15 best beaches in Stuart include Bathtub Reef Beach, St. Lucie Inlet

Stuart Beach, Bathtub Reef Beach, St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park, Blowing Rocks Preserve and Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Beach top the list

Let’s go to the beach — in Stuart, Hobe Sound and Jupiter Island.

These are the best beaches in the area, either popular and packed with people or lesser-known with small parking lots to keep crowds away.

This list includes whether these beaches have restrooms and outdoor showers, as well as other amenities such as picnic pavilions and sand volleyball courts. All have parking lots, some paved and others not.

No lifeguards are on duty unless otherwise noted. All are free except state parks. No alcohol, fires, camping or fireworks are permitted at beaches in Stuart and Martin County. Leashed dogs are allowed on unguarded beaches in Martin County.

Listen to daily pre-recorded information, such as beach closure notices, tide times, surf and weather forecasts, by calling Martin County’s Beach Information Hotline at 772-320-3112.

Here are the 15 best beaches in Stuart, Hobe Sound and Jupiter Island, from north to south in Martin County.

Jensen Beach: 7 best beaches include Walton Rocks, Waveland, Dollman

Fort Pierce: Top 16 best beaches include Blind Creek nude beach

Vero Beach: 15 best beaches include Jaycee Park, South Beach, Round Island

Bob Graham Beach

• 3225 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart
• 0.7 miles south of Jensen Beach on State Road A1A
• Undisturbed and undeveloped stretch of sand
• Includes large paved parking lot and two wooden boardwalk beach accesses
• Hike the Hutchinson Island Coastal Trail that connects to Beachwalk-Pasley Beach

Beachwalk-Pasley Beach

• 2801 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart
• Secluded beach for quieter experience
• Includes unpaved parking lot
• Hike the Hutchinson Island Coastal Trail that connects to Bob Graham Beach

Bryn Mawr Beach

• 2661 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart
• 1 mile south of Jensen Beach on State Road A1A
• Includes unpaved parking lot

Virginia Forrest Beach

• 1981 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart
• Includes unpaved parking lot

Tiger Shores Beach

• 1337 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart
• 2 miles south of Jensen Beach on State Road A1A
• Includes unpaved parking lot

Stuart Beach

• 889 N.E. Ocean Blvd., Stuart
• Lifeguards on duty from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at north tower and 10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. at south tower
• Includes two large paved parking lots, restrooms, showers, pavilions with picnic tables, sand volleyball courts, basketball courts, playground, Seaside Cafe for food and drinks
• Rolling beach wheelchairs are available for free at the lifeguard stations on first-come, first-serve basis

Santa Lucea Beach

• 55 N.E. McArthur Blvd., Stuart
• 5-acre natural area located on southern end of Hutchinson Island
• Includes large unpaved parking lot and ADA beach access across wooden boardwalk
• Sidewalk connects to Clifton S. Perry Beach natural area across street

Fletcher Beach

• 45 S.E. McArthur Blvd., Stuart
• Half-mile south of Stuart Beach on State Road A1A
• Untouched beach and quiet shores
• Includes limited unpaved parking along roadway and short beach access

Ross Witham Beach

• 704 S.E. MacArthur Blvd., Stuart
• Located next to Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge Museum
• Nicknamed “the turtle man’s beach”
• Includes small paved parking along roadway
• Snorkeling and diving access to Georges Valentine Underwater Archaeological Preserve Shipwreck Dive Site about 100 yards off shore

Chastain Beach

• 1213 S.E. McArthur Blvd., Stuart
• Nicknamed “Stuart Rocks” by surfers because of rocky shoreline
• Located between House of Refuge and Bathtub Beach along State Road A1A
• Includes small unpaved parking lot, restrooms, showers, raised wooden boardwalk to watch surfing
• Home to ancient burial site of Ais tribe of Native Americans, unearthed after Hurricane Nicole in 2022

Bathtub Reef Beach

• 1585 S.E. MacArthur Blvd., Stuart
• Known locally as “Bathtub Beach”
• Lifeguards on duty from 10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.
• Includes large unpaved parking lot and restrooms
• Unique and fragile reef system located just offshore, home to over 500 marine creatures that include endangered sea turtles, created by tiny tube-building Sabellariid sea worms cementing sand grains together
• “Bathtub” effect occurs at low tide when calm water is warmed by sun and protected from waves breaking by the reef and rock formations

St. Lucie Inlet Preserve: Discover kayaking trail, secluded beach at state park

St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park

• Located at Cove Road Park at east end of Cove Road where it meets Intracoastal Waterway
• Open 8 a.m. until sunset daily; state park tram service to beach is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and state holidays
• $3 per boat and $2 per kayak, canoe or paddleboard; use correct change and honor box to pay
• One of few undeveloped barrier islands on Florida’s East Coast; secluded shell-covered beach accessed by water only, making it remote and preserved
• Extensive Anastasia worm reef located offshore extends 4.7 miles along coast and is northernmost limit for ranges of several species of corals found in South Florida

Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Beach

• Hobe Sound Nature Center, 13640 S.E. Federal Highway (2 miles south of Bridge Road)
• Entrance pass required for vehicles at Refuge Beach large paved parking lot located on North Beach Road at north end of Jupiter Island
• $5 daily pass per vehicle, $25 yearly pass per vehicle, free with Federal Duck Stamp or America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes (no pets allowed)
• Contains largest contiguous section of undeveloped beach in Southeastern Florida and considered one of most productive sea turtle nesting areas in Southeastern U.S.
• Made up of two separate tracts of land totaling over 1,000 acres: 735 acres on barrier island, or 3.5 miles of beach, just south of the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve; remaining acreage located across Indian River Lagoon with headquarters and visitor center

Hobe Sound Beach

• 1 S.E. Beach Road, Hobe Sound
• Lifeguards on duty from 10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.
• Rolling beach wheelchairs are available for free at the lifeguard stations on first-come, first-serve basis
• Includes large paved parking lot, restrooms, showers, pavilion with picnic tables

Jupiter Island: Blowing Rocks Preserve makes list of top 5 most treasured views in Florida

Blowing Rocks Preserve

• 574 S. Beach Road, Jupiter Island
• Open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, last entry at 4:15 p.m. (except Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas)
• $2 donations per person benefits The Nature Conservancy (no pets allowed)
• Largest stretch of exposed Anastasia limestone, or coquina rock, along the Atlantic coast
• Got its name from way water bursts upward through holes in rocks during combination of rough surf, strong wind and high tide; can cause plumes of water to shoot up to 50 feet in air on extreme days
• Includes Hawley Education Center and limited paved parking; closest additional parking located 1 mile south at Palm Beach County’s Coral Cove Beach Park

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm’s entertainment reporter dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at tcpalm.com/newsletters.