The Anclote Key Lighthouse - 138 Steps to a View

Saturday was one of my favorite kinds of days. We went boating with friends AND I got to climb a lighthouse. The Anclote Key Lighthouse was built in 1887 and beautifully restored in 2003, but it has been closed for the last five years after soil contamination was found around the tower. With the help of a grant from the Florida Lighthouse Association and the hard work of the Friends of Anclote Key State Park and Lighthouse, a fence was installed along the walkway so that visitors can climb the lighthouse once again.

Since there is no public dock on Anclote Key, we anchored our boat off the beach. Ron (who isn’t a fan of heights) elected to stay with the boat while Ronnie, Jamie, Katie and I climbed. At the tower, we had to wait a few minutes until the previous group of climbers came back down. Once inside, we could see why only a few people were allowed in at a time. The steps were very narrow.

There were 138 steps to the lighthouse gallery but it was worth every step. Looking south, we could see the hotels on Clearwater Beach, miles away. To the north a tiny sailboat was sailing through the pass between Anclote Key and Anclote sandbar. Sea birds flew in flocks below us and we spotted a nesting owl in the branches of a pine tree. Before long, I realized that Jamie and I were the only two people left at the top, and the park ranger was signaling that our time was up. Jamie and I agreed that we could have stayed up there for hours. What a view!

Travel Tips: Anclote Key is located three miles offshore from Tarpon Springs and is only accessible by boat. If you don’t have your own boat, transportation to the island can be arranged with Odyssey Cruises (http://odysseycruises.net/). The next lighthouse open house will be on June 16. Check the Friends of Anclote Key Facebook page for upcoming events.

When you leave the island, be sure to take everything you brought with you. As we were walking back to the boat, we noticed a kite that had gotten entangled in the trees and abandoned. Together with another couple, we were able to pull the kite out of the branches and remove all the kite line so that it wouldn’t trap any sea birds. It reminded me of a previous visit to Anclote Key when we helped the park ranger catch a racoon so he could remove a soda can that was stuck on the racoon’s paw. The garbage you leave could kill birds, sea turtles and other wildlife. Take nothing but photographs; leave nothing but footprints.