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New Smyrna BeachApr 14, 2009
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Pathway to the Beach
Big Beach
Lunch Spot on the Rocks
New Smyrna Beach has been a pleasant surprise. I was concerned that the campground would be inadequate and that the community would be too commercialized. Although the price at the campground was very reasonable for our week-long stay, the campground had excellent facilities. Although it was not close to the beach, it was only a short drive over a causeway to the beach and parks area.
Much like the Fort Pearce area, New Smyrna Beach has a long isthmus that runs between the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean. Our big discovery was Smyrna Dunes County Park located on the Ponce de Leon Inlet that joins the Atlantic to the Indian River.
The park allows dogs on its trails and on its beach. We visited there twice during our stay and enjoyed both visits. The beach is very large and fronts on the inlet across from the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse. The walk to the beach and the walk along the very large beach provided great scenery and exercise. We brought our lunch along for our second visit and enjoyed sitting on rocks overlooking the beach and inlet.
The park also provided some interesting wildlife. We found a good-sized tortoise along the trail and a salamander on some branches near a picnic table. Arnie enjoyed the wildlife as well as his visits with a variety of other canines on the trail and beach.
It's time to move northward about 70 miles to our next stop at Flagler Beach.
