Washington Oaks State Park: Formal gardens plus amazing beach

Washington Oaks State Park has a split personality — there are two distinctly different reasons to visit this state park near St. Augustine.

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.

Spring-fed streams wind through gardens at Washington Oaks State Park. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

But the surprise element is the beach. There is barely a sign; the road to the beach references only the “Florida scrub” habitat adjoining the beach. But if you did your research (or read Florida Rambler), you know that the beach at Washington Oaks is lined with coquina rocks carved by the elements into swirls and bowls and all sorts of fantastical shapes. Keep reading to see more about the beach below.

Caladiums with tiki sculpture at Washington Oaks State Park, Palm Coast. (Photo: Bonnie Gross) — Caladiums with tiki sculpture at Washington Oaks, Palm Coast. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Gardens 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.

The main road at Washington Oaks State Park is the original two-lane A1A, a great place to bicycle. (Photo: Bonnie Gross) — The main road at Washington Oaks is the original two-lane A1A, a great place to bicycle. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

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.

Coquina rocks line the shoreline at Washington Oaks State Park, Palm Coast. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

Coquina rocks make beach special

On the ocean side of this park is something special — a beach three-quarters of a mile long lined with coquina rocks.

The St. Augustine area is sometimes called the First Coast because of St. Augustine’s history. But I think it should be called the Coquina Coast, because of this unusual and beautiful rock, which appears almost nowhere else on earth and plays such a big role here.

Coquina is a soft rock made of ancient marine reefs and limestone. It’s the rock used in the magnificent Castillo San Marco in St. Augustine. It’s the rock that erodes and leaves the beaches of Flagler Beach a lovely cinnamon color.

At Washington Oaks, the coquina juts out of the sand and the winds and waves have shaped it into a sort of natural sculpture.

Coquina rocks at Washington Oaks State Park, Palm Coast — Water has created fanciful swirls in the coquina rocks at the beach at Washington Oaks State Park in Palm Coast. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

When you walk down to the beach, you’ll first see some low outcroppings of coquina. Head north along the shore, and the rocks get larger and more fantastic. The rocks extend some distance north and also crop up in the water.

The park road to the beach is marked “Florida scrub habitat” and is directly off of scenic A1A. It leads to a beach parking lot with about 30 spaces.

Here’s more about the Washington Oaks beach from Florida Rambler.

Washington Oaks State Park fishing

You can fish along the seawall on the Matanzas River plus surf fishing is allowed on the beach. Whiting and blue fish are routinely caught in the surf; trout, redfish, drum and flounder along the seawall.