What actually decides it — parking, entry fee, snorkeling, crowds, whether the kids will last. Every entry says when we last checked it.
Find the right beach
Filters
Showing all 4 beaches.
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Bahia Honda State Park: 37 miles up US 1, and a gate that shuts when it is full
The beach Key West does not have, 37 miles up the highway. $8 a car plus 50 cents a head, open 8 to sunset — and the gate closes when the day-use areas fill.
Snorkel 4/5 Kids 5/5 Parking lot Entry $8 per vehicle plus 50 cents a person; $2.50 on foot or by bike -
Fort Zachary Taylor Beach: $6 a car plus 50 cents a head, and bring water shoes
The best beach in Key West, which is a smaller claim than it sounds. Rocky underfoot, real shade, and the only one worth planning a day around.
Snorkel 3/5 Kids 3/5 Parking lot Entry $6 per vehicle plus 50 cents a person; $2.50 on foot or by bike -
Higgs Beach: free, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the one for children
Free, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., with restrooms, showers, a restaurant, two playgrounds and a dog park. The family beach, run by the city since May 2026.
Snorkel 2/5 Kids 5/5 Roadside Entry Free -
Smathers Beach: free sand, $5-an-hour parking
The biggest beach in Key West at half a mile, and the one where parking costs more than the beach. $5 an hour on South Roosevelt against $8 a day at Fort Zach.
Snorkel 1/5 Kids 4/5 Roadside Entry Free
Nothing matches all of those at once. Try dropping one filter — on an island this size, most trade-offs are real.
Get a heads-up when Key West changes
Every page here carries the date we last checked it. This is that same checking, sent to you instead of waited for — a ferry price moving, a boat changing hands, a beach closed for works.
Leave an address and we'll write when something in Key West actually changes. That is the whole list — no schedule, no filler, and some months nothing at all.
Or skip the form entirely — everything we send is also posted on the changelog, free and dated.
Photo credits
- Bahia Honda Key from the air: Schwerdf, CC BY 4.0
- The beach at Fort Zachary Taylor: Julian Lupyan, CC0
- The pier at Higgs Beach: Pietro Valocchi, CC BY 3.0
- Smathers Beach before sunrise: Juliancolton, Public domain
