Saturday August 13th 2016

This morning I went to the Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. The park is located south of St. Augustine on the barrier island about 30 miles from my campsite. The Matanzas River which forms part of the Intercoastal waterway is to the west and the Atlantic Ocean is to the east.

The land has a history that dates back to the Spanish rule of the early 1800s. A distant relative of President George Washington married the daughter of the land owner in 1845. That is why “Washington” is part of the name of the park. The land was donated to the State of Florida in 1964 by the widow of Owen Young. He was the Chairman of the Board of the General Electric Corporation in the 1920s. The Youngs put in the formal gardens that are one of the parks attractions.

View across the Matanzas River

Cruiser passing down the Intercoastal waterway.

The views on the river side of the park are fantastic. You can watch all of the boats and recreational traffic in the Intercoastal Waterway. There are also people fishing in the river. I saw a couple of small fish caught while I watched. I couldn’t identify the type of fish, but they were about 10 inches long and not of any interest to the fishermen. Both fish were released back into the salt water of the river.

I took a hike on one of the trails from the garden area of the park to the picnic area. The trail is only a little over a half mile in length. It goes through an oak hammock with tree branches covered in Spanish moss. I didn’t see any animal life, but the sound of chirping insects (or something) in the trees was ever present.

Formal Garden area of the park.

The garden area of the park was disappointing. The water features were all drained and under repair. The azaleas and camellias which the garden is known for were not in season. The rose garden was in bloom, just not in peak bloom. I think in the spring, the gardens would be more impressive.

Atlantic Ocean beach at the Washington Oaks Gardens State Park.

Across highway A1A from the garden section of the park is a beach area on the Atlantic. Nice white sand covered the Coquina rocks that are common in this area of the coast. Coquina is a sedimentary rock made of sand and shells. Some of the architectural details in the plantation side of the park are made of coquina rock.