the beach today
Gulf Coast Guide

Fort De Soto
Park

#1 Beach in the US

Seven miles of Gulf waterfront, a 19th-century coastal fort and zero commercial development — Fort De Soto has been voted America's #1 beach more than once.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, flags & Gulf water temp

Parking Finder

Park lots & camping reservation

Sunset

North Beach · unobstructed Gulf sunset

Dining

Snack bars · no restaurants in park

Things to Do

Egmont Key ferry & kayak rentals

Events

What's on this week

Pick Your Sand

north to south

North Beach

Widest stretch of white Gulf sand — the #1 beach area

Main lot

East Beach

Calmer water on the Tampa Bay side, kayak launch

Boat ramp

Arrowhead Family Beach

Sheltered bay-side beach, ideal for children

Bay side

Fort Island fishing pier

Historic fort area and 500-ft Gulf fishing pier

Pier lot

Pass-a-Grille (north)

Historic St. Pete Beach community, 10 min north

Day trip

Egmont Key

Boat-access barrier island with lighthouse

Ferry from park

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

St. Pete Beach

15 min north

The Don CeSar, Pass-a-Grille and the Corey Ave Sunday market

Tierra Verde

5 min east

Residential island community at the park entrance

Treasure Island

20 min north

Sunset Beach, Caddy's on the Beach and Blind Pass

St. Petersburg

25 min east

Dalí Museum, St. Pete Pier and the waterfront district

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Fort De Soto Park. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Fort De Soto, the water is 89°F, surf is running 0–1 ft and the air is 85°F but feels like 93°F. Wind is 7 mph from the WNW and the UV index peaks at 8 (very high) today. Unprotected fair skin burns in about 240 minutes right now, and the strongest stretch runs 12 PM to 5 PM. Today’s tides: High 3:25 AM, Low 10:08 AM, High 4:32 PM, Low 10:04 PM. Whether dogs are allowed here depends on which part of the beach you are on.