Siesta Key Beaches on BeachHunter.net |
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Siesta Key Beaches on BeachHunter.net |
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Siesta Key Beaches (Sarasota)Siesta Beach Accesses, Siesta Public Beach, Crescent Beach, , Point-of-Rocks, Turtle Beach Siesta Key is located west of Sarasota and is largely residential, although it does have its share of tall condominiums and small commercial districts. There is plenty of money on Siesta Key, but there is not generally the ostentatious display of it nor the air of exclusivity found on Longboat Key. But neither does Siesta Key give me the "just folks" feeling of Anna Maria Island. Siesta is really a happy mix of everything. The beaches are extraordinarily beautiful, so of course they draw a large crowd. So get here before 10:30 am on the weekend or you can just about forget finding a place to park, even at the public beach parking lot. Parking on residential streets is not allowed. If you are staying on Siesta Key, you are in for a wonderful vacation with lots to do and see. If you are trying to decide where on the island to stay, check out my new section on Siesta Key Beachfront Vacation Rentals. |
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Helpful Links: Live Beach Web Camera - Sarasota Surf & Racquet Club on Siesta Key just south of the public beach. EXCELLENT beach cam. Be patient, even with cable this cam takes 20 seconds or so to load the picture on your browser. Beach Report by Sarasota Lifeguards - this innovative site is updated twice daily by the lifeguards on Sarasota's beaches. Find out the water and wind conditions, and find out if red tide is affecting the beach today. They do a really nice job of keeping the reports up-to-date. Siesta Key Beachfront Vacation Rentals - my new information pages on the various areas of the island and what each area has to offer so you can decide where to stay. See my slide show of a day on Turtle Beach on Siesta Key.
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A wide angle view of Siesta Public Beach, quite possibly the best public beach facility on the west coast of Florida. Why? Blinding white powdery sand, gorgeous blue/green water that stays shallow for a long way out (kid friendly), no dangerous currents when the waters are calm, wide flat beach that is firm enough to ride a bike on near the water's edge and is also great for running, strolling, lots of beautiful people, excellent parking (but get there early), shaded area with picnic tables, dunes covered with sea oats and beach plants, close to accommodations and restaurants... What more do you want? | |||||
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You will not find whiter, cleaner, softer sand anywhere on the peninsular Gulf Coast, than on Siesta Key Public Beach. I should know, I've been to every beach. | |||||
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A sandbar formation north of Siesta Public Beach. A great place to get away from the crowd. | |||||
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There are some funky-looking beach houses
along the shore, just north of Siesta Key public beach. They are available for
rent.
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A hidden cove somewhere on Siesta Key. Snorkeling anyone? The water was so clear and calm this afternoon. Good thing I called in sick today and went to the beach instead! | |||||
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At left is one of the many access trails located between the Siesta Key Village and the Siesta Key Public Beach parking lot. Most of the access trails have parking for 15 to 20 cars. It's a fairly short walk to what many would consider the best public beach in this area of the state, perhaps in the entire state. |
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If you took the above trail to the beach, this is where you would end up. The sand is like sugar and the water is clean, clear, and shallow. The sand near the water is packed hard enough to ride a bike, and many people do. I took this photo about an hour before sunset. | |||||
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This photo was taken a quarter mile north of the public beach. On the other side of the public beach the condominiums start to appear. This beach is my favorite walking, jogging, or bike riding beach. You can do any of those things the entire length of the beach you see here, which is probably more than 3 miles. Sure beats a treadmill. | |||||
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At left is a view of Crescent Beach. If you walk south from the public beach, this is basically where you end up. You have to walk along the sea wall to go further south, and the character of the beach sand changes. The south end of Crescent beach here is called Point-of-Rocks because of the unusual occurrence of large shelf-like limestone rock formations on the beach and in shallow water. This is a great place for shallow water snorkeling. However, public access is very limited. Most of the people on the beach here are either staying in the vacation condominiums or live in the Point-of-Rocks neighborhood (or they are like me and know where to find parking). | |||||
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Standing on the sea wall (as pictured in above photo) and looking north toward the public beach. This has to be one of the most beautiful places to swim on the island, or anywhere in Florida actually. The water here always seems to be shallow and clear. This photo and the one above were taken during the most beautiful beach week of the year. It was the last week in May. A cool front had just come through and dried out the humidity from the air. A cool north breeze was blowing and the air temperature was in the mid 80's. The water temperature was about 80 degrees. It was probably the most perfect beach week I've ever seen, and I spent the entire week on the beach. Perfect timing. In fact, I took many of my best beach photos that week. | |||||
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South of Point-of-Rocks is Turtle Beach, a public access beach with
free parking. The sand here is not packed hard enough to ride a bike. In
fact, when walking by the water, your feet will sink in quite a bit.
This requires a lot more effort than walking on the hard packed sand of
the beaches north of Point-of-Rocks. Also, the depth of the water drops
of more quickly here, and when the surf is up, it tends to break hard on
the beach with a smack, rather than rolling in and crumbling on a sandbar.
For a slide show of BeachHunter's summer Turtle Beach trip click here! |
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I took this photo looking south from a Turtle Beach dune walkover. The beach here is not as flat as the beaches to the north. Sometimes it is possible to walk south for a long way, if you can get past the condo in the distance. Because of the seawall in front of the condo, there is little or no beach at that point. So you may have to wade in the water if you want to go further south. (Note: see update below!) There is no road leading past the condo. It used to be a person could walk onto condo property and onto the beach, but the last time I tried it was roped off and clearly marked "No Trespassing." How nice. | |||||
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Update: In April 2005, Turtle beach received a lot of new sand in a beach renourishment project costing over $11 million. Now the beach is perhaps 150 to 200 feet wide. See more Turtle Beach photos here. The new beach is pictured in the photo at left. | |||||
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To find out all the important details about all the beaches on the lower Gulf Coast of Florida, consider purchasing my book: Florida Beaches - Finding Your Paradise on the Lower Gulf Coast. It covers all the beaches from Dunedin to Marco Island, more than 96 named beaches. It has 176 pages, 25 maps, and 48 black and white photographs. | |||||
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It's FREE for download now! How to Be Safe From Sharks, Jellyfish, Stingrays, Rip Currents and other Scary Things on Florida Beaches and Coastal Waters. My new ebook tells you what you need to know to have a safe and fun stay on the Florida Islands and Beaches. Click the blue book cover at left to find out more information about what's in the book and to download to your computer. If you are a first-time visitor to the Florida Beaches, this book is a MUST! 70 pages with color photos and illustrations. Where else will you get this information? |
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