Nice Rocks
Here’s a geology lesson that will blow you away.
Overlook at Blowing Rocks
Tantalized by my brother’s vacation photos, my boyfriend and I traveled to Jupiter in search of Florida’s “blowing rocks,” where waves and wind send salt spray skyward through natural chimneys of eroded stone.
Purchased by local residents in 1969 and turned over to The Nature Conservancy, Blowing Rocks Preserve protects 73 acres of Jupiter Island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. While the merits of Sunshine State beaches are globally known, geological wonders such as this come as a surprise.
After checking in, we worked our way barefoot through a shady maze. Sea grapes formed a long, green tunnel, abloom in ivory this summer day (their edible grapes turn to red in autumn). Breaks in the canopy previewed the scene, where the rocks dropped dramatically into the aquamarine Atlantic. We headed across the beach to a tall terrace of Anastasia limestone marking the border between sand and sea, and stretching more than a mile along Jupiter Island. From a distance, it looked like a lava flow. But up close, we saw tiny seashells trapped in the formation – coquina, compressed by waves and time.
Arriving at low tide, we scrambled down through a crevice onto the shoreline, beneath rocks rising well over our heads. Water echoed with a resounding slap as waves climbed the walls of sea caves carved deep into the ridge. We moved south through this natural labyrinth, ducking in and out of the craggy shelters, mindful of the shifting tide. We discovered caves sized to stand in, with limestone benches formed by
Strolling on the Coast
the erosive power of the waves. Above, we could see the sky through a natural chimney. Sea urchins poked out from nooks and crannies. As the tide rose, we emerged from the maze and trekked back atop the ridge, where soft sand met the rocks. Reflecting hues of orange and gold, the pockmarked limestone cradled seashells. A keyhole limpet made its way slowly across a tidal pool. Strands of sargasso weed dried in the sun. Roped-off areas protected sea turtle nests. (Despite the natural stone wall, more than 600 sea turtles climb this shoreline each summer, seeking shelter to lay their eggs.) Farther up the beach, near the dune crossing, sunbathers soaked up rays in this surreal landscape.
When winds whip at high tide, washing waves through the cracks in the caves, fountains of spray erupt from the limestone ledge. Conditions weren’t prime on our summer visit, but when it happens, it’s a natural display you can’t find anywhere else in Florida.
TIPS FOR VISITING
-The preserve is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, except major holidays. Visit on Sunday to join a guided nature walk that begins at 11 a.m.
-Across the street from the beach, the Hawley Visitors Center offers interpretive exhibits and an art gallery, along with the park’s only restroom facilities.
-Enjoy a hike on the adjacent boardwalk along the Indian River Lagoon, watching for the fiddler crabs that scamper along the shore.
-To see Blowing Rocks “blow,” wait for a windy winter’s day. When skies are gray and surf’s up, waves pummel the sea caves with dramatic force, initiating the fountain-like explosions that earn these rocks their name.
Here’s a geology lesson that will blow you away.
Overlook at Blowing Rocks
Tantalized by my brother’s vacation photos, my boyfriend and I traveled to Jupiter in search of Florida’s “blowing rocks,” where waves and wind send salt spray skyward through natural chimneys of eroded stone.
Purchased by local residents in 1969 and turned over to The Nature Conservancy, Blowing Rocks Preserve protects 73 acres of Jupiter Island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. While the merits of Sunshine State beaches are globally known, geological wonders such as this come as a surprise.
After checking in, we worked our way barefoot through a shady maze. Sea grapes formed a long, green tunnel, abloom in ivory this summer day (their edible grapes turn to red in autumn). Breaks in the canopy previewed the scene, where the rocks dropped dramatically into the aquamarine Atlantic. We headed across the beach to a tall terrace of Anastasia limestone marking the border between sand and sea, and stretching more than a mile along Jupiter Island. From a distance, it looked like a lava flow. But up close, we saw tiny seashells trapped in the formation – coquina, compressed by waves and time.
Arriving at low tide, we scrambled down through a crevice onto the shoreline, beneath rocks rising well over our heads. Water echoed with a resounding slap as waves climbed the walls of sea caves carved deep into the ridge. We moved south through this natural labyrinth, ducking in and out of the craggy shelters, mindful of the shifting tide. We discovered caves sized to stand in, with limestone benches formed by
Strolling on the Coast
the erosive power of the waves. Above, we could see the sky through a natural chimney. Sea urchins poked out from nooks and crannies. As the tide rose, we emerged from the maze and trekked back atop the ridge, where soft sand met the rocks. Reflecting hues of orange and gold, the pockmarked limestone cradled seashells. A keyhole limpet made its way slowly across a tidal pool. Strands of sargasso weed dried in the sun. Roped-off areas protected sea turtle nests. (Despite the natural stone wall, more than 600 sea turtles climb this shoreline each summer, seeking shelter to lay their eggs.) Farther up the beach, near the dune crossing, sunbathers soaked up rays in this surreal landscape.
When winds whip at high tide, washing waves through the cracks in the caves, fountains of spray erupt from the limestone ledge. Conditions weren’t prime on our summer visit, but when it happens, it’s a natural display you can’t find anywhere else in Florida.
TIPS FOR VISITING
-The preserve is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, except major holidays. Visit on Sunday to join a guided nature walk that begins at 11 a.m.
-Across the street from the beach, the Hawley Visitors Center offers interpretive exhibits and an art gallery, along with the park’s only restroom facilities.
-Enjoy a hike on the adjacent boardwalk along the Indian River Lagoon, watching for the fiddler crabs that scamper along the shore.
-To see Blowing Rocks “blow,” wait for a windy winter’s day. When skies are gray and surf’s up, waves pummel the sea caves with dramatic force, initiating the fountain-like explosions that earn these rocks their name.
