ST. LUCIE INLET BOAT, KAYAK & CANOE PARK
Miles Of Unspoiled Beach And Tram Service Make This An Unusual
Discovery Near Stuart In Southeast Florida...
...and oh yeah, and there's an unofficial nude beach too.
El
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LOCATION: Stuart area of Southeastern Florida
area. Intracoastal Waterway, Statute Mile 990 (approximate),
about a mile south of the St. Lucie Inlet.
For several miles south of the St. Lucie Inlet there
is an incredible run of natural preserve. Boaters can enjoy the
sights as they cruise the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from the St.
Lucie Inlet to Hobe Sound. There's a great boater-only park
located
here.
UNSPOILED PRESERVE: The State of Florida has built an
impressive natural park that is exclusive to boaters, kayakers and
canoers. Together,
the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve and the Hobe Sound Natural
Wildlife Refuge form an incredible 6 miles of unspoiled land on the
northernmost part of Jupiter Island. This is a popular spot for
canoeing
and kayaking.
Click
here to see a map/dock location
Click
here for the State web site for preserve area
TRAM SERVICE: The park allows you to dock on the
Intracoastal Waterway side. Walk off the dock to the restroom
area. A park ranger will meet you there with a "large golf cart"
tram. The tram travels over a half-mile long boardwalk to the
beach. The tram runs in good weather on Fridays, Saturdays and
Sundays at
the discretion of the rangers. Tram service is provided as a
courtesy of the rangers... so be nice to them! You may want to
ask them about the unique large spiders that can be found in the
area... or the abundant plant and animal life. The boardwalk runs
through several interesting natural environs. Of course you can
also walk to the beach using the boardwalk if you don't want to take
the tram.
You may be able to arrange tram service on weekdays
by calling the rangers at (561) 744-7603.
BOATING FACILITIES: On the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway
side there is a dock with a great many slips. This part of the
Intracoastal Waterway allows for fast speeds, so wakes are an issue at
the dock. The facilities are lightly used so there is never a
wait for a space. This park is a great winter boating
destination. Because of the dock, no one aboard ever has to get
wet!
Watch for shoaling between the dock and the Intracoastal
Waterway channel. There is a lot of shallow water in this area.
Come out of channel right by the big dock sign that reads "St.
Lucie Inlet Preserve Park." You should have no problems with
shallow water near this sign or the dock area. On the way back
out, be sure to turn into the channel right away. If you go too
far west you
will hit shoaling (it's especially easy to do at low tide!)
Many boaters may find this "stop in the Intracoastal Waterway,
use the Atlantic Ocean beach" similar to Peck
Lake (Peck Lake is a couple miles to the south.)
Nice boat ramp facilities are located nearby at Sandsprit
Park.
VISITOR FACILITIES:
WEST SIDE (Intracoastal Waterway): Just off the docks is a
restroom area and information office. The restrooms have
no running water. There are no showers, phones or drinking
fountains. This is where the tram will pick you up.
EAST SIDE (Atlantic Ocean): There is a picnic
shelter, metal barbecues and restrooms near (but not on) the beach.
There is no running water, drinking water, showers or phones.
There is a nominal ($2-per-boat) day use fee for the
park. It's a real bargain!
NUDE BEACH: Because of its remote location, a local
group says the beach here can easily be used for nude sunbathing.
There is no officially designated nude beach. Click here for more
information.
I have never seen nude sunbathers on the beach near
the tram drop off. Families are fine using the beach near the
tram
drop-off where the photos below were taken. "Natural sunbathers"
have been encouraged to use the beach around the bend and a couple of
miles south of the tram drop-off.
Note: This page contains several large, high quality photographs.
It may take extra time to load, especially if you're using a
dial-up connection.
This is the park view that boaters see as they
pass in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. This is the park's
west side... the dock and restroom facilities on the Intracoastal
Waterway where you can tie-up. This photo was taken as we
approached on the Intracoastal Waterway from the south.
The dock is connected to the Atlantic Ocean Beach by a half-mile
long boardwalk.
Approach the docks by going to the north (photo left) of the
main sign. Watch for shallow water away from the dock
area. Stay in the Intracoastal Waterway channel until you are as
close to the sign as you can be, then head directly east to the dock.
This will minimize your chances of hitting the area's abundant
shoaling. Water depths are fine in the narrow ICW channel and
near the dock area. Shoaling is especially bad to the west of the
ICW channel (so be careful as you leave the docks.) During low
tide the water depth is less than three feet between the ICW
channel and the dock sign you see above.
I've had a lot of problems hitting sand near the docks at low
tide...
watch out!
The pontoon boat seen here is for park rangers.
Visitors should use the slips seen in the left side of the photo
(these slips are detailed in the photo below.) They are better
protected
from the large wakes generated by high speed boats in the Intracoastal
Waterway.
There are a great many slips for visiting boats. The
dock is never full.
The slips are especially useful in the winter months. A day trip
here allows you to dock, take a tram ride to the boardwalk and spend
time at the beach... all without getting wet!
This walkway leads to the information office, restrooms
and tram stop.
After you dock, place $2 in the fee envelope and deposit it
in the white "Pay Station." Place the receipt on your boat.
Rangers monitor the docks from shore. I'm sure the
$2 charge doesn't come close to covering the facilities and tram costs.
It's the best deal in local boating. You may wish to
consider
purchasing the Florida
State Park annual pass. It's inexpensive and allows you
access to
parks throughout Florida, including the excellent biking
trails at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in nearby Hobe Sound.
Beyond the dock you take a courtesy tram to an incredible
beach. Click
here to continue your virtual tour of St. Lucie Inlet Park and the Hobe Sound Natural Wildlife Refuge.
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