Crandon Park Beach
Crandon is the big one: a two-mile Atlantic beach on the north half of the island with a promenade, concession stands, picnic tables and grills. Miami-Dade County describes an offshore sandbar that protects swimmers from crashing surf. The county also notes that the sandbar shifts with seasonal squalls, storms and currents, so the depth you found last month is not a promise for today.
- Parking: $7 plus tax Monday–Thursday, $10 plus tax Friday–Sunday. The county lists parking for just under 3,000 vehicles. See Crandon parking for the live crowd estimate.
- Hours: the main park office is open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily. The county page tells visitors to check each facility’s hours separately and did not list beach gate times when we checked.
- Lifeguards: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Ocean Rescue says county public beaches are guarded 365 days a year from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with an operations headquarters at Crandon.
- Rules worth knowing: no glass, no pets except service animals, and no flotation devices in bathing areas under county park rules. Personal paddleboards and kayaks cannot launch from the beach; they go from the marina.
- Accessibility: the county has placed beach wheelchairs at beach areas.
- For kids: the Family Amusement Center near the beach has a historic carousel, with horses built in 1949, and an outdoor roller rink. The Visitor and Nature Center at 6767 Crandon Blvd is open 9 a.m.–4 p.m. daily.
- Extras: cabana rentals on the south end, and kiteboarding rentals and lessons at the beachside water-sports concession.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
At the south tip of the island, at the end of Crandon Boulevard, the state park has a mile and a quarter of natural Atlantic beach, the 1825 Cape Florida Lighthouse and a bayside seawall that faces Stiltsville at sunset. Florida State Parks describes the waves as very gentle. It also says plainly that there are no lifeguards, so swimming is at your own risk.
- Entry: $8 per vehicle with two to eight people, $4 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle, and $2 for pedestrians, cyclists, extra passengers and ride-service drop-offs (official hours and fees).
- Hours: 8 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year. The park warns that parking fills up quickly on weekends, so arrive early.
- Lighthouse: tours run 10 a.m.–noon, Thursday through Monday. You must be at least 42 inches tall to climb the stairs.
- On the sand: the concession rents chairs ($15), umbrellas ($25), or two chairs and an umbrella ($40). Outdoor showers are near the restrooms in Areas A, B and C and along beach accesses 4, 6 and 7.
- Accessibility: two beach wheelchairs and two swimming wheelchairs are free, first come, first served, at the bike rental area. A Mobi-Mat runs at Beach Access 6 next to the Lighthouse Café.
- Dogs: leashed pets (6-foot leash) are allowed in picnic areas, along the seawall and on bike and hiking trails, but not on the beach.
- Current closures listed by the park: the fishing piers have been closed for repairs since September 11, 2023, and restroom 2, beach access 3 and picnic pavilions A8 and A9 have been closed for renovations since June 4, 2025.
- Winter note: the park asks visitors to watch for Portuguese man-of-war warnings posted at the ranger station.
Hobie Beach (Rickenbacker Causeway)
Hobie is the strip of sand along the Rickenbacker Causeway between the mainland and Virginia Key, with shallow bay water and the downtown skyline across the water. Windsurfers, sailors and wing foilers launch here, and the PADL Sail Club at 1 Rickenbacker Causeway rents equipment. Miami-Dade reopened North Hobie Island Beach in December 2024 after a closure that began with Hurricane Irma damage in 2017, adding a restored shoreline, parking and a multi-use path.
- Lifeguards: we found no official listing of lifeguard coverage at Hobie. Plan as if there is none.
- Dogs: Hobie has a long reputation as the causeway’s dog beach, and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau lists it as pet friendly. We could not find a current Miami-Dade page that designates it as a dog area, and county park rules bar dogs outside designated areas. Follow the signs posted when you arrive.
- Fees and hours: we could not confirm current parking fees or hours on an official county page. Read the posted signs.
- Water quality: Florida DOH samples Hobie. Check the latest result on our water-quality page before swimming or letting a dog in.
Virginia Key beaches
Virginia Key sits between the mainland and Key Biscayne, and its Atlantic side has two neighboring parks run by the City of Miami and the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust. Our Virginia Key guide covers the island’s rentals, trails and launch spots in more detail.
Virginia Key Beach North Point Park
- Entry: $8 per automobile, with no re-entry and no refunds (City of Miami park page).
- Hours: November–March, 7 a.m.–5:30 p.m., and visitors are asked to leave from 5 p.m. April–October, 7 a.m.–7 p.m., and visitors are asked to leave from 6 p.m. No overnight parking.
- Lifeguards: City of Miami Ocean Rescue staffs three towers year-round: 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m. November–March and 9 a.m.–6:30 p.m. April–October. The city asks swimmers to stay near a lifeguard and in designated areas.
- Facilities: bathrooms, grills, picnic tables, volleyball and about 10 miles of mountain-bike trails.
- Dogs: service animals only.
Historic Virginia Key Beach Park
- What it is: a historic park at 4020 Virginia Beach Drive with picnic pavilions, cabanas, grills and event space. The trust’s site covers the park’s history.
- Hours: the trust’s park information page lists 7 a.m.–5 p.m. November–March and 7 a.m.–6 p.m. April–October, with the main gate closing 30 minutes earlier. Its homepage says 7 a.m. to sunset. Both say it is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Call 305-960-4600 if timing matters.
- Entry: when we checked on September 5, the trust listed vehicle entry at $5 Monday–Thursday, $10 Friday–Sunday and $12 on holidays.
- Swimming: the trust’s published park rules list fishing and swimming as prohibited in park waters. For a guarded swim, use North Point next door.
- Dogs: no pets except service animals.
The Village beach (residents)
The Village of Key Biscayne’s Beach Park is a residents-only facility that requires an access fob. The Village announced a renovation closure starting September 8; check that notice for reopening updates. The Village’s project flyer says beach access on Ocean Drive stays open through the path north of the park. That path is an access route, not a promise of public parking.
Before anyone gets in the water
Three checks cover most bad beach days here. First, look at the latest DOH samples for the beach you picked. A sample is a dated snapshot, not a live reading. Second, check the flag and rip-current forecast; at a guarded beach, the lifeguard at the nearest tower makes the call. Third, glance at the marine forecast if you plan to paddle, sail or kite, because the bay and the ocean side can behave very differently on the same afternoon. If you only want to hear about it when something changes, set up a free advisory alert.
Coming from the mainland, all four beaches depend on the Rickenbacker Causeway. Check causeway conditions before you leave, especially on weekend mornings and event days.