Huguenot Memorial Park
Jacksonville, FL
Huguenot Memorial Park sits right at the mouth of the St. Johns River, one of the few places in the Jacksonville area where driving onto the beach itself is not just allowed but half the point. Soft sand means four wheel drive is the safer bet, though a designated Family Beach area accommodates two wheel drive vehicles that don't want to risk getting stuck.
Driving right onto the sand and watching ships pass at the inlet make it a genuinely different experience from a typical Jacksonville beach, though the no-dogs-for-day-visitors rule and soft sand hazards are real limitations.
How we score beachesStick to the Family Beach area if you're not in a four wheel drive vehicle, the rest of the park's sand is soft enough to bury a two wheel drive car fast. Watch the ships passing in and out of the St. Johns River channel, the park's spot at the inlet makes for good close up views of container ship traffic.
The entrance fee is 5 dollars per carload of up to six people, 1 dollar for each additional passenger. The park is open 6am to 7pm daily.
Driving onto the beach is the primary way to reach the sand here, with a Family Beach area set aside for two wheel drive and all wheel drive vehicles. Four wheel drive is recommended for the rest of the beach given how soft the sand gets.
Day use visitors can't bring dogs into the park at all; only registered campers with leashed dogs are permitted.
Spring and fall bring the mildest weather for beach driving and watching ship traffic. Summer's heat and hurricane season, June through November, are real considerations on a beach with minimal shade.
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