"Jekyll Island" a Jekyll Island Travel Page by soundsgoodtome

This flower garden is one of the first things you see when you drive up on Jekyll Island. The sea turtle is fitting, as there are tons of them in the coastal waters around, and Jekyll Island is one of many islands on the eastern coast that are used a lot for nesting grounds. I have only been to Jekyll Island once, but it is a beautiful place, and I will definitely be returning one day. It is small, but not too small, and it is relatively untouristy, uncrowded, and unspoiled. There are plenty of beaches, and we were often the only ones in sight. There is a main road that circles most of the island, and on the northeastern section there are many places to park on the side of the road within walking distance to the beach. There are also several places to hike and explore around the island, and you can easily circle the whole place to see it all in no time.

The scenery around the island is spectacular. I read that state law prohibits developing more than 35% of the island, leaving at least 65% of this beautiful land to be preserved forever. There are lots of salt marshes around, which is what you see in the background. It is an interesting ecosystem that can only be seen in a small part of the world. Here my mom and sister are walking down to get in the water. I found it really interesting how the water in marshes runs through like streams, even though it goes all throughout the reeds at a lower level. The different plant species here help to filter millions of gallons of water an hour, acting as a natural water purifier. We went kayaking through some of these salt marshes, which is an excellent way to see wildlife.

This picture was taken right beside the beach on the northeastern section of the island. You can see the tree branches are bent back due to the strong winds blowing in from the Atlantic. Although not as pronounced as the trees in Aruba, it is an interesting natural phenomena to see in person. The sand dunes here are grown up very thick, unlike ones I've seen in most other places on the Atlantic coast. The extra plantlife means extra wildlife, especially birds, that are often seen around here.