|
 Hontoon Island State Park - Deland, Florida, USA Posted by:  BoomersOTR
N 28° 58.469 W 081° 21.459
17R E 465156 N 3205211
A Florida State Park located on an island along the St. Johns River near Deland, Florida
Waymark Code: WM13BMT
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 11/02/2020
Views: 3
Hontoon Island State Park is a 1,648-acre Florida State Park located on Hontoon Island between the St. Johns River and the Hontoon Dead River in Volusia County. It is six miles (10 km) west of DeLand, off SR 44, and can only be reached by boat or park-operated passenger ferry. No motorized vehicles, other than wheelchairs, are allowed to be brought onto the island and there is no swimming. The island has pine flatwoods, palm and oak hammocks, bald cypress swamps and marshes.
Hontoon Island is surrounded by the St. Johns River, the Hontoon Dead River, and Snake Creek. Activities include horseshoes, cycling, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing, as well as hiking, camping, picnicking, and nature viewing and photography. The island can be circumnavigated with a nine and a half-mile (14 km) day trip; Blue Spring State Park is a short paddle up the St. Johns (3.5 miles) one way. Amenities include canoe rentals, bike paths, eleven tent sites and six rustic cabins. The park also has overnight boat slip rentals, playground equipment, picnic tables, and a 3.4-mile (5.5 km) nature trail. The park has a lending library with picture books for children aged four to nine. The park is open from 8:00 am till one hour before sunset year-round. (Source: Wikipedia)
Park Type: Florida State Park
Activities:
Bicycling, boating, boat camping, primitive camping, group primitive camping, fishing, hiking, paddling, picnicking. Additional amenities include wheelchair access, cabins, canoe/kayak launch, historic site, museum, nature trail, parking, pets allowed, picnic pavilion, playground, restroom facilities, shower station.
Park Fees:
No entrance fee is required to enter this park.
Primitive campsite: $18 per night plus tax.
Boat campsite: $18 per night plus tax (includes water and electric hookups).
Primitive cabin, up to four people: $30 per night plus tax, plus a non-refundable $6.70 reservation fee.
Primitive cabin, up to six people: $35 per night plus tax, plus a non-refundable $6.70 reservation fee.
Background:
Established by the Florida Park Service in the 1970s, the island got its name from a former soilder, William Hunton, the original owner of the land in the 1860s. Over time the island’s name was changed to Hontoon.
Evidence shows that inhabitants have been living along the St. Johns River for over 12,000 years. Shell mounds and other artifacts found on Hontoon Island prove that many Native Americans called this place home.
In the 1500s, Spanish Conquistadors founded the city of St. Augustine, and they built a series of missions throughout North Florida. One of those missions is said to have existed here on the island.
After the Second Seminole War, settlers formed homesteads along the St. Johns River. Their survival depended on fishing and hunting wild game, along with raising cattle and growing crops like citrus, sugar cane, corn, cotton and sweet potatoes.
Date Established?: 1970
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed
|
Visit Instructions:
To log a visit to a waymark in this category, please include the following ...
1. A picture you took at the park.
2. Your favorite activity at the park.
3. How do you like the park.
|