Apalachicola Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Managed by NOAA
15 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Public domain · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in St. George Island
More than half of St. George Island’s land is conserved: 100%
100% of St. George Island’s land is conserved, about 3,756 acres. 11 miles of mapped trail cross St. George Island, 2.3 per square mile of land. 16 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
100%
3,756 acres · of 4.8 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
16 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
11%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
6.2 mi lanes · 5.6 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is St. George Island?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does St. George Island have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. George Island is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of St. George Island’s overall grade.
Conserved land100% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (16 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13BParks close to home11% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Water is more than half of St. George Island’s area (9 of 13 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 44%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Apalachicola Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
3,756 conserved acres
100% of St. George Island’s land. Water is left out: St. George Island has 4.8 square miles of land and 8.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages St. George Island’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation3,752 ac
State parks4 ac
State Conservation Area · 3,752 acState Park · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve State Conservation Area | State conservation | 3,740 | Restricted |
| Cape St. George State Reserve State Conservation Area | State conservation | 12 | Open |
| Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park State Park | State parks | 4 | Open |
Things to do
35 places to go in St. George Island
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in St. George Island
16 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in St. George Island
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in St. George Island
9 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in St. George Island
Island Charters
DirectionsScenic views in St. George Island
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in St. George Island
Nick's Hole
DirectionsTully Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 10.4 mi
Nick's Hole0.3 mi
Nick's Hole Overlook Trail0.3 mi
Nick's Hole Loop Trail0.2 mi
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Tennis
3Pickleball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in St. George Island: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.6 | 14.0 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 64 | 66 | 72 | 78 | 85 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 81 | 73 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 7.8 | 6.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
May is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 7.8 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in St. George Island →
Questions about parks and trails in St. George Island
Where can I hike in St. George Island?
The longest trail networks: Apalachicola Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. George Island is conserved land?
100% of its land, against a typical 3% for a Florida town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on St. George Island’s trails?
Apalachicola Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Saint George Lighthouse Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. George Island?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.2 of painted or protected lanes and 5.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near St. George Island?
20,019 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. George Island or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 16 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does St. George Island have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from St. George Island neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →