Natural Jacksonville: Blackrock Beach

[thelakelander]

Black Rock Beach, located 20 miles east of downtown and one of Jacksonville's best kept natural secrets. Characterized by tree skeletons, only four percent of land in the entire world contains the unique geological soil formations as Black Rock.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/natural-jacksonville-blackrock-beach/

[jaxlongtimer]

I had the lucky pleasure of discovering this spot some 12 or so years ago before it began gaining some notoriety.  You had to drive slow on A1A to look for a chain between two wooden posts that had a simple little wooden sign hanging from it that said "Black Rock Trail."  If someone didn't tell you where to look you likely would never know it was there.  Of course, there was no parking lot like there is now.  You just pulled on to the shoulder of the road.  And, you had to step down a broken wood ladder to transit the erosion cliff and then crawl over a large fallen tree to reach open beach.  You could only come during low tide as the water came up to the tree line during high tide making the beach non-accessible.  When we were last there, during the height of the summer season, no less, you didn't see a human in any any direction for as far as the eye could see.  We had our own private beach!

I am concerned that it now gets too much attention and the area gets trampled.  I recall that the "rocks" were not all that hard and might be easily broken off.  Do you still have to take the ladder and crawl over a tree?  The trail pictured looks much improved vs. the narrow, leaf covered trail I recall.

By the way, this is not the only rocky beach in Florida.  This site list at least 13 such beaches, including Black Rock:  https://theadventuredetour.com/rocky-beaches-in-florida/

From this site, re: Black Rock:

(11) Black Rock Beach: Jacksonville, FL – Rocky Beaches In Florida
This northernmost rocky beach in Florida may be the most unique beach on our list.

Black Rock Beach, also known as Boneyard Beach, is part of Big Talbot Island State Park.

The rock formations at this beach are not Anastasia limestone or coquina. These rocks are rare soil formations called spodosol.

This Florida rocky beach has suffered from erosion, causing some of the hardwood trees to fall and die.

These eerie tree skeletons cover Black Rock Beach Florida, and make this a neat place to explore.

The dead trees help to prevent future erosion and are not to be disturbed.

The rock formations here form tide pools to explore at low tide. When you enter the beach area, walk northwest to reach the rocks and dead trees.

The parking is very limited, and there is a half-mile walk to reach the beach. More parking is available in the N. Bluffs parking area, about 1 mile away.

Another Florida rocky beach we have visited is in Stuart, FL, which also features an historic life guard tower and museum.  The coast here reminds one more of a northern California beach than one in Florida:

(6) Ross Witham Beach: Stuart, FL – Our Favorite Rocky Beach In Florida
Ross Witham Beach, also known as the House Of Refuge Beach, is the best beach with rocks in Florida. It's just gorgeous.

The rock formations here are huge, and there are plenty of them to explore.

This Florida rocky coastline has an impressive rock shelf with interesting ledges and sea caves.

This Florida rocky coast is the site of the House of Refuge Museum. It is also part of an underwater preserve.

There used to be ten life-saving stations in Florida to rescue stranded sailors on this remote rocky coast called Gilbert's Bar.

The House Of Refuge Florida is the only remaining life-saving station.

Off the coast of this beach, divers can explore the George Valentine Shipwreck.

Check out the live House Of Refuge beach cam.

Parking here is extremely limited, and there are no public bathrooms or facilities. The closest bathroom is a few miles south at Chastain Beach.

Don't miss seeing the sunset across the street on the riverside. There is a long fishing dock that makes an incredible backdrop for sunset!

[CityLife]

Unfortunately many of Florida's best natural treasures have been exposed on Instagram and are now overrun. Many of them have been damaged by overuse. I haven't been in awhile, but Boneyard Beach was always a favorite spot of mine in Jax. Like you, we used to go and see a few people here and there, but it was largely empty. I hear that it is way more crowded these days. Blackrock Beach is honestly one of the ugliest beaches up there and we would just walk by. The entire coast from Little Talbot is a great part of Jax though. There are even a couple of secret surf breaks around that are sharky, but break well at times. They are easy to pick out from an aerial Google Earth. 

Cool that you went to House of Refuge in Stuart. The entire southern part of Stuart beach is full of rocky beaches and reefs. Bathtub Beach was truly one of the natural wonders of Florida, but has been ruined by overuse. As a kid we would go there and there was a ton of sealife on the rocks and reefs, but there isn't nearly as much anymore. Looks great in this pic, but it isn't nearly as good as it used to be

[thelakelander]

The House of Refuge is a Florida Trust for Historic Preservation 11 to Save site. So I've been there a few times. Here's a few pictures from one of those trips:

[Florida Power And Light]

( Apologies if Wrong Thread Twilight Zone...)

Classic Northeast Florida Viewscape.
Some artists renditions have been assumed to have taken liberty with the Blackrock Beach scene..... certainly their rendition is " touched up".
No. On a few rare occasions there on that beach, I have personally witnessed " real life" examples of certain light, view.
Thanks to being a South Florida Native; many waterways .... I developed an " eye" for Black Rock.
It's a special place, like so many others.
Areas adjacent to Black Rock are no less exhilarating, even though less Heralded.
Deep hiking, walking , biking and small craft makes for an unfolding experience.

NOTE - many photos depicted here are not Black Rock Talbot State Park Nassau Sound Southern Shore.
The photos are  Stuart Florida....no visual association. Thankfully.