Cape San Blas, Florida, is the perfect beach in Florida if you’re looking for adventure, less crowds, and to bring your fur baby along!
Located only a short drive from Port Saint Joe, this beach on Florida’s Forgotten Coast is relatively untouched by the insane crowds of tourists and an Alvin’s Island everywhere you look.
Instead, you get a slower pace here, and more opportunity for adventure. Here, you get local shops and restaurants. Here, instead of struggling to find somewhere to relax on the beach, you get tourists occasionally dotted along the sand.
I’ve been coming to this beach since I was a kid, mainly since my family wanted to bring along our dogs. After going to Cape San Blas multiple times, as well as some of the more popular (AKA, crowded) beaches, I can say with confidence I prefer the former.
Of course, this is a great beach to relax on with a book and enjoy the sun. But, there’s also plenty adventures you can embark on here. I’ve compiled a list of 10 things to do here so you can make the most out of your trip to Cape San Blas.
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Start at Port Saint Joe
While the order in which you do anything else on this list isn’t important, you’ll probably want to start your trip to Cape San Blas at Port Saint Joe.
The only grocery stores on Cape San Blas are a handful of small convenience stores, and the restaurant options are limited. Because of this, I’d recommend making a stop at the Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store at Port Saint Joe to grab some groceries for your trip!
Make sure to check out Bluewater Outriggers right next door, too. They have bathing suits, shoes, souvenirs, gear, and more! Pretty much anything you could need for your trip.
Once you’ve gotten the goods and you’re ready to explore Port Saint Joe, head to the downtown area! It’s quite small, honestly just one street. But there’s plenty of places to eat and shop! One of my favorites is Shoobies. They’ve changed some locations throughout the time I’ve been visiting Cape San Blas, but they currently have one right off downtown.
Some other places to eat in downtown include Pepper’s Mexican Grill, Sugar Shack PSJ, Uptown Raw Bar and Grill, Joe Mama’s Woodfired Pizza, and more.
Some places to shop are Boutique by the Bay, Coastal Cabin, Portside Trading, Bay Breeze Antiques, and more.
St Joseph Peninsula State Park
St Joseph Peninsula State Park is a very popular place to visit at Cape San Blas. You can easily spend a few hours here doing all sorts of activities!
One of these activities you can do here is hiking. There are three trails in this park to chose from (or do them all). The Maritime Hammock Trail is a 0.5 mile hike through features such as a marsh and native Florida greenery. The Bayview Scenic Trail is 1.6 miles and takes you through pine flatwoods. The Wilderness Preserve Trail is 6 miles, and requires a permit you can get at the Ranger Station.
Snorkeling is another popular activity here, and something I’ve really enjoyed doing. The water is shallow and clear, with plenty of sea grass to home sea creatures. You can rent a snorkel set from local outfitters, as well as a flag required for visibility.
There’s plenty of wildlife that live here you can view. I actually saw my first racoon here! You can also see deer, otter, bobcats, and more! This is also a great place for birding. Remember to give wildlife your space and respect their boundaries.
You can go fishing here, too! However, if you’re not a Florida resident, you’ll need to get a fishing license.
There is a small fee to enter the park. It is $4 for a single-occupant vehicle, $6 for a vehicle with up to 8 people, and $2 for cyclists and pedestrians. It also costs $5 if you’re launching a boat.
Take Your Dog to the Beach
The best part of Cape San Blas is that you can take your pup with you to the beach! I took my dog there for the first time, and it was so cute to see him get used to the waves and start playing in the sand.
Bring a leash, some trash bags, and a ball or frisbee and enjoy some beach time! Make sure to pick up after your pups, and keep them away from the sea turtle marked areas.
Kayak to Pig Island
Something you need to make sure you do on your Cape San Blas trip is go kayaking! Kayaking to Pig Island is a great option. You can even bring your dog on this adventure with you, too!
Don’t worry, you don’t have to bring your own kayak on your vacation. You can rent single or tandem kayaks at Scallop Cove, and launch from the dock behind the shop. Life jackets are included in this rental!
Pig Island is a short paddle away, and while it’s a cool little island, sadly, there are no pigs on it.
On the way there, you’ll paddle over some areas with tall grass and lots of sea creatures in them! If you’re planning on being a passenger princess and letting someone else do the paddling, bring a snorkel and see all the creatures you pass!
Afterwards, Scallop Cove has souvenirs, snacks, and other items in their store besides rentals!
Get Icecream at Coneheads
Coneheads has been around since I started going to Cape San Blas over a decade ago, and it’s somewhere my family and I visit every trip!
Coneheads is a great ice cream shop, with plenty of the classic flavors. They also have plenty of food options, including oysters, other seafood, pasta, burgers and more.
One of my favorite sweatshirts also happens to be from here. So comfy and cute!
Or donuts at Weber’s Little Donut Shop
Start your morning at Cape San Blas with donuts from Weber’s Little Donut Shop, right next to the Cape Trading Post!
Open from 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM (or until when they’re out of donuts) on Wednesdays to Saturdays, Weber’s has so many fresh cake donut options to chose from! Bring cash, as they don’t accept card.
Get there early, this is a popular spot and donuts go quickly! There will be a line, but it will be worth it.
Afterwards, you can stroll around the Cape Trading Post. They have a deli, t-shirts, wine, and other souvenirs options.
Wildlife Watch at St Vincent National Wildlife Refuge
This is probably the most adventurous thing I’ve done at Cape San Blas.
St Vincent National Wildlife Refuge is a refuge for many birds, and is also home to red wolves, deer, loggerhead turtles, and more. It’s also an island only accessible by boat!
This island is tiny, only 9 miles long. There is a shuttle that can take you here, but we took kayaks and paddled there ourselves! It was a challenge, but such a cool experience.
It’s free to enter this island, but you can only do so during the daytime.
This is a great place to hike around and try to spot wildlife! Be cautious and keep an eye on the trail, though! I wasn’t paying attention and almost got too close to a massive snake curled up in the middle of the trail. We also saw some dolphins jumping out of the water in the distance!
There are no facilities here, so come prepared with water, snacks, sunscreen, and bug spray!
Or Starwatch and Try to Spot Sea Turtles on the Beach
One of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had at Cape San Blas was watching a sea turtle lay her eggs on the beach at night.
Sea turtle nesting season is May 1st through October 31st, and during this time, you may see multiple spots along the beach with yellow caution tape up around what seems like just a normal patch of sand. But this is where turtles eggs have been laid! Make sure to not bother these areas.
Most sea turtles lay their eggs at night, so if you’re lucky, you may get to see a mama come up from the ocean and do this while you’re star gazing. Another bonus – the stars here are so bright! Since there’s not as much light pollution as other beaches, the star watching here is better.
The most common sea turtle found at Cape San Blas is Loggerhead, and these as sadly an endangered species. While you’re here, please do your part to help preserve this species.
Some things you can do include covering up any holes you make in the sand so they don’t fall in, don’t use flashlights at night (or use sea turtle safe ones, like red light) as they may get confused, and make sure to clean up after each day at the beach to not obscure their path.
Climb the Lighthouse
The Cape San Blas Lighthouse is over a century old, and you can climb it! Located in George Core Park, there’s also a giftshop here.
You’ll be rewarded with views of the water, the trees, and it seems like it goes on forever!
If you’re scared of heights, don’t worry too much. The majority of the climb is inside the actual tower rather than the outside, with it being open at the top.
Instead of wearing flip flops and open backed shoes like you may at the beach, wear tennis shoes or closed toed shoes here.
The lighthouse is open 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Wednesdays to Saturdays for climbing. It costs $5 for adults to climb, and $3 for children under 13.
Go Horseback Riding on the Beach
Perhaps the fanciest thing on this list, you can go horseback riding on the beach at Cape San Blas!
You can do this through the Rockin M Ranch or Broke-A-Toe Horseback Riding on the Beach.
Both services offer one hour rides on the beach with a guide to help you along your way.
Don’t worry if you’ve never ridden a horse before. You’ll have a quick introduction into riding, then the real fun begins. You can even do this experience at sunset!
Don’t expect to go too fast on this; this will be at a leisurely, peaceful pace to take it all in!
This is one of only a few beaches in Florida where you can ride a horse on the beach, so make sure to add this to your itinerary.
Day Trip to Apalachicola
Apalachicola is only a 30 minute drive from Cape San Blas, and is one of the oldest port cities in the US, dating back to the 1830s!
This small town is a cutesy day trip you can take to stroll the shops, historic buildings, and seafood!
To indulge in the history here, you can take a historic walking tour, visit the John Gorrie Museum State Park, the Veterans Memorial Plaza, Chestnut Street Cemetery, The Raney House Museum, The Orman House Museum, or do a ghost tour!
You can also stroll through the historic district. Some of this area can be seen on the historic walking tour. The houses in this area are almost 200 years old!
There’s a few parks in the area, as well as trails. You can eat plenty of seafood here, walk around the port, and go shopping!
When to visit Cape San Blas?
This mostly comes down to preference. I personally despise the heat and would take cooler weather any day, so I’d recommend spring or fall over summer if you feel this way too. The worst sun burn of my life I got at Cape San Blas, so regardless of when you go, bring sunscreen!
If you don’t mind the brutal summer heat and go then, it will likely be a bit more crowded, but probably more going on, too! Summer can get up into the high 90s here.
For spring, you can expect highs in the 70s or 80s, with lows in the 60s. In the fall, the highs are in the 70s, with lows in the 50s. Winter doesn’t get too cold, with temperatures typically in the 60s.
Whenever you go, pack sunscreen and a bathing suit, and be ready for a good time! If you’re prone to sunburn, also pack solar recovery. This has been a total game changer for my burns healing quickly.
How to get to Cape San Blas?
The closest airport to Cape San Blas is the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in Panama City. It’s a fairly small airport, but flies to multiple major cities.
ECP is a bit over an hour and a half from Cape San Blas.
To get from the airport to Cape San Blas, you can take a shuttle or rent a car.
I’d recommend renting a car. You’ll need it to get to Port Saint Joe and around other parts of the Cape.
However, if you’d rather take a shuttle and figure out your car situation once you’re at the beach, you can take the shuttle service from the airport directly to the Cape. However, this can be pricey, with an estimate of around $200 one way. This includes up to 5 people.
Where to stay at Cape San Blas?
There are plenty of rental properties available on Cape San Blas. There are also a few small hotels, such as Cape San Blas Inn and Turtle Beach Inn. You can also stay at the Scallop Cove Villas.
If you want to go camping, you can do so at St Joseph Peninsula State Park. Check the weather! It may or may not have stormed the whole night when we did this.
Enjoy your trip to Florida’s Forgotten Coast!
