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Rolling oceanfront dunes with palms

Smyrna Dunes Park

At Smyrna Dunes Park, this 2.4-mile hike scenic coastal hike is largely along an accessible boardwalk, with side trips off to the sea and inlet via more rugged approaches.

New Smyrna Beach      ( 29.065864, -80.914742 )      2.4 miles

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As the wind whips across a broad, sweeping peninsula reaching towards Ponce Inlet, it picks up the squawks of shorebirds and the rustle of gopher tortoises along with engines gunning and dogs barking.

At the northern tip of New Smyrna Beach, Smyrna Dunes Park is one of those rare places where most recreational users are accommodated.

View across dunes and ocean View from the tip of the peninsula towards the Atlantic


The entire loop is wheelchair-accessible, although the side trails to the beach are not. They involve scrambles along sand paths, or staircases up and over the dunes.

While the obvious trailhead adjoining the restrooms and picnic pavilion beckons most in a clockwise route, our route follows the boardwalk counterclockwise to bring you to the biggest dunes first.

Fishing pier at Mosquito inlet Fishing pier on the inlet side of the park


Resources

Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in Central Florida 2nd edition book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Overview

Location: New Smyrna Beach
Length: 2.4 mile loop
Trailhead: 29.065864, -80.914742
Address: 2995 N Peninsula Ave, New Smyrna Beach
Fees: $10 parking fee, $20 annual pass. Free for handicapped and disabled veteran registered vehicles. Discounts for veterans and first responders.
Restroom: at the trailhead
Land manager: Volusia County
Phone: 386-423-3300 ext 18072

Open 6 AM to 6 PM during the fall and winter, 6 AM to 9 PM during spring and summer.

Pets are permitted on the inlet dog beach. They are not allowed on the boardwalks after 10 AM, nor are they permitted on the Atlantic Ocean beach. You must clean up after your dog.

Alcohol and trailers (camping or boat) are not permitted in the park.

Smyrna Dunes Park

Beach driving is permissible up to the jetties. There is space to play and splash away from the cars on the inlet side of the peninsula.
 
Arrive early! The hike begins at the parking area, which closes when it reaches its max of about 50 cars.


Directions

 
Take Interstate 95 exit 249, New Smyrna. Follow SR 44 east over the causeway into New Smyrna Beach, turning left on Peninsula Boulevard after 5.4 miles. Follow the road for 2.7 miles, until it ends at the Coast Guard Station. Turn right to enter the park, and pay your admission.

Hike

The boardwalk begins at the parking area, across from the restrooms and pavilion.

As the trail leads up into the dunes, you catch a brief glimpse of a large condo before the boardwalk turns and, thankfully, puts it at your back.

boardwalk adjoining road Follow the boardwalk towards the park entrance to walk this loop counterclockwise


Along the trail, tangles of saw palmetto and catbriar seem to hold the sand mounds in place. Watch for the first of many gopher tortoise holes.

At Walkway #8, turn right to go up and over the deep bowls between the dunes. Notice how the sand catches and gathers around the grasses.

Dune topped with palms An upswept ridge of dunes


These white dunes look like mountains in miniature, with virtual glacial blocks of wind-hardened sand cracking away from the hillside, poised to break free.

This is the populated side of the peninsula, so it’s here you’ll see the beach drivers and, in the distance, the shimmer of tall condos in Daytona Shores.

Walkway over dunes Views are extensive from the boardwalk


Consider this: all of the oceanfront within your view once looked like the dunes you stand amid now.

Follow Walkway #8 back to the main trail, which leads high over a deep basin between the dunes.

Big golf ball shaped building in dunes NASA tracking station


The white geodesic dome off to the left is a NASA tracking station, used to monitor launches as they pass over.

Side boardwalks lead to covered picnic pavilions, including a two-story structure that offers incredible views.

Picnic shelters along boardwalk Picnic shelters along the boardwalk


As you reach the point of Ponce Inlet, the boardwalk swings away from the Atlantic Ocean with views of the jetty and deep dune bowls.

In the distance, sails slip behind the dunes, a constant parade of maritime traffic.

Sand dunes with ocean beyond Bowls of dunes near the point


A side boardwalk leads to a promontory above the inlet, offering an excellent view towards Daytona Beach.

To the west across the inlet, the Ponce Inlet lighthouse stands out like the historic beacon it is.

Lighthouse across inlet The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse from the overlook


The trail drops into a low, barren, desert-like area, where a row of dunes guards these lowlands from the ocean.

After passing more walkways to the beach, the trail turns south to follow the inlet. At 1.2 miles, an observation tower provides a view of the entire park and Ponce Inlet.

Barren open area A flat area with no dunes


Take Walkway #2 to the right. It crosses an old road and scrambles onto another boardwalk into the mangrove swamp. Mangroves cluster around what looks like an old man-made canal.

The canal feeding the swamp barely touches the upper edge of the beach, so the sea only nourishes the swamp at high tide.

Boardwalk into mangroves Boardwalk through mangrove swamp


Where Walkway #2 reaches the beach, you can turn right and follow the inlet around to the edge of the park (a beach walk of nearly 2 miles) to Walkway #8.

Or backtrack up the boardwalk and follow the old road to the next walkway on the right.

Walkway next to boardwalk Walkway adjoining the boardwalk


Dune erosion along the inlet exposes the bright pink roots of sea purslane, a succulent with a high salt content in its thick leaves. Its tiny flowers bloom all summer.

The inlet side is the dog beach, so expect to see residents walking their dogs along the lapping waves.

Inlet shoreline with mangroves The mangrove-lined inlet shoreline is the dog beach


At the fishing pier, climb the stairs to follow Walkway #1 back to the main loop, a 0.1 mile walk.

On the main loop, turn right to return to the parking lot. Those with dogs should follow the natural surface trail back to the parking area.

Walkway to fishing pier Accessible path to fishing pier


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Smyrna Dunes Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Peeking through an arch in the coquina walls

Sugar Mill Ruins Park

At Sugar Mill Ruins Park in New Smyrna Beach, an interpretive trail tells the story of the Cruger-dePeyster Sugar Mill, established in 1830 and abandoned in 1835 after a Seminole raid

Turtle Mound view

Canaveral National Seashore

Canaveral National Seashore protects 58,000 acres of maritime hammocks, dunes, and coastline surrounding Cape Canaveral, a natural sandy cape that formed where ocean currents meet.


Official Website

Category: Beach Hikes, Beaches, Central Florida, City Parks, Day Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Nature Trails, TrailsTag: Accessible, Atlantic Ocean, Best Dog Hikes, Birding, Boardwalks, Daytona Beach, Dog-friendly, Family-Friendly, Historic Sites, Indian River Lagoon, Mangroves, New Smyrna Beach, Observation Decks, Picnic, Riverfront, Scenic Hikes, Wildlife Viewing

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