The island is very busy around 11am but the island shop is nice, but it only has Dasani water. Fishing is fun but I would recommend to bring a fan but there are all sorts of species to catch. The pontoon ride is fun but can get crowded with wheelbarrows. Would recommend! read more

We hiked and it was an adventure We saw a lot of woodland wildlife. The weather was perfect. Low humidity with pleasant temperatures. The ferry operator was informative and the ride was smooth from the parking lot dock to the island. If you want to experience the real Florida I highly recommend Hontoon Island. Make sure you don't miss the museum and gift shop. read more

I never thought I'd see the day where I would say this, but I went camping. If you know me, then you know I'm a city girl through and through, but sometimes you have to take one for the team. That or you just know it's going to be a good time because of who you're going with and that was indeed the case here. I thought this park was very cute. Entrance is free, and upon arrival, you see a big parking lot and the ramp to the ferry. And yes, ferry, because guess what? You're going to need it. All the activities are on the island and you can't get there without taking the ferry. Ferry is surprisingly free and they run every ten minutes or so. Extremely efficient! The ferry runs from when the park first opens all the way to sundown, which means that the last ferry to the island is at 7 PM and the last ferry off the island is at 7:30 PM. When you take the ferry, you may want to sit down. If you stand, be careful. I had a bit of a scare getting onto the island where I thought I would fall. That being said, I'm okay, but still - I heavily suggest you sit. If you're going camping, which it seems the majority of people were this past weekend, then you take your camping stuff with you on the ferry. They provide you with wheelbarrows to easily transport your things. Arriving at the island, if you're going camping, they drive you around half a mile to your campsite. This is convenient if you're carrying an arm and a leg, but as we weren't, while we were driven the first day, on our last day, we just went out for a nice nature walk back. Our site was #12 and we were the last ones in the queue, so my guess is there is space for twelve tents. That and the five or so cabins you can rent out to camp. I have no idea ultimately how pricey this was as I didn't take care of that part of it our trip, but what I can say is doing some activities at this park are an extra charge. Kayaking or canoeing for example. We went kayaking one day and I think it was around $30 an hour for tandem kayaking. Anyway, aside from kayaking, we mainly walked around and spent some time together enjoying the great outdoors. Honestly the weather this past weekend wasn't the best. We had rain, we had heat, and did I mention that even using inspect repellant that I'm covered in mosquito bites? All that aside, given my first camping adventure, it was better than I thought it would be. We had toilets, showers, and even a cage where we could put our food to avoid attracting bears. Oh, plus a grill and a table. Anything else we needed (like ice) we managed to get at their convenience store. It's not glamping, but it certainly isn't the crazy camping I dreaded doing... the one where you'd have to do your business out in the woods. Shudders. read more

See all

This is a very unique Florida State Park located in Deland. The park is a small island right off the St.Johns River.You have to take a free ferry to get to the park.There is a playground, grills, restrooms and scenic waterfront views. The island is pet friendly-so we brought our dog.I absolutely loved the giant trees, green grass, beautiful plant life and picturesque water views.It is FREE. read more

A beautiful park that seems to, unfortunately, be hidden in DeLand, Florida. I have never in my life heard of this park. I have never seen an advertisement or sign for it either... My kids' cub scout pack planned a camp out here this past weekend. What a beautiful choice! What made this camp out different than others was that you had to take a small boat to the main island. The transfer to and from the island is free. They provide wheelbarrows you can load your items in and from there, you wheel it onto the boat with you. Very smart! The park is beautiful and clean. There are a few cabins you can rent if you do not want to stay in a tent. You are able rent bikes and canoes for a small fee as well. There is a nice picnic area with a playground that is well kept with an amazing view of the water. I definitely plan on visiting again with my family. read more

See all

Beautiful place on a day like today. I haven't camped there yet, I'm waiting for cooler weather. I can take my dog, she loved it. read more

Hontoon Island State Park - A great time was had by all and we bid you good night! - Parks Near Me - DeLand, Florida

Communicate when the park is closed via your website instead of lying to customers. Ferry closed. Website says open but no staff at ferry or on phones. Drove over an hour to get here and very disappointed by lack of communication by park staff. read more

Fantastic state park. Lots of things in Florida have island in the name but this one means it. You'll need a boat or the ferry from the parking area to get to the actual park. Docks are free if you aren't staying overnight. There's a small museum, a store, and a Ranger Station that rents kayaks, canoes, and bikes. Hiking trails on an island? You bet. There is also a picnic area, playground, and bathrooms with showers. read more

See all

Such a fun park to go to. You park at one side and then take a free ferry over to the other side where the park is. It has great picnic areas, fishing spots, and walking trails. Great place to take your kids and teens for a family outing. read more

Hontoon Island State Park - View of lake - Parks Near Me - DeLand, Florida

See all

Took our bikes over on the ferry today and enjoyed a beautiful ride through the center trail. Lots of picnic areas here and a good sized playground too. Nothing like chilling on the front porch and enjoying the river view while enjoying the rocking chairs. Don't deny yourself this relaxing treat. read more

Hontoon Island State Park - Rocking chairs - Parks Near Me - DeLand, Florida

Gators snakes and spiders Hontoon Island Park is indeed an island, assessable only by boat. You can take your private canoe, kayak or boat across or take the public ferry. The amazing thing is that that access to the island is free. Even the ferry ride will cost you absolutely nothing. The island is primitive, you can pay a fee and camp in of the six rustic cabins or use one of the twelve tent sites. Most people choose to just spend the day biking, hiking or yakking around the island. There is a little snack place and running water but not much else. Once you stray from the ferry dock you are pretty much on your own. There are trails and roads through the island but they are covered by exotic and very tropical plants. I felt like I was on another planet. One of the interesting things about the island are all the warning signs. Some tell you not to swim because of the gators, others describe all the different venomous snakes and others show you pictures of the different scorpions and nasty spiders that make the island their home. I talked to the ferry guy and and he said that the island does have a large population of Pygmy Rattlesnakes but even though people do get bit from time to time they probably won't kill you. Nice to know. The Black Widows and Brown Recluse spiders can be a problem so you better take common sense precautions like shaking out your boots and watching where you sit or go to the bathroom. To be honest we didn't see one single snake or spider or scorpion while were were on the island. Just lots of cute little Anole lizards and some very cool butterflies. They even have a very nice little museum that describes the history and archeology of the island. Hontoon Island is definitely one of the places that I wish I could give more than five stars to. It's a wonderful, fun and inexpensive way to spend a day. read more

See all

I love canoeing and was looking for a new run. I came across Hontoon Island State Park online and thought it looked like an interesting place. It is located 6 miles west of Deland so is an easy day trip from Orlando. The island is located in the St. Johns River and is only accessible by boat or park ferry. You park in a dirt parking lot and are ferried across to the island by park employees (free). The ferry operates daily from 8:00 a.m. to one hour before sunset. You can camp (either by tent or they have cabins for rent for $30/night), fish, canoe, hike, bike, or picnic. They have restrooms with hot showers for the campers. There is a large Indian mound at the southwest corner of the island that you can access via their trail. There are five miles of trails for anyone who might want to bring their bike. This park is pet friendly. The island has a limited number of canoes for rent. The canoes are in good shape and they have safety gear. The canoe rental was pretty pricey - $20 for two hours or $40 all day. The river is wide and there aren't many canoes on the water, but you will see a few local fisherman. Because the river is wide it is easy to navigate, however, the run is not as pretty as Wekiva Springs (which is winding and has trees which canopy the run). While we were there we saw many egrets, wild turkey, alligator, and turtles. I would give the canoeing experience three stars, but the park as a whole four stars. We will be back for the cabin rentals and bike trails. read more

Hontoon Island State Park - From the Hontoon Island Website - Parks Near Me - DeLand, Florida

See all

We love to take out of state guests here by boat. Its always fun for both adults and children. Will definatey return.

This review is based on camping and geocaching on the island. We had a really great time, but there are some things that I would have liked answers to ahead of time. First of all to get to the park, you have to take a ferry and the last ferry runs an hour before sunset. But don't worry, it's a short trip and it's easy to grab. Simply stand at the dock or give them a call and tell them you're waiting. It doesn't matter how much you bring, they'll make multiple trips for you, but it is important to understand that you can't leave to grab rations, or more ice - so be sure you have all your things. As you pull up to the dock, they'll let you know that there are wheelbarrows behind the main building, and they'll offer you ice and fire wood from the island store. From there, you load up your things into the van and they drive you to the campsite. #11 is where we stayed, and it was all the way to one side. We loved it. It didn't have a pad like the others, but it was a little more secluded. There is also a #12, which is walk-in only. There are no reservations for this site, but it's by far superior to all the others - as it's by itself. They also have very, very inexpensive cabins. 6 person cabins are $35 and 4 person cabins are $30. They include light, a small screened in porch, a single outlet, a ceiling fan and mattresses on bunk beds. Bring the rest of your bedding. ---- So, some other things to keep in mind - this is mosquito central. So be sure to bring plenty of repelling candles, and spray. Hiking the Hammock Hiking Nature Trail is shady and beautiful. Bring your walking stick to help you climb Indian Shell Mound and to keep the spider webs out of your face. There are many geocaches along this route, all relatively easy to grab - even with a partly cloudy sky and only a smart phone GPS. The rest of the trails are sunny. --- Additionally: - You can rent kayaks, canoes and bikes at the store. - The showers have plenty of hot water, and the bathrooms do have an outlet. - The grills at the day use picnic area are standing grills, the grills in camp sites are over a fire ring. - Water at the campsite is potable, but not tasty. read more

See all

This park was sooooooo nice. We went up during Winter 2015. It was a family trip. We wanted to try camping (first timers) but we wanted the comfort of a cabin. This was the perfect way to get both. The cabin ($30/night for 6 person) was bare bones. It was 3 bunk beds with a tin roof. At night, you could hears owls landing and hooting on the roof. The park had a few trails that we took both in the day time and at night time. Parking is just on the other side of a lake. A ferry operates from 9 am to 5 pm and takes you back as many times as needed. The rangers were super friendly. They also have a little store where you can purchase ANYTHING you forgot from firewood to baby diapers. The park has a communal shower (think gym showers). There's three showers in the ladies bathroom and three in the men's. I NEVER had to wait for a shower and we went in PEAK camping season. Every cabin was taken when we went (book before getting there!). All campers were nice about curfew, we heard no noise past 10 pm. It was a lovely experience and we plan to come back. The ONLY reason I don't give this place 5 starts is because it's really only a 2-3 day park. We ended up leaving in the day time to nearby places. There aren't so many trails that you could just explore the park for a week. read more

See all

Really nice gem all facilities available even a little store with ice and a few essentials

This is a nice state park located near Deltona and convenient for us to visit. A nice place to walk. I didn't get to see the Indian Mound. They have camping and fishing. My brother said he has brought his boat in around here. It's very peaceful but I'll bet it gets super busy in the summer. I like the area it is located. They old Florida pre-1970s. Rustic, simple but friendly. A little ferry boat takes less than 5 minutes to cross over to the island. read more

See all

I used to come here as a child and recently have visited and camped there twice. This is in fact an island and you have to ferry over to it. Ferry stops running around 5. First, I must say the park rangers there are very helpful and friendly. They offered up lots of information about the park, sold us wood for our campfire and will van you to campsite as well. Even when ferrying across river to stow our camping gear in order to ride back and kayak the ranger waited for us as we packed our things, very courteous. The cabins are 30 dollars and are very primitive- electric, a small screen in porch which we loved, and 4 bunks in the smaller unit. Cabins are open air, so cold weather will get in! Also had a ceiling fan. The couple times we've been the campsite has been barely occupied. Once, we were the only couple on the island. When we tented it we were visited late a night by a bear, so be careful! The island has a little museum and store. They will also lend you a board game as well for the night. There's a nature trail and Indian mound to explore. We saw lots of wildlife and kayaked the 11 miles around the island ( about halfway you'll hit Blue Springs Park) Probably the only downfall was getting our kayak in on land side wasn't the easiest - launch area is pretty sad. I was also a little sad to see they had removed the lookout tower I remembered as a kid ( you could see a birds eye of whole island) all in all this is a great day trip and cool park! Recommend!!!! read more

Review from a camper's perspective... I stayed at Hontoon Island State Park for three days and two nights. It was surprising to stay at an island in the middle of Florida, but was nice to be surrounded by water! I have to say that this camp site is marked as primitive on the state park website, and it does have a few things that make it qualify as primitive. Aside from no electricity and parking your car off of the island, calling these campsites primitive is misleading -- in good and bad ways. When you load up your gear on the ferry and taken across the river, you sign in and load your gear into a van and are driven right to your campsite (pro). From your campsite you can see every other campsite, there is nothing private about any of the sites at this park. If you are looking for things to do during your stay, there is plenty to do on Hontoon Island from hiking, fishing, canoeing, and there is even a playground. read more

Awesome way to spend the day. Free entrance and free passenger ferry. On the island is hiking/biking trails, playground equipment for kids, picnic tables, a small convenience store, a very small museum and clean restrooms. Also there is a very nice campground. Wheelbarrows available to transport your camping supplies onto the ferry and a van to take you and your stuff to the campground. Showers available at the bathrooms for $8. The volunteers are friendly and helpful. There are kayaks and bikes for rent as well. Very tranquil place to be. Across the river on the parking side is pontoon rentals and tours and a small deli with inside/outside seating with delicious sandwichs and snacks and a small gift shop all connected to a lovely little resort. read more

Every one of the staff we met here seemed so happy to be working here.  It's the only Florida State Park with no cost for an entry fee.  We weren't planning on going here but we went here while we waited for our boat tour.  I'm glad we did.  This park has a ton to do.  There is hiking trails, camping, fishing, bikes for rental, and canoeing for rental.  The main trail is nice wide and well marked out path, it's easy and don't need hiking boots or anything.  A note to buy food ahead of time as there's not much there or nearby if you plan to stay for a bit.  Overall a great park and worth the visit.  We didn't experience too many mosquitos but still recommend bug spray and going early read more

Hontoon Island State Park - Beatiful big oak - Parks Near Me - DeLand, Florida

See all

A nice and free state park. You take the ferry boat over to the island and then you can hike, fish or camp. They have cabins and primitive tent areas. read more

Beautiful place! My husband and I got married here nearly two years ago and it was absolutely beautiful! Though we did the majority of the setup ourselves the employees did their best to make it special! We even rented several cabins for our guests to stay on the island afterwards but due to rain one of the cabins wasn't accessible. They figured out a way to work around this and built a pseudo ramp so the guests could make it to the cabin without getting wet. Wonderful staff and such a beautiful island! read more