Key Biscayne Beaches

The best Key Biscayne beach for most visitors is Crandon Park Beach, a two-mile county beach with calm, sandbar-sheltered water, big lawns and parking from $7. For history and scenery, head to the island's southern tip and Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, home to Miami-Dade's oldest standing structure, the Cape Florida Lighthouse, first lit in 1825.

Both sit on Key Biscayne, a quiet barrier island about 20 to 30 minutes' drive from downtown Miami over the Rickenbacker Causeway. On the way you cross Virginia Key and Hobie Island, which have their own shorelines. This guide compares all four so you can pick the right one.

Which Key Biscayne beach should you choose?

Choose Crandon Park for families and easy swimming, Cape Florida for the lighthouse, nature trails and a more natural feel, Hobie Island for free parking, dogs and windsports, and Historic Virginia Key Beach Park for picnics and history rather than swimming. Fees are modest everywhere, but the causeway toll applies to all of them.

Crandon Park Beach

Crandon Park Beach is a two-mile Atlantic beach on the north half of Key Biscayne, run by Miami-Dade County. An offshore sandbar breaks most of the surf, so the water is usually shallow and gentle, which is why local families favor it over Miami Beach.

Behind the sand are shaded lawns, picnic areas with grills, concession stands and parking for nearly 3,000 cars, so it rarely feels cramped. Cabanas can be rented at the south end. Away from the beach, the park has a nature center with a mangrove boardwalk, a historic carousel, kayak and kiteboard rentals, a marina, a 27-court tennis center and an 18-hole golf course.

• Parking: $7 Monday to Thursday, $10 Friday to Sunday, plus tax.
• Rules: no pets except service animals, no glass, and no flotation devices in bathing areas.
• Tip: the sandbar shifts with storms, so depths change; swim near a lifeguard stand and watch the flags.

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and the lighthouse

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park covers the southern tip of Key Biscayne, with a long Atlantic beach, sea oats and dunes, bike paths, bayside trails and the Cape Florida Lighthouse, first built in 1825. Entry is $8 per vehicle with two to eight people, $4 for a single occupant and $2 on foot or by bike.

The park opens daily at 8am and closes at sundown. Guided lighthouse visits are free with park entry and run from 10am to noon five days a week; the tower is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The climb is 109 narrow spiral steps, and the reward is a view over the Atlantic, Biscayne Bay and Stiltsville, the cluster of houses on stilts offshore.

The site has deep history: it is on the Florida Black Heritage Trail as a point where Black Seminoles and freedom seekers escaped to the Bahamas in the early 1800s. The Lighthouse Café serves casual food and rents beach gear. Some park facilities, including the fishing piers, have been closed for repairs in recent years, so check the park's alerts before planning to fish.

Virginia Key Beach Park and Hobie Island

Historic Virginia Key Beach Park opened in 1945 as Miami-Dade's beach for Black residents during segregation, and today it is a city park with picnic grounds, event lawns and a shoreline walk. Entry is $5 per car Monday to Thursday, $10 Friday to Sunday and $12 on holidays.

Hours run 7am to 5pm from November to March and 7am to 6pm from April to October, with the gate closing 30 minutes earlier. The park's own site currently says swimming in park waters is not permitted, so treat it as a picnic, history and sunset stop rather than a swim beach.

Hobie Island Beach Park, sometimes called Windsurfer Beach, is the strip of sand along the causeway between Brickell and Virginia Key. Parking is free beside the road, dogs are welcome, and the shallow bay water and steady breeze suit windsurfing, Hobie Cat sailing and paddleboarding, with rentals and lessons nearby. The skyline view at sunset is excellent.

Rickenbacker Causeway toll

All four beaches are reached over the Rickenbacker Causeway, which charges a toll on the way onto the islands: $3.25 for a car with SunPass or $6.50 by Toll-by-Plate, under rates in effect since October 2025. There is no separate toll to leave, and payment is by SunPass transponder or plate camera.

Rental cars usually bill Toll-by-Plate tolls back to you with an added fee, so check your rental agreement or bring a SunPass transponder. Cyclists ride the causeway free on its wide bike lanes, and it is a classic weekend ride for locals.

How do you get to Key Biscayne beaches?

Driving is easiest: from Brickell, follow the Rickenbacker Causeway east and Crandon Boulevard south. Crandon Park is about 20 minutes from downtown in light traffic and Cape Florida about 10 minutes beyond; South Beach adds 15 to 25 minutes via I-95 or the MacArthur Causeway.

• Rideshare: straightforward, though return pickups can take longer on busy weekends.
• Bus: Miami-Dade Metrobus runs from the Brickell area to Key Biscayne; check the county trip planner for the current route and times.
• Bike: about 6 miles from Brickell to Crandon, mostly on protected lanes, with a steep bridge hump.
• Tours: paddle, snorkel and boat outings run from Virginia Key and Key Biscayne; browse our nature and wildlife tours or boat tours.

Arrive before 10am on weekends and holidays, when Crandon and Cape Florida lots can fill. For a beach with more energy and nightlife, compare South Beach or Haulover Beach.