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John D. MacArthur Beach State Park

Photo: Ebyabe / CC BY-SA 3.0

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John D. MacArthur Beach State Park

North Palm Beach, FL · Palm Beaches

About

Cross the long boardwalk over the Lake Worth Lagoon and the maritime hammock drops you onto nearly two miles of wild Atlantic sand with no resort wall behind it, just dunes knitted with sea grape and weathered driftwood. The Anastasia coquina rock reef sits close to shore, so the same warm water that washes up whole, unbroken shells turns into shallow snorkeling on a calm low tide. It is a working refuge for nesting sea turtles and wading birds, the kind of beach where you walk a few minutes north and have the surf to yourself.

Highlights

Wild, undeveloped barrier-island beach with native dunes1,600-foot boardwalk over the Lake Worth Lagoon estuaryAnastasia coquina rock reef for shore snorkelingSea turtle nesting habitat and shorebird flocksMaritime hammock and kayak launches into the lagoon

Getting there

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Wild Florida Atlantic Coast Beaches14 places

Wild Florida Atlantic Coast Beaches

The Atlantic coast keeps its wild stretches tucked between the beach towns: undeveloped barrier islands, a national seashore, and refuge shores where sea turtles still outnumber people. Walk past the last parking lot at Canaveral and the crowds vanish; wander Big Talbot's boneyard beach where storm-felled oaks bleach white in the surf. No high-rise wall, no boardwalk, just dunes, driftwood, and open ocean. Bring water and shade, and leave South Beach to everyone else.