PONCE INLET BOAT RAMP FACILITY
Between 4940 & 4950 S. Peninsula Dr.
Ponce Inlet (Port Orange), Florida 32127
Volusia County
NO FEE TO LAUNCH
OPEN: Sunrise to Sunset
PARKING: around the corner from the launch
The Ponce de Leon Inlet is a natural opening in the barrier islands of northern Florida that connects the north end of the Mosquito Lagoon and the south end of the Halifax River to the Atlantic Ocean. It is maintained by the Ponce de Leon Inlet and Port District, a division of the Volusia County government. The inlet was originally named Mosquito Inlet, but the Florida Legislature changed the name in 1927, as Mosquito County had long since become Orange County, and the Mosquito River had become the Halifax River. Only the Mosquito Lagoon has kept its old name.
The Town of Ponce Inlet is located on the southern tip of the peninsula, south of Daytona Beach and Daytona Beach Shores. The Ponce de Leon Lighthouse, situated on the north bank of Ponce Inlet, was constructed more than 100 years ago and remained in service until 1970. Since restoration as an historic monument and museum, the lighthouse still marks the entrance to the inland waterways through Ponce Inlet.
Completed in 1887, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station was built when the area was known as Mosquito Inlet. After decades of restoration by the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Preservation Association, it stands today as one of the best preserved, most complete Light Stations in the nation. Visited by over 125,000 people each year, the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998. The tallest lighthouse in Florida and the second tallest masonry lighthouse in the nation, visitors can climb 203 steps to the top of the 175-foot tower and enjoy magnificent views of the World's Most Famous Beach (Daytona Beach), Ponce Inlet, and surrounding inland waterways from the lighthouse gallery deck.
© April L. Gustetter