Blowing Rocks Preserve
Hobe Sound, FL
Blowing Rocks Preserve sits on Jupiter Island, where the largest outcropping of Anastasia limestone on the Atlantic coast forces seawater into plumes up to 50 feet high during high tide and winter swells. The Nature Conservancy manages the 73-acre preserve, a genuinely different kind of Florida beach than the sand-only stretches nearby.
The limestone shoreline and blowouts are genuinely unlike anywhere else on this coast, though the no pets rule and 10-minute walk in mean it takes more effort than a typical beach stop.
How we score beachesTime a visit around high tide during winter's rougher seas for the best chance at seeing the rock blowouts, calmer summer tides often produce nothing dramatic. The walk from the lot to the beach takes about 10 minutes, budget for it rather than expecting a quick in and out.
Parking is available at the Hawley Education Center lot; a 2 dollar donation is suggested at the trailhead.
A roughly 10-minute walk on preserve trails connects the parking lot to the beach, not a quick walk-up access.
Pets aren't allowed anywhere in the preserve, including the beach and trails.
Winter's rougher seas and higher tides produce the most dramatic wave action against the rocks. Summer's heat and hurricane season, June through November, bring calmer water and less spectacle.
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