St. Augustine Beach Access Guide

Driving, Parking, and Getting to the Sand

St. Johns County has 42 miles of Atlantic coastline and a good chunk of it allows you to drive your vehicle right onto the beach. That is one of the genuine pleasures of visiting this part of Florida. It is also one of the fastest ways to ruin your vacation if you do not know what you are doing.

Read this before you pull onto the sand.

The Most Important Thing You Need to Know

Every year, vehicles get stuck in the soft sand on St. Augustine’s beaches. The tow truck call is expensive, embarrassing, and completely avoidable.

Four-wheel drive vehicles are strongly recommended. If the conditions are designated 4WD only, you could receive a ticket for accessing the beach in any vehicle that is not four-wheel drive. If conditions are designated 2WD, all permitted vehicles may access at their own risk.

The rule is simple: if you do not have a 4×4 or AWD vehicle, use the parking lots. Every beach access point has paved or packed parking nearby. Walk to the water. Enjoy your day. Leave the sand driving to the trucks and SUVs.

Check daily conditions before you go at the St. Johns County Beaches Facebook page, Instagram, or X at @sjcbeaches, or at each toll booth during operational hours.

Beach Driving Passes

A valid beach driving pass is required during the spring and summer season. Outside that window, no pass is needed.

Pass rates:

• St. Johns County residents: $50 annual
• Non-residents: $100 annual
• ADA-accessible: $40 annual
• Daily passes available at toll booth locations
• Cash or credit card accepted
• Disabled military veterans: one free annual pass with military ID or VA verification letter

Annual passes are available at the St. Johns County Beach Services Office at 901 Pope Road, St. Augustine, and the St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier Gift Shop at 350 A1A Blvd, St. Augustine. Pre-season passes are also sold at Tax Collector offices throughout St. Johns County.

Passes are non-transferable. If lost, a new pass must be purchased. All sales are final.

Vehicle Access Ramps

Vehicle access ramps are at Vilano Beach, Porpoise Point, A Street, Ocean Trace, Dondanville Road, Matanzas Avenue, Mary Street, and Crescent Beach at Cubbedge Road. Access is dependent on beach conditions – weather, sand, or tides may cause ramps to temporarily close or limit access to 4WD vehicles.

Notes on specific ramps:

Gate Hours

During sea turtle nesting season, roughly May through October, county-managed beach gates close at 7:30 pm and reopen at 8:00 am daily. During the off-season, gates remain open overnight unless a weather or emergency closure is required. The A Street gate closes at 5:00 pm year-round regardless of season.

Beach Parks and Walking Access

You do not need a vehicle or a pass to walk onto the beach. St. Johns County has multiple public access points ranging from full-facility parks to simple dune walkovers.

Neighborhood Walkovers

Along A1A between St. Augustine Beach and Crescent Beach, public beach access points are tucked between residential neighborhoods at regular intervals. These are marked by small signs and offer simple dune walkovers with no facilities. Street parking is available along A1A and on neighborhood side streets – watch posted signs carefully. These access points are some of the least crowded ways to get to the beach and are a local favorite for exactly that reason.

Sea Turtle Nesting Season

From roughly May through October, flashlights and lanterns are not permitted on the beach after dark. Artificial light can disorient nesting females and hatchlings. The Conservation Zone is clearly marked by brown signs – no activities of any kind are permitted within this protected area. Harassing or disturbing wildlife is strictly prohibited.

If you see a sea turtle on the beach at night, keep your distance, stay quiet, and do not use any lights.

Places to Explore

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