This Secret Florida Beach Is Hauntingly Beautiful With Driftwood That Looks Like 'Skeletons of Trees'

"Florida's beaches are legendary. You have those with pristine sugar-white sand and bright blue waters, and others are known for rugged, wild nature. The most popular beaches for swimming and lounging are dotted with brightly colored umbrellas and chairs, but there are also those that are a bit more remote and undeveloped. Boneyard Beach in Big Talbot Island State Park, located just outside Jacksonville, falls into the latter category."

"As the water channels and sand shifted around Florida's Boneyard Beach over the last few hundred years, the shoreline retreated and the trees fell. Mainly live oak and cedar trees, the fallen giants endured the sun, sand, and wind, eventually transforming into the bleached, smoothed pieces of art they are today. But they're not just artifacts to be admired and photographed."

"As they lie up and down this 3-mile stretch of shoreline along the Nassau Sound, they play an important role in protecting the Jacksonville area. The driftwood trees help to blunt the effects of hurricanes-and, thus, slow down erosion-on the remaining woods and uplands. If the root systems did not remain in place, the area would be more exposed to sea level rise and the impact of storms."

Located just outside Jacksonville on Big Talbot Island State Park, Boneyard Beach features enormous bleached driftwood trees scattered along a three-mile shoreline on the Nassau Sound. Live oak and cedar trunks fell as shoreline retreat and shifting sand exposed root systems; sun, sand, and wind smoothed and bleached the fallen giants into striking natural sculptures. The standing roots and driftwood help blunt hurricane forces, slow coastal erosion, and protect remaining woods and uplands from sea-level rise and storm impact. The beach attracts photographers and nature lovers and is accessible between 8 a.m. and dusk with a $3 parking fee.

Read at Travel + Leisure