Shell Island

Shell Island is a beautiful, mostly undeveloped barrier island that offers a pristine natural beach & wildlife experience. The island is located on the panhandle of Florida and is accessible by boat from near Panama City Beach.  St. Andrews State Park offers ferry service to the island and private boat shuttles are available nearby.  Some of these vendors also rent pontoon boats which is another option for accessing the island.  Shell Island is about seven miles long and runs between St. Andrews Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The island is undeveloped: has no restaurants, no restrooms, and very minimal infrastructure.  It is adjacent to and part of St. Andrews State Park and it is a natural barrier island with sand dunes, coastal scrub, and wildlife habitat.

Hiking on Shell Island is mostly “off‐trail” or along the beach.  There is both a Gulf and beach side of the island which offer different experiences.  The bay and Gulf side is calmer with grass flats and shallow bays where boats can anchor and visitors can wade in shallow water to shore.  The ocean side has more wind but offers a pristine white sand beach to explore.  On our hike we walked from the gulf side to the ocean side and explored the beach for a few hours – but you can essentially create your own route here.  If you prefer more traditional trails, St. Andrews State Park has two blazed trails a short distance (or boat ride) from Shell Island.