Sand Key Park

My husband and I almost always go to this beach, it doesn’t cost a lot to park and is rarely crowded. The beach is huge and well maintained.

This state park is a nice alternative to the busier and more commercial beaches on Clearwater Beach and lies just south of those areas. On the other hand, it doesn’t have the shopping, eateries, and night life that you get along Clearwater Beach. It’s a very open beach area with public parking. Don’t forget your suncreen, umbrella, sunglasses and a hat. When it’s sunny out I like those surf shirts or even a light button down longsleeve shirt. :) Enjoy the beach and the water. build sandcastles. This is a nice spot. :)

«As good as it gets»? Well, that’s quite subjective. If Animal House types were reviewing this beach, they’d give it 2 stars, and stick to Clearwater Beach. You know, they’re the types to drink beer, play volleyball, drink beer, flirt with the girls, drink beer, show off in the Gulf, then finish at Hooters and drink more beer. But if you want a Gulf beach experience without the crazy scene, then turn left, cross the bridge, and go to Sand Key.
Now, maybe the main beach at the end of Highway 60 is not the scene I just described. But we were looking for exactly what we got at Sand Key Park. Hot, white sand, going into the warm Gulf of Mexico. Parking is $ 5/​day; we’d seen $ 30/​day in the main Clearwater Beach area. Bathrooms, showers, and changing areas. One concessioner had set up a snack shack on the beach. Lifeguards with color-​coded flags. Rent an umbrella with lounges for $ 26. And blend in with the other families, couples, seniors, and kids for a dream beach afternoon.
We were here for several hours in the summer, and it was what we dreamed of. We left only because we had to. And I tell you, I like the idea of renting a room in one of the high-​rise hotels on the island for a week or so and spending half of the days here. It would mean flying across the country, and Biloxi MS is far more convenient for me and my Texas in-​laws. But Clearwater Beach is superior to Biloxi, and Sand Key is superior to Clearwater Beach.

Really nice beach and not as crowded as the stretch near Pier 60. Easy parking and easy walk to the beach.

Nice long beach to take a walk down, small seashells along the sand. It was a little chilly today with the breeze but there were people in the water. If you plan to make it a beach day, it might be worth it to pay $ 25 for the umbrella and two lounge chairs. Don’t forget that parking is $ 5 as well. Altogether, it’s a nice spot to take a stroll with your honey down the beach and enjoy watching the waves crash.

I was really surprised and impressed by the amenities at Sand Key. More than just a good beach with easy parking (impressive in itself!), they’ve really built up this place. Just like Clearwater, they have rentals on the beach, food, and an AMAZING covered playground area… unlike Clearwater they also have readily available and affordable parking and nice picnic areas with grills. They were still busy at the height of Spring Break, but the parking lot was only half full when Clearwater’s were all totally full. It was a wonderful alternative to the chaos by the Pier.

Since the Florida weather didn’t want to cooperate while the Scot was in town for most of the time, we FINALLY got a beautiful day to go to the beach.
The plan was to go to Clearwater, but apparently Spring Break had already begun, and parking was proving to be a nightmare. No worries! I’ve been in Florida forever, I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and so we went over the next bridge, and low and behold sand key park was there, with hardly anyone there.
Parking was cheap $ 5 flat rate for the whole day, and it was plentiful. The beach was wide and sparsely populated as we made our way out to the shoreline. The tide was rolling in quickly so we only spent an hour — well the tide and pale Scottish skin that is. In that time, we spotted a dolphin in the waves, a live baby conch, many children and couples playing in the surf, and we were buzzed by a low flying plane. It was a great place, far better than the commercialized Clearwater Beach.

Can’t find parking in Clearwater beach??? Come here! Step away from the hustle and bustle from the touristy Clearwater beach area and have some quite time at this beach park. The parking is affordable and there are plenty of spots. I find this location to be great… The con… No ice cream parlor is of walking distance. But that’s ok! This park is quiet and very relaxing.
Bathroom and changing room is clean and is near the beach as well. Is this the best beach the bay has to offer. No… But it’s worth a peek if looking for a beach to go to in Clearwater and don’t want to be at the pier.

It’s pretty but, oh, my poor delicate feet!

My husband and I went there on a Saturday and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t very crowded. There was a $ 5.00 parking fee, which wasn’t so bad cause we were there for a good portion of the day.
In my opinion, the sand wasn’t the best (this could be because I was at Clearwater the day before and the sand there is heaven) and I noticed several cigarette butts, a straw, and some other debris around where we were sitting. On the plus side, the water was clear and really clean.
Oh my shells! Seriously, so many shells. We took a walk down the shore and I put my hand in the water and scooped up maybe 50 plus shells (not really sure of the number because I was so excited about the quantity and quality of them). I have friends coming into town whose children love shelling, so I will definitely be bringing them here.
Didn’t really explore the rest of the park other then the beach, so I can’t really speak for it. Additionally, I can say that the bathroom was clean and there was ample parking.
All and all, a great little spot and I will be back to add some more shells to my collection!

Sand key park is nice and well manicured, but expect to pay $ 5.00 when you park. at first they didn’t have the meters, then they put meters in, and now it’s a minimum of $ 5.00 to park, no matter how long you are at the beach. This turns me off from it to the degree that I don’t want to pay $ 5.00 just to hang at the beach for a couple of hours. On the flip side of that, I’m a local, so I can just go anywhere else of many places I know. If I were a visitor and I wanted a nice relaxing place to lounge on the beach, this would definitely be one of the two places I’d go.

I came to this beach on a hot sunny summer day with my family. I tried a standing up paddle board thing which I’ve never tried before and was very fun! I loved that you could just take a set of lounge chairs and umbrella and they come over to you to collect the money. No annoying lugging around required! I also thought the snacks in the snack shop were tasty and reasonably priced, for a vacation spot! If I’m ever in Clearwater again — I will be back to this beach!

It was my first time here this past 4^th of July. What a great beach! Quiet. Plenty of parking. Bathrooms and changing areas are clean and nearby. This is definitely a great alternative to Clearwater Beach when you are not in the mood for crowds and searching for parking. There aren’t any attractions or hoopla at this beach though. Great place for a quiet day of relaxation.

What a great option! We tried to go to Indian Rock Beach first, but their parking is extremely limited. I saw this park on the map and then read the reviews. It was probably 10 minutes from the other beach.
Parking was plentiful and only $ 5. I parked near one of the two restrooms which also had showers outside.
Once to the beach, it was a long walk if you have a lot to carry. We might have to invest in a small cart if we make this a regular spot.
Lots of rentals on the side we were on: chairs with umbrellas, jet skis, I think even kite surfing, but not 100% sure. I saw a couple of them leave from around there. There was also sand volleyball set up nearby.
An overall nice family park if you don’t want to have to feed a meter all day or circle all day for a spot.

Parking! They have parking ! And it’s 5 $ all day! I don’t know if you’ve been to clearwater lately but that place is a zoo… and I’ve paid up to 40 $ for parking. … never again… Sandy key is way better lots of people but quieter than clearwater and certainly not thr crazy amount of people.

Great beach for locals trying to stay away from the crowds at nearby Clearwater Beach. Parking will cost you $ 5, but then it’s just a short walk to the beach and there is plenty of it so you won’t have to spend half an hour looking for a spot :)

Affordable pavilion rental $ 25 for the whole day.
The par is very large and parking all day is $ 5; be sure to pay at the designated pay station.
I had so much fun with my friends here. The park staff were very kind and kept the park clean.

I’ve been there three times. Twice during a Half Marathon where I practically ran the vehicle road all over Sand Key and the second where I was volunteer crew to the Courage to Tri Triathlon. I’ve been all over the island. There must have been a situation where trash pickup & beach cleaning was amiss because the park was spotless when I’ve been through there. This is a nice alternative when the tourista season is on us. Just remember to bring everything you need for a day at the beach and you’re good to go. You should walk all over the park and get some good cardio on while embracing the view. I definitely enjoy Sand Key!

When you consider the amount of effort it takes to get there, I’m not sure going to the beach qualifies as a vacation when you are a father of two young boys! LOL
THE SCENE
June 9^th, 2013 — My wife packs nearly 2/3^rd’s of our home just to make sure we have everything we need while on the beach. Seems like we take everything except bathroom fixtures. What’s worse is I’m the one who has to haul it from the house to the car and then the car to the beach and back. Are you a victim of this manual labor too fellas? (Just in case she happens to read this I should add):
I’m not complaining. There are far worse ways to get your exercise than hauling bags of beach toys, enough suntan lotions to start a business, 50 pound coolers and tents back and forth. I love you honey :-)
THE EXPERIENCE
Sand Key Park is located just on the other side of Clearwater across the Sand Key Bridge. The bridge is a very modern structure today, but was originally built as a drawbridge in the 1960’s and reconstructed as a fixed span bridge in 1994.

Sand Keys entrance is marked by a beautiful stacked stone wall and a long looping drive to the spacious parking area ($ 5 parking fee). If you are used to the sugar-​like sand beaches of the Florida Panhandle, Sand Key will take you by surprise. The sand here is course and filled with crushed seashells of various sizes. The odor in the air on this day had a stagnant and funky sea smell, likely from all the washed up clam shells and sea grass littering the beach. This was possibly caused by the recent passing of tropical storm Andrea, whom made landfall about 160 miles north in Steinhatchee, FL earlier this week. Whatever the reason for all the clam shells, it really STANK!
THE VERDICT
Despite the smell and course sand, I’d still rather be on the beach than back in Atlanta working! However, as far as beaches go, we’ll probably skip this one in the future. It’s less crowded than nearby Clearwater beaches, but that’s about it’s only advantage.
*SIDE NOTE — The seagulls are fearless here. They swooped down (twice) to snatch food out of our kids hands as they were eating. The look on my youngest sons face had us all laughing for 10 minutes. Priceless.
Unilocal100[83]

We love the Sand Key beach. It is located just south of Clearwater Beach, so not much further away, but it doesn’t seem like many people know about it. It’s never as crowded as Clearwater Beach, which is a huge plus for us! The parking is also much closer to the beach, which is helpful when you are bringing chairs, a cooler, and herding a couple of young children.
We also find much better seashells here. Instead of just shards and tiny shells, we’ve found some gorgeous conches and some other smooth shells. It’s nice to find new shells that the kids haven’t seen before.
The beach itself is set off of the main road; you have to turn into the park and drive a short way before you reach the beach and the parking area. This helps to keep it hidden from all of the tourists who automatically go to Clearwater Beach.
The facility has public restrooms, showers, drinking fountains, and a couple of vending machines. The parking is done via electronic stations rather than meters at each space. You can pay for your parking with either cash or a credit/​debit card, which is very convenient for us.
There are also some gorgeous flowers growing on either side of the paths that lead down to the water. So many great photograph opportunities.