A Few Related Articles About The Ponce Inlet Area:
Smyrna Dunes Park (Ponce South Side)
Ponce Inlet Lighthouse (Ponce North Side)
Lighthouse Point Park (Ponce North Side)
Where is Disappearing Island Located?
Disappearing Island is located in the water near the entrance to Ponce Inlet (pictures of Ponce Inlet). Ponce Inlet is the opening where two rivers intersect and enter the Atlantic Ocean. Formally called Mosquito Inlet, it was changed in 1927 to the Ponce de Leon Inlet.
The two rivers are the Indian River and the Halifax River. Where there currents meet creates an island like area during high tides. Boaters from around the area will stop here and party.Â
Popular creeks running into these two main rivers are Spruce Creek, Hunter Creek and Rockhouse Creek.Â
There are two public parks located on either side of the Ponce Inlet entrance. On the north side the park is called Lighthouse Point Park and on the south side the park is called Smyrna Dunes Park. More on those below.
The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is located on the north side of Ponce Inlet. The lighthouse is 175 feet tall and is the tallest lighthouse in the state of Florida and among the tallest in the USA! Built in 1887 in this new location, the previous lighthouse in the area was attacked and destroyed by the Seminole Indians (1835).Â
On August 5th, 1998 the lighthouse became a National Historic Landmark.
Disappearing Island Videos:
Looking for videos of Disappearing Island? Here is a small collection of videos and if you have a video post a comment and I’ll add you to this playlist. Â
Address:Â 5000 S. Atlantic Ave., Â Ponce Inlet (Accessed via S. Atlantic ave.)
So you are considering spending the day and the money ($10 per car) to go to one of the two parks at Ponce Inlet. Here are a few things to know about these parks so you can choose the right one.
First, you can drink at this park but not at the other! There is also parking for trailers except on weekends and special occasions. Personally, it is very tight here and rolling around this park with a big ass vehicle will probably be frustrating.
I love both of these parks but my favorite is Lighthouse Point Park. If you are dog friendly there is almost a private island for dogs to play! The south or lower half of the park (closest to Disappearing Island) is totally for the dogs.Â
You can almost swim across to Disappearing Island but I have not seen anyone do it yet. It looks like it is about 50 yards or less. I imagine that the waters current is pretty rough and people access Disappearing island by boat only.
There is a small cove here where I have seen dogs playing in the water with there owners and others. This is a fairly large area and has a full beach on the upper side. The inner cove beach is pretty awesome too!
People fish along the jetty which is made out of huge rocks. The jetty is very long and those large rocks are all the way along the inlet. On the north side there are surfers. Ponce Inlet is famous for surfing and for being the shark bite capital of the world!
There is a long handicap accessible walkway that is a 1/3 of a mile. It has place to sit and is smooth concrete. At the end of this starts a long jetty made completely of large rocks. This jetty helps stops the ocean and create a smoother area for boats to enter the inlet.
For visiting the area you have several choices. There is a place outside of the park entrance where you can park but only like 6 spots. You would then need to walk in which is a good half mile or so. You can pay the $10 fee or an annual $20 fee if a resident. You get grade a parking. The parks facilities are free to all, so if you walk in it is all for you! Your 3rd option is beach parking. That also has a daily or annual charge, but would put you front row!
You can actually park on the beach in the corner next to the jetty and in front of the surfers!
Address:Â 2995 N. Peninsula Ave., New Smyrna Beach (Accessed via N. Peninsula ave.)
South of Ponce Inlet is New Smyrna Beach‘s park call Smyrna Dunes Park. This is the larger of the two Ponce Inlet parks and has a huge handicap accessible walkway or boardwalk.
The walkway is very long, but does have some resting points. There is an area where you can picnic under a canopy area complete with picnic tables. One picnic area is actually raised like 10 feet or so!
You can walk your dog on this boardwalk before 10am! Plus there is a handicap accessible 300 foot fishing pier that can also be accessed by dog before 10am. There is a cost to park here ($10 per car) but the park is free. There is free access for handicap people. No alcohol or trailers are allowed here. Parking on the beach for a cost is another option and is accessed outside of the park area.
If you are a resident there is a yearly pass for both parking on the beach and getting into these two parks everyday! It was like $45 annually and I have used it a dozen times already.
Address:Â 4931 S Peninsula Dr, Ponce Inlet, FL 32127 (Accessed via S. Atlantic ave.)
The Ponce de Leon Lighthouse is one of the tallest lighthouses in then USA and is the tallest in the state of Florida. It is 175 feet tall, has 203 steps and can be climbed daily. No food or beverages are allowed, you must smoke in designated area and never toss anything off the lighthouse.
There is a fee of about $7 per adult (12 and older) and $2 per child (11 and younger), babies are free (0-2). There is a museum too! If you want to visit a bunch of times or on multiple days, there are individual and family memberships available for like triple the admission cost. That gives you annual admission for free.
Can I fish for free without a license?
No! Don’t do that and get caught. The only free fishing or license free fishing is for seniors that are residents and kids under 16 years of age. Even if you are just crabbing you need a fishing license. There are a few free fishing days which change yearly.
Disappearing Island Tide Chart:
Here are the latest tidal charts for Ponce Inlet & Disappearing Island Florida. Make sure you arrive at the right time of day or the island won’t be there! The tidal chart below will gic you a good idea when to go and there may not be many people there early week. However, when the weekend hits, there’s bound to be something going on here.
Disappearing Island Ponce Inlet Weather:
Here is the latest weather for Ponce Inlet and Disappearing Island. If you are seeing a small chance of rain, it is most likely hit or miss. Many days here in Florida we get spotty storms in the afternoon. They really don’t last long and kinda just cool things off. Now if your seeing rain all day that’s different.
Disappearing Island Moon Phases:
Here is where the moon is in the Ponce Inlet area. The moon makes a huge difference when you are walking the beach at night. I find that it is safe to walk the beach at night and a lot cooler to walk after 8pm or before 9am. There is a beach patrol on the Daytona side and I’m pretty sure it the same on the New Smyrna Beach side.
Disappearing Island Ponce Inlet UV Levels:
Interested in what the local UV levels are in ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach or Daytona Beach? Here is a chart showing you your exposure to possibly dangerous UV levels.
Disappearing Island Ponce Inlet Rainfall Chances:
Wondering what your chances of rain are? Here is a chart showing you the latest chances of rainfall for the next week. remember that this rain can be hit or miss and in many cases never comes.