Current pricing for the ferry is $20 for the round-trip from Fort Desoto and $15 for the optional snorkel trip and $5 for optional snorkel gear rental.

The main season from February 15th to September 7th, the ferry leaves at 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM and returns at 2:00 PM (14:00) and 3:00 PM (15:00).

During the off season, from September 8th to November 30th, the ferry runs once per day. It departs at 11:00 AM and returns at 3:00 PM (15:00).

The ferry does not run from December 1st to February 14th.

The ferry leaves from Fort Desoto (reachable from Pinellas Bayway / Tierra Verde south of St. Pete), and tickets are first-come first-served.

"I am astounded at the quality and quantity of information in this book. Every page has three or four color photos of the items being covered. These items range from beach foam, through shells, plants, rocks, seabeans, floats, coins, fossils, birds and more. I was about to say it didn't have mammals - but checked and they are there too. Each item has the scientific name, the area in Florida and season it might be found, scale information on the photo, and a "Did You Know" section with fun facts. I have seen many nature guides - Sibleys, Audubon, Peterson etc - and this ranks near or at the top - yes it's that good. See you at the beach!" - Jay W.

"I purchased this book for our trip to the beach as a resource for the family. Each person who looked and used this book LOVED it. In the few weeks we have had it, our daughter has gone back to this book time and time again. Also several asked where we got the book --- this book will be their next birthday or Christmas book! Great photographs and detailed explanation about everything BEACH." - Cathy S.

The only access to Egmont Key is by boat, and in our case we took the ferry service from Fort DeSoto, which is $20 per person round-trip. The ferry leaves at 10:00 and 11:00 most days and returns at 14:00 and 15:00. Space is limited (around 50 people, I believe) so arrive a little earlier than your departure time. If you follow the signs for the ferry once you reach Fort Desoto, you'll wind up at the Fort and Gulfside Pier parking lot. Right at the southeast corner of the lot is an informational sign which will direct you to the ferry pick-up location. There is an optional snorkeling segment to the trip which is an extra $5 for gear rental and $10 for the ferry trip to the snorkeling area.

Facilities are extremely limited on the island, so you'll want to bring everything you'll want with you, but pack light enough that it won't be a burden to carry it all as you trek to the beach and explore the abandoned streets and fort.

In our case we arrived around 9:30 and the ferry showed up not too long after that and we boarded right off the beach. It takes a little time to have everyone purchase their tickets and sign in, but there were some dolphins swimming around close by to make the wait enjoyable. Once everyone's aboard, the trip to Egmont Key does not take long. In our case, the ferry went pretty much straight across the shipping channel and then the captain took us on a quick peek around to the northwest side of the island to point out how clear the water was and to show us some of the fortifications before bringing us back around near the lighthouse to unload.

Once in the island, we walked inland to check out the lighthouse. The existing lighthouse was first lit in 1858, as a replacement for the 1848 lighthouse that was destroyed by hurricanes. The current light is an aero-beacon installed in 1985. From the lighthouse we walked south and west to explore the remains of the town at Fort Dade. Brick streets and walks are everywhere and stretch out south as far as we could see. Foundations overgrown with vegetation and a few scattered bricks and roof fragments are about all that remains of this city that had 300 inhabitants back in 1906. We enjoyed walking among these ruins and reading the informational signs about each building. Clusters of palm trees provided some welcome shade on many of the walkways.

Tortoises large and small are everywhere. We saw this little guy walking across one of the brick streets.

Eventually the beach on the west side of the island came into view and we found ourselves near the ruins of Ford Dade's power plant. Due to erosion, the ruins are collapsing into the Gulf of Mexico it seems. It made for interesting scenery as we set up our sun shelter and played in the delightful Gulf waters. We were somewhat suprised by how busy the beach was, but as we found out the island seems popular with boaters who can anchor right off the beach in the shallow water. By the time we were ready to leave, the boats were stacked up pretty good with no more room for any more, as near as we could tell.

On our trip back to the ferry pick-up spot, we explored the ruins of Battery McIntosh and Battery Howard, two of the three non-submerged fortifications on Egmont Key. (There are two other submerged batteries on the south end of the island, which is where the snorkeling trips go) These batteries are similar to what is at Fort DeSoto, but not as well preserved and the big coastal mortars (guns) have been removed. Nevertheless, they are still impressive and definitely worth visiting.

Eventually we made it back to where the ferry arrived, and made the quick return trip to the beach at Fort DeSoto. We're looking forward to going back again, perhaps on a weekday when the beach will be less crowded.

I always enjoy the drive through St. Pete to Tierra Verde (a Spanish phrase meaning "lush land with many condos") because I know what's waiting at the end: Mullet Key.

After Sun Pass beeping my way through the toll (35 cents) and over the bridge, I enter Pinellas County's largest park. The gaps in the mangroves on either side of the road are popular with kayakers and fishermen, as you can park close to the waterline. The campground looked pretty full, and given that the weather is nice and the insect population is still coming out of their winter slumber, I can see why. :-)

"The Fort" has several beach areas. The park map shows "East Beach" and "North Beach" which are the developed areas with picnic shelters and nice parking and other facilities. There's also the beach at the end of the main road past East Beach which is used by paddlers and windsurfers and features a great view of the Sunshine Skyway bridge which connects Tampa/St. Pete with Sarasota/Bradenton.

My personal favorite is the beach on the west side of the island, just north of the Fort. The currents are not as safe for swimming as at North Beach, but it's usually a little quieter here. You can park at the concession/gift stand past the Fort and be on the beach easily, walking north until you find a nice spot to relax.

After spending some time enjoying the sun and the water, I took a walk around the remains of the mortar battery at the old Fort. I've seen those huge 12-inch guns many times in the past 10 years, but they still impress. Even more impressive are the men who served here during the Spanish-American war, before the advent of insecticide and air conditioning!

The views of Egmont Key and even Anna Maria Island and Bradenton are fantastic from the top of the fortifications. The haze level was low today and the lighthouse at Egmont was as blinking as clear as could be.