Last updated on July 5th, 2024 at 08:35 am
Florida has miles and miles of beaches, but nothing quite like the Washington Oaks State Park beach, 12 miles north of Flagler Beach.
The beach at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is full of swirling, sculptured rocks piled along the coquina beach, some sporting circular holes, others forming bowls that create tide pools for snails and anemones.
You might recognize coquina rock as the large picturesque stones often used in landscaping. Or you may associate it with St. Augustine’s Spanish fort, the Castillo San Marco, which is made of coquina.
Coquina is a soft rock made of ancient marine reefs and limestone and it is found in only few places – a few sites on the southern coast of the United State and in New Zealand. And Washington Oaks beach has the largest of the Atlantic Ocean outcroppings.
The beaches along Flagler County look like a giant container of cinnamon was sprinkled on them because of the orange specks of conquina that comprise the sand.
Washington Oaks Gardens State Park is located between the ocean and the Matanzas River midway between Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. As its name suggests, it features historic formal gardens.
Perhaps because the park has “gardens” it its name, visitors to the area sometimes overlook the spectacular Washington Oaks beach. It’s easy to do! There is barely a sign; the road to the beach references only the “Florida scrub” habitat adjoining the beach.
When you walk down to the Washington Oaks beach, you’ll first see some low outcroppings of coquina. Head north along the shore, and the rocks get larger and more fantastic.
The beach extends three-quarters of a mile. The rocks extend some distance north beyond the park’s borders and also crop up in the water. At high tide, the water crashing in the coquina rocks is a spectacular sight. At low tide, the coquina shapes create tide pools, and that’s the best time to appreciate the rocks.
You can swim at Washington Oaks State Park, but because of the rocks, this beach is better for exploring and wading than swimming. There are no lifeguards.
How coquina is formed
According to the National Park Service, the coquina rock you find at Washington Oaks Beach was formed by millions of tiny clams that died and accumulated for thousands fo years. These shells — tiny coquina clam donax variabilis — still live in the shallow waters along the coast. These are the small pink, lavender, yellow, or white shells one sees along the beach at the waterline, according to the NPS. Over time, the clams formed a submerged deposit of several feet thick. Eventually, water levels dropped, the deposits were exposed and rain dissolved some of the calcium in the shells, creating a chemical reaction that “glued” the shell fragments together.
Coquina is Spanish for “tiny shell.”
The gardens at Washington Oaks
With a name like Washington Oaks Gardens, you expect formal gardens. And they are lovely — ancient spreading oak trees, a meandering waterway fed by a clear spring, plantings of roses and azaleas, a gazebo and numerous photo-worthy scenes.
Trails and waterfront
The gardens, trails and Matanzas River waterfront have been maintained as beautiful gardens for more than 80 years. It started with a man who saw the potential of radio in the 20th century — Owen Young, founder of RCA Corporation and eventually chairman of General Electric.
He bought this property near St. Augustine in 1937 as a winter retreat and with his wife Louise, developed the formal gardens that took an already beautiful spot and put it over the top. In 1962, Mr. Young died and shortly before her death in 1965, Mrs. Young gave most of the land to the state of Florida. She specified that the gardens be maintained in their present form.
The formal gardens are a small part of the park, which contains several short hiking trails through magnificent oak forests and along the Matanzas River. When we visited, we saw three or four manatees swimming by (very close, sadly, to the ever-present fast boat traffic.) We also enjoyed watching an agile gopher tortoise go about his lunch activities.
So why is it called Washington Oaks? Because, like the rest of the St. Augustine area, the site has a rich and interesting history. The land was originally a cotton and sugar plantation called Bella Vista and owned by a Spanish general. His daughter married a distant relative of George Washington in 1845.
Hiking at Washington Oaks State Park
This relatively small park (21 acres) has some scenic short trails you will see on the map below. The park has a mature coastal maritime hammock and thus trails are shady, traveling on the edge of dense coastal scrub. Two trails to consider:
- The Bella Vista trails are a 1.7-mile trail system that includes the Timucuan hiking trail, Jungle Road hike and bike trail, and the Old A1A hike and bike trail.
- The Mala Compra trail is a half-mile loop between the coastal maritime hammock and the estuarine tidal marsh along the Matanzas River.
Video of waves crashing on coquina rocks at high tide:
Planning your visit to Washington Oaks State Park beach:
Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
6400 N. Oceanshore Blvd.
Palm Coast, Florida 32137
(386) 446-6780
Parking: There’s a beach parking lot with about 30 spaces.
Fees: $5 per vehicle. Bring correct change for honor box.
Alcohol: No
There is no camping.
Location and directions: To find the beach, take the park road marked “Florida scrub habitat,” which is directly off of scenic A1A heading east. It leads to the beach parking lot.
- Washington Oaks Gardens State Park official site
- Flagler Beach: Escape to real Florida beach town
- Princess Place: A magical place to explore for camping, hiking, history
- Ormond Beach Scenic Loop and Trail: Nearby scenic drive through woods and along beach
- Fort Matanzas, is a smaller Spanish fort built 50 years after St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos. It’s a great stop because you take a small boat to the fort past spectacular scenery. And it’s free.
- Castillo de San Marcos, the fort in St. Augustine, is a must-visit in the area.