St. Jospeh State Park, also know as, T.H. Stone Peninsula State Park is located at the end of the peninsula of Cape San Blas. The park has two full facility campgrounds and a wilderness preserve consisting of seven primitive campsites. Campsites number 1, 2, and 7 are accessible by kayak or canoe from the bay. All campsites can be accessed by hiking the trail. We decided to camp at campsite 7, a six mile paddle. We parked at the beginning of the trail and carried are kayaks with gear down a hundred yard spur trail to the bay. There is a non motorized boat access ramp a mile or so back in the campground but we decided to bypass this to make the paddle shorter.
The water in the bay is crystal clear. An abundance of wildlife passes underneath you as you paddle. On our trip we saw starfish, crabs, all types of fish, and even a shark. While the water is mostly calm on the bay, there are certain times of the day and night where the wind can put a stop to even the strongest of paddlers. Paddling six miles to our camp proved to be strenuous, but getting there early for periodic breaks to take in the wildlife would be more enjoyable.
After reaching our campsite we strapped our hammocks, pitched our tents, and relaxed. Campsite 7 is directly on the water. While the water can be shallow for over a hundred of yards out in the bay, make sure all your belongings and kayaks are secure for when the tide rises. This is by far one of my favorite campsites i have ever been too. Although, this campsite does have it's cons. For one, it is a difficult camp to get to. We paddled in 17ft long touring kayaks which still proved to exhausting. Two others who camped with us hiked in the 6 miles and mentioned the difficulty of the hike for the trail is nothing but loose sand. Secondly, Like any campsite on the beach, be prepared to get sand everywhere and for extensive cleaning when returning home. With that said, this campsite sits directly across from Port St. Joe and looking at the city lights with an abundance of stars in the sky was incredible.
