gateway to the middle Ten Thousand Islands. Most of the “islands” of the Ten Thousand Islands aren’t real islands at all. They're just clumps of mosquito-infested red mangrove growing out of the shallow coastline. There are however some (a few hundred) islands that are true islands and have actual land. Very few of these actually have sandy beaches.
The coastline here is mostly wetlands, and the mangrove swamps here serve as nurseries for numerous aquatic species. This is why the Ten Thousand Islands has some of the best fishing on the gulf coast.
The history behind these buildings and community is noteworthy, as it was the beginning of Golden Gate Estates. Back in the 1960s, the Port of the Islands began as Remuda Ranch. This was a luxury hotel where potential investors, consumers and visitors were flown in and catered to in order to experience the unique splendor of Southwest Florida. Remuda Ranch was built and used by the real estate developer, Gulf American Land Corporation, up until the corporation went bankrupt. The Gulf American Land Corporation used to ferry prospective land buyers out to the beaches in the area to show them “the best beaches in Florida”.
In 1980, a developer named Bill Ray obtained the land and acquired a $7 Million bond in an attempt to complete the community. After Ray passed in 1991, his family auctioned off the remaining land in 1994 to contractors and private entities. Thus began the start of the completion of many homes, villas and condos in Orchid Cove, Sunrise Cay, Sunset Cay, Villages at Stella Maris and more throughout the community.
Port of the Islands beaches are ONLY ACCESSABLE BY BOAT, this is not the islands but a port for getting to the islands. The Port of the Islands Marina is located right next to the Port of the Islands Everglades Adventure Resort. This is the place for adventure travelers to truly experience the everglades with a wide array of kayak, jetski, airboat and motorboat options for exploring the surrounding area.
Gullivan Key Beach
Gullivan Key is the most remote beach in the Port of the Islands area. On weekends you'll often find one or more scout troops camping there. On Gullivan Key you will find 3 quarters of a mile of unspoiled southwest facing gulf beach. There is excellent shelling and the island is close to both backwater and offshore fishing grounds.
Feel free to stop by the scout camps, they are generally accepting of visitors. If you need to ask for directions the scouts here will be glad to help you.
Its about 10 miles from Port of the Islands out to Gullivan Key and the trip out to Gullivan Key is an expedition level tour through the Ten Thousand Islands.
White Horse Key Beach
White Horse Key has perhaps the best beach in the Port of the Islands Area. The island features 1.1 miles of white sand beach with a southwestern exposure towards the Gulf of Mexico. You'll find this the best shelling beach in the Port of The Islands area. Its also the only beach in the area visited by commercial tour operators.
Wild Florida Ecotours offers a guided boat tour of White Horse Key out of Port of the Islands. For $69 one can get an introduction to the Ten Thousand Islands and this is the best way for novice adventurers to experience this unique part of Florida.
Hog Key Beach
Home a herd of Hogs, Hog Key is the least visited beach in Port of the Islands. Camping is allowed here and with fishing and hunting permitted in the area. Hog Key features just over half a mile of gulf front beach. Wave action here is minimal as Hog Key is located in a recessed area along the coast.
The west end of Hog Key’s beach is a semicircular cove that was once an inlet. This area is the best section of Hog Key for camping with a sheltered area to park vessels during storms.
The eastern section of Hog Key consists of pocket beaches amongst a shoreline of marl and driftwood.
Panther Key Beach
Panther Key Beach is the closest beach to Port of the Islands. Its 7.8 miles from Port of the Islands out to Panther Key. This is one of the most popular beach camping spots in the Ten Thousand Islands and is a must visit for every everglades adventurer.
Panther Key is a historic place, sometimes known as Panther Glade. The island is named after Panther John Gomez, a legendary pirate just like Jose Gaspar. He was a fisherman, a hunting and fishing guide, a pirate, a sometime filibuster and rumrunner.
Panther John was said to be Gaspar’s cabin-boy or his chief mate. One version said that John was Gaspar’s brother-in-law.
The island is home to the remains of his pirate hideout located at Gomez Point on the south tip of the island.
With 1.5 miles of beach, Panther Key has the longest stretch of beach in the Port of the Islands area. The island has two main beach areas, East Beach, and West Beach. East Beach is located along Faka Union Pass at the main entry of the Port of the Islands boat channel and is the primary camping beach on the island.
The island’s western beach is wider and much less crowded. This beach offers the best shelling and is generally on the windward side of the island.
Camp Lulu Key Beach
Camp Lulu Key is the “party beach” for the locals in Port of the Islands. On New Years Eve there is often an illegal fireworks show and bonfire here where motorboaters and paddlers come out to this island for the night. The site is also popular for large gatherings on holiday weekends throughout the year. We often call it “Parties Everglades Style”.
Camp Lulu Key features 3 quarters of a mile of white sand gulf beach with a southern exposure. You can see both the sunset AND sunrise from this beach which is fairly unique among Florida beaches. The island is home to beautiful orchids and the several shacks that are the remains of an old naval camp.
The beach here is 10 miles from Port of the Islands and is accessible only by private boat. If you are out fishing in Port of the Islands be sure to stop off at Camp Lulu Key, bring a cooler and some beer and enjoy the beach “Everglades Style”.
There is oftentimes an outhouse available on Camp Lulu Key which is here to reduce the damage to the island caused by local revelers.