Florida Keys Beach Finder: Match a Beach to Your Day

The Keys are coral rock, not a long sandy coast, so the list of public beaches is short. This finder holds the 16 entries we could confirm on an operator’s own page: Florida State Parks, Monroe County, the Village of Islamorada, the City of Marathon and the City of Key West. Private resort and hotel beaches are left out on purpose.

Pick the filters that matter for your day, and the list below narrows to the beaches that fit. Each result keeps the operator’s posted hours, fees, dog rule and any live notice, with a link to the page we read on October 24, 2026.

What each filter means

Island

The island filter follows the place names the operators use. Running from the top of the chain: Key Largo and Tavernier, Windley Key and Lower Matecumbe Key in Islamorada, Long Key, Crawl Key and Vaca Key in Marathon, Bahia Honda Key near Big Pine Key, and Key West. A mile marker appears only where the operator states one: 102.5 for John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (from the park concession’s FAQ), 92.5 for Harry Harris Park and 73.5 for Anne’s Beach. Everywhere else we left the mile marker blank rather than guess.

Fee

Results split into beaches with posted admission and beaches where the operator posted no fee. That second label means exactly what it says: the pages we checked on October 24, 2026 published no entry fee. It is not a promise that a visit costs nothing, and at Smathers Beach and Simonton Street Beach the City of Key West charges for parking. The beach fees page lays out every ladder in the operators’ own words.

Dogs

Operators answer the dog question three ways: leashed dogs allowed, no dogs, or nothing posted. We keep those apart. Anne’s Beach welcomes leashed dogs, Library Beach Park does not allow them, and Harry Harris Park allows leashed pets everywhere except the beach area. A result marked “not posted” means we found no rule, so call the operator before you load the car. The dog-friendly beaches page has the full breakdown.

Facilities

Facilities come straight from each operator’s amenity list: restrooms, showers, pavilions, playgrounds, boat ramps, snorkeling, concessions. If an operator did not list something, the finder does not show it, even when an older guide says it is there.

How to read a result

Start with the hours line. Closing times vary more than visitors expect: the state parks open at 8 a.m. and close at sunset, Sombrero Beach opens at 7:00 a.m. and Coco Plum Beach at 7:30 a.m., and Higgs Beach, Rest Beach and Simonton Street Beach stay open until 11:00 p.m., per each operator as posted October 24, 2026. Restrooms can close earlier than the beach; Library Beach Park’s restroom closes at 5 p.m.

Then read the notices. This is where the operator’s live warnings sit: Pennekamp’s construction notice, Long Key’s King Tide closures, Bahia Honda’s capacity closures and the Marathon turtle nesting limits. A notice carries the effective date the operator gave it. Finally, follow the source link. Fees and hours change, and the operator’s page is the last word on the day you go.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park: 102601 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037; 305-676-3777. The park concession's FAQ places the entrance at Mile Marker 102.5 on US 1. Florida State Parks (park page) and Pennekamp park concession FAQ
Harry Harris Park: 50 East Beach Road (end of East Beach Road), Tavernier, FL 33070; Mile Marker 92.5. Monroe County, FL: Parks & Beaches FAQ (Harry Harris Park)
Anne's Beach is at Mile Marker 73.5, Oceanside, in Islamorada (Lower Matecumbe Key). Islamorada, Village of Islands: Parks & Beaches

All 16 entries at a glance

The table repeats the finder without filters, with each operator’s posted hours as posted October 24, 2026.

Beach	Island	Operator	Hours (posted Oct. 24, 2026)
Cannon Beach (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park)	Key Largo	Florida State Parks	8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year
Far Beach (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park)	Key Largo	Florida State Parks	8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year
Harry Harris Park beach	Tavernier / Key Largo area	Monroe County Parks and Beaches	sunrise to one-half hour after sunset daily (athletic fields to 10 p.m.)
Library Beach Park	Windley Key, Islamorada	Village of Islamorada (Public Works)	8 a.m. to sunset; restroom closes 5 p.m.
Anne’s Beach	Lower Matecumbe Key, Islamorada	Village of Islamorada (Public Works)	sunrise to sunset
Long Key State Park shoreline	Long Key	Florida State Parks	8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year
Curry Hammock State Park beach	Marathon (Crawl Key)	Florida State Parks	8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year
Sombrero Beach	Marathon (Vaca Key)	City of Marathon Parks and Recreation	7:00 a.m. to dusk, Monday through Sunday
Coco Plum Beach	Marathon (Vaca Key)	City of Marathon Parks and Recreation	7:30 a.m. to dusk
Bahia Honda State Park beaches	Bahia Honda Key / Big Pine Key area	Florida State Parks	8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park beach	Key West	Florida State Parks	8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year; the fort closes at 5 p.m.
Smathers Beach	Key West	City of Key West	sunrise to sunset; restrooms 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach	Key West	City of Key West	6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily
South Beach	Key West	City of Key West	sunrise to sunset (city beach hours)
Rest Beach / C.B. Harvey Park	Key West	City of Key West	7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily
Simonton Street Beach	Key West	City of Key West	7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; restrooms 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Common starting points

Snorkeling from shore: Cannon Beach at Pennekamp, which Florida State Parks calls the park’s primary snorkeling beach, with artifacts from a 1715 Spanish shipwreck placed about 100 feet offshore (Florida State Parks: Pennekamp).
Young children: Anne’s Beach, where the Village of Islamorada describes little to no wave action and a shallow swimming area it calls great for young children and dogs.
A long walk on sand: Smathers Beach, which the City of Key West calls the largest public beach in Key West, about half a mile long.
A launch ramp next to the sand: Simonton Street Beach in Key West or Harry Harris Park in Tavernier, both with boat ramps on their operators’ pages.

Pennekamp has two human-made beaches. Cannon Beach is the park's primary snorkeling beach, with artifacts from an early Spanish shipwreck placed about 100 feet offshore; Far Beach is a relaxing place to swim or sit under palm trees. Florida State Parks: John Pennekamp experiences & amenities
Anne's Beach is open sunrise to sunset with little to no wave action and a shallow swimming area the Village calls great for young children and dogs. Paved parking, boardwalk, covered picnic tables and public restrooms. Swim at your own risk. Dogs permitted, must be leashed. No motor boats or PWC, no open flame or grill, no fishing. Islamorada, Village of Islands: Parks & Beaches
The City of Key West calls Smathers Beach the largest public beach in Key West, approximately half a mile long on the island's south side along the Atlantic and State Road A1A, hosting approximately 150,000 patrons annually. City of Key West: Smathers Beach
Simonton Street Beach (0 Simonton Street, Key West) is a small downtown beach with a recreational boat ramp, open 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; restrooms open 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; parking $6 per hour with a 10-hour maximum and limited boat-trailer parking. City of Key West resource directory: Simonton Street Beach & Parking Lot
Harry Harris Park features a beach wheelchair, leashed pets allowed excluding the beach area, a deep-water double boat ramp with finger pier (vehicle plus trailer max 55 feet), and 20 trailer parking spaces, first-come first-served. Monroe County, FL: Harry Harris Park facilities page

Before you pick

None of the operators we checked posts lifeguards at any beach in this finder, and Florida State Parks states plainly that Pennekamp has none on duty. Treat every result as unguarded water. If two beaches look equal, let the notices decide, and see plan your visit for parking and closure checks.

There are no lifeguards on duty at Pennekamp; swimming is at your own risk. Swimming or snorkeling outside designated swimming areas is prohibited unless a diver-down flag is properly displayed. Florida State Parks: John Pennekamp experiences & amenities

Can you drive an RV to Sombrero Beach?

No. The City of Marathon states there are no RV or bus parking spots at Sombrero Beach, and the same applies at Coco Plum Beach.

Source: City of Marathon: Sombrero Beach

When do Monroe County parks close?

Generally 7:30 a.m. until sunset, per the county FAQ, and county code closes parks in unincorporated areas from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (Harry Harris Park, which closes a half hour after sunset, is the coded exception).

Source: Monroe County, FL: Parks & Beaches FAQ

Why do so many Keys beaches charge per person?

Florida State Parks in Monroe County add a 50-cent per-person Monroe County surcharge on top of base admission, so most state-park fee schedules here scale with vehicle occupancy (for example Fort Zachary Taylor: $6 per vehicle up to eight people plus the surcharge). Marathon and Key West city beaches posted no entry fee when checked on October 24, 2026, though paid parking applies at Smathers.

Source: Florida State Parks: Fort Zachary Taylor hours & fees

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: Florida State Parks (official site)

Find the right Florida Keys beach for you

Find your Florida Keys beach

Cannon Beach (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park)

Far Beach (John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park)

Harry Harris Park beach

Anne's Beach

Library Beach Park

Long Key State Park shoreline

Curry Hammock State Park beach

Sombrero Beach

Coco Plum Beach

Bahia Honda State Park beaches

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park beach

Smathers Beach

Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach

South Beach

Rest Beach / C.B. Harvey Park

Simonton Street Beach