Caladesi and Honeymoon Island: A Day Trip from Clearwater Beach

Two beaches, one easy drive north

Clearwater Beach is the headline, but two of the best beaches in the state sit a short drive north of it. Honeymoon Island State Park is a drive-up, park-your-car, walk-to-the-sand beach with a genuinely good nature trail. From its causeway a small ferry runs across to Caladesi Island, an undeveloped, boat-access-only barrier island. You can do one or both in a day.

We host three places in the Clearwater area, and this is the day trip we point guests to when they want the Gulf without the Pier 60 crowd. Our two Avalon condos are inland, roughly a 10 to 15 minute drive from Clearwater Beach, so you already have a car in the mix. That makes the run north to these two parks straightforward: it is a drive either way, so you may as well point the car somewhere quieter.

Honeymoon Island: the drive-up option

Honeymoon Island State Park sits about 20 minutes north near Dunedin, and it is the easy half of this trip because you just drive in. Entry is $8 per vehicle for up to eight people, and the park is open 8am to sundown, 365 days a year (Florida State Parks, check current). Beyond the beach itself, the draw here is the osprey trail, a nature trail through the park.

Honeymoon Island is also where the Caladesi ferry departs, so even if the boat is your real goal, this is where you start and park.

Caladesi Island: the ferry to an undeveloped beach

Caladesi Island State Park is boat-access only, which is exactly why it stays wild. The Caladesi ferry operator bills it as a top-ranked undeveloped beach, and there is no bridge and no development to reach it. You get there on the Caladesi ferry from Honeymoon Island, a ride of about 20 minutes each way.

The ferry runs roughly $20 round trip for ages 13 and up and $10 for ages 6 to 12, and that is on top of the $8 park entry you already paid to get into Honeymoon Island. Standard stays on the island run up to about four hours (Caladesi Ferry, check current schedules and pricing, since ferry times shift with the season and the weather).

A few honest planning notes. Because it is a timed ferry with a set return, Caladesi rewards an early start and a plan, not a wander-over-at-4pm approach. And because there is far less shade and fewer services than a developed beach, bring what you need with you: water, sun cover, and snacks.

The two parks compared

All of the above are changeable, so check current fees, hours, and ferry times before you set out.

Make a day of it: Dunedin on the way back

Because you are already this far north, the natural bookend to the trip is Dunedin, a walkable downtown about 15 minutes north of Clearwater Beach with independent shops and craft breweries, including Dunedin Brewery (Visit St. Pete Clearwater). A morning at the beaches and a late lunch in Dunedin makes a full, easy day out of it.

If you would rather stay closer to home, Sand Key Park is a calmer county beach in the other direction, about a 10 minute drive south, with showers, changing rooms, and a cafe. We line up all the beaches and day trips within reach of the condos in our things to do near Avalon guide.

How this fits a stay at Avalon

The reason this day trip works so well from our Avalon condos is the same reason people choose them: you are inland with a car and free parking, so a drive north to a quieter beach is only a bit further than the drive to the main one, but still easy. You trade walking to the sand for a quiet, gated base with a heated saltwater pool and room for six, and days like this are what you spend the difference on. Our where to stay in Clearwater Beach guide walks through that tradeoff in full, and the getting to the beach guide covers the drive and parking.

Frequently asked questions

More local reading: things to do near Avalon · where to stay in Clearwater Beach · best time to visit · our two Avalon condos, Oasis Dream Vacations and Blue Ocean.