A county park at the end of Fort Island Trail in Crystal River, Fort Island Gulf Beach is home to the only sandy coastal beach reachable by car.
On a hammock of high land above the estuary the dead-end road snakes through to reach it, it sits at the outflow of Crystal River into the Gulf of Mexico at Crystal Bay.
Sandy strand and swimming area at Fort Island BeachResources
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Overview
Location: Crystal River
Length: 0.6 mile loop
Trailhead: 28.90871, -82.69109
Address: 16000 W Fort Island Trail, Crystal River
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the beach
Land manager: Citrus County
Phone: 352-527-7540
Open 6 AM to 9:30 pm. No pets or fishing permitted at the beach or its jetties. Outdoor showers provided at beach restrooms.
There is one accessible beach pavilion with a surface mat to the water’s edge.
Directions
From the intersection of US 19 and SR 44, drive south 1.1 mile to Fort Island Trail. Turn right and continue west. The road makes many jogs. Cross the Salt Creek Bridge after 5.9 miles, passing the Gary Maidhof Walk to Nature. The landscape opens into estuary, the road winding through a vast marsh. Reach the beach parking area after 3 miles across the salt marshes. The pier parking is another quarter mile up the road on the left, followed by boater parking on the right before the traffic circle (end of the highway) approaching the boat ramp.
About the Park
A groomed sandy beach on the Gulf of Mexico is the main reason Fort Island Gulf Beach tends to be packed on sunny days.
It’s not huge, but neither is the beach parking area. Fort Island is indeed an island in the estuary at the river’s mouth, occupying 15 acres.
View of Crystal River from the islandA secondary parking area past the beach is a small lot in a forested cove for access to the island’s shaded picnic pavilions and fishing pier.
Just beyond it there is a large lot for busy boater traffic. Near-shore fisherman launch small craft from a bustling boat ramp adjoined by its own pier.
Boater approach and parkingArchaeological finds proved the high ground was an ancient settlement of the Weeden Island culture.
Boardwalks span this shaded coastal hammock from beach to picnic area and the long pier out into the Gulf.
Boardwalk through the hammockBirders will find flocks of shorebirds settle on the sandy strand, and the usual array of herons and egrets patrolling the natural coastline.
In the hammock, listen for warblers. As this woodland is right on the Gulf of Mexico, migratory species use it as a jumping-off point for flights.
Terns and gulls along the water’s edgeHike
Start at the east end of the beach. Walk along the upper edge to survey the flocks of terns and gulls that settle in when the sunbathers don’t.
A concrete path passes the accessible beach shelter, where a rubberized surface leads to the water’s edge for wheelchair users.
Path to the hammockLeaving the beach, the paved path winds into the coastal hammock. A raucous cry arises from a swale of freshwater marsh, fading as the frogs notice footfalls on the boardwalk.
The boardwalk zigzags through the dense forest, which is largely characterized by large oaks amid a palm hammock.
Winding path among palmsMeet a T intersection of boardwalks adjoining a large picnic pavilion. Turn left to walk out on the pier.
Even if you’re not fishing, the pier is a must for its views of the shoreline and distant islands along this ragged Gulf shoreline.
Picnic pavilion in the hammockOsprey cry overhead as they scan for fish in the shallows. Walk out to the platform at the end, and you may spot dolphins chasing their dinners.
If anyone’s actively fishing, expect some feathered mooches in the form of great blue herons, brown pelicans, and crows hanging out on the railings.
Pier on the GulfThe walk back to shoreline provides a panorama of the flank of the mangrove-fronted island. Watch for surfacing manatees.
Back in the picnic area, walk past the pavilion and a deck with picnic tables along the boardwalk straight ahead.
Mangrove fringe of Fort IslandThis boardwalk emerges from the hammock at the small parking area for the pier. Walk through it and follow the edge of the road along the hammock.
Its wetland is more obvious from this perspective. You reach the edge of the beach in a few hundred feet.
Freshwater wetland in the hammockLeave the road to rejoin the concrete path and the beach itself. Continue along the beachfront.
Finish this 0.6 mile walk at the east end of the beach near the far pavilion.
A picnic pavilion on Fort Island BeachTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
A virtual walk at Fort Island Beach
Slideshow
See our photos of Fort Island Gulf Beach
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Gary Maidhof Walk to Nature
An accessible coastal boardwalk off Fort Island Trail leads to a showy overlook on the Crystal River estuary.
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
Integral to the town of Crystal River, this water-based refuge protects wintering grounds for Florida manatees.
Crystal River Archaeological State Park
One of Florida’s more impressive archaeological parks, this interpreted village along Crystal River includes six middens and the only known stele in the southeast United States, one with a pictograph.
Crystal River Preserve State Park
Crystal River Preserve State Park spans 20 miles of the Gulf Coast between Yankeetown and Homosassa, protecting key manatee habitats along estuaries of the Gulf.