Little Talbot Island State Park occupies the full two thousand five hundred acres of Little Talbot Island, about seventeen miles northeast of Jacksonville, and preserves a barrier-island environment of maritime forests, dunes, and salt marshes. Its varied coastal habitats support wildlife including river otters, marsh rabbits, bobcats, and both native and migrating birds. Ongoing natural change has enlarged Little Talbot relative to Big Talbot Island through erosion to the north and sand deposition here. West of the island lies the largest continuous section of the Machaba Balu Preserve. The park is also a major recreational destination for camping, fishing, hiking, swimming, canoeing, surfing, and nature watching.