There are miles of beach surrounding Key
Biscayne that are perfect for a casual stroll or a serious aerobic workout.
It does not matter if one is to start at the north end of Key Biscayne
which is Crandon
Park, or the south end of the island which is Cape
Florida.
Early mornings at low tide are a favorite
time for beachwalkers. The sand is firm, the sun is rising over the
water, and there is usually a gentle ocean breeze.
To give you an idea of walking times and
distances, from the north tip of Crandon to the South tip of Cape
Florida is approximate 3.5 – 4 miles each way. Since yours truly
has made this particular walk numerous times, I will guesstimate that the
approximate amount of time for a casual stroll would be at least a couple
of hours each way.
It also depends if you want to stop and
take a rest or a swim. There are plenty of places to get a sandwich
or a drink in Crandon
Park or in Cape
Florida. In between the two, and about halfway, you can stop
at Sonesta Beach Hotel
at the Seagrape bar area and get a grilled hamburger with all of the trimmings
and a drink while listening to some of the music of the islands from a
live band.
Many boats during the weekend will dock
just off of the swimming area of Sonesta
and walk in to do just this. There is a sandbar located off of Sonesta,
and at low tide, it is possible to walk in. There are another couple
of huge sandbars located off of Crandon
Park, and everyone (especially the children) love to “set up camp”
on these natural islands and feed the seagulls popcorn or just sit and
relax.
In fact, sandbars are a way of life
to some of the local population and there are several that we enjoy as
a family with other families. Sandbars are a great place for the
children to swim, play and build castles in the sand, without the risk
of strong currents and undertows.
The sandbar just off the
Key Biscayne Yacht Club is accessible
only by boat and is a treasure
trove of activity at low tide with
sea urchins, shells, and
small crabs.
The favorites around Key Biscayne are
the Crandon Sand Bar and what is called the Yacht Club Sand Bar (located
on the west side of Key Biscayne and only accessible by boat). There
are two of the more popular sandbars located south of Key Biscayne which
are also only accessible by boat and those are The
Stiltsville Sandbar (2 miles south) and the sandbar at Sands
Cut (7-8 miles south).
For beach walking however, it is recommended
that one starts at either Crandon
Park or at Cape
Florida.
This is an island, so you are not going to
get lost. If time is an issue, and you want to just walk in ankle
deep water and bring your family dog, beach walks along Virginia Key Beach
are very popular. The views at Sunset are unobstructed and become
the set for many magazine and modeling
shoots. here on Virginia Beach.
This simple fact lead us to start our
ever increasingly popular
sunbathing gallery of photographs..
Be forewarned that on the weekends, this
is an extremely popular place to be so walking without having to step over
people laying in the sun or children playing in the water is near impossible.
Virginia Key Beach is about one mile long from end to end and you can park
anywhere right along the water. Don’t park too close to the waters
edge or one of the handy tow trucks patrolling the area will have to get
you out of the sand for a fee. Although this is a fantastic local
beach located right on the Rickenbacker Causeway, it is just
barely over sea-level and when the heavy
winds of near miss Hurricanes hit, you may stumble over a washed
up sailboat or two.
There are almost always city police
on this beach as this is a good place for them to take a break also.
