Smathers Beach parking 🌴 Is there free parking near Smathers Beach?! MAYBE! 🌴 Key West Florida travel blog

Hi there!

 

So you want to go to Smathers Beach!

 

Do you have to pay to go to Smathers Beach?

Smathers Beach is a free public beach, so there is free public access to Smathers Beach.

But if you are driving to Smathers Beach and you want to park as close to the beach as possible, then you have to pay to park directly at Smathers Beach.

 

 

If you don’t mind a little bit of walking, then you can park a bit down the road from Smathers Beach where there is free parking, and you don’t need to pay to park when you go to Smathers Beach!

Maybe you will walk 10 minutes to get to Smathers Beach.

 

👆 Map of where Smathers Beach is located in Key West. You will drive onto the island of Key West, and then you’ll follow the road along the coast to get to Smathers Beach! Once you are near, you will be looking for parking along the side of the road. Explore the Florida Keys tourist map. Explore more things to do in the Florida Keys!

 

More for your Key West road trip

• What’s at Smathers Beach?
• Fort Zachary Taylor State Park snorkeling in Key West
• Higgs Beach snorkeling in Key West Marine Park

 

More below about Key West parking near Smathers Beach!

 

 

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Parking near Smathers Beach along the Florida A1A

Smathers Beach is along a main road that runs along the coast.

This is the Florida A1A.

No matter where you choose to park, you will be parking directly on the main road to go to Smathers Beach.

 

There is paid parking near Smathers Beach.

The Smathers Beach parking is pretty much directly alongside the beach.

The most convenient and easiest parking for Smathers Beach is paid parking.

You will find parking directly along the main road of the Florida A1A.

 

 

The Smathers Beach parking is all on the beach side of the road.

You will know when you see it.

You can’t miss it.

You won’t have to walk far for the Smathers Beach access path which will get you to the beach in just a few steps.

Maybe you want to try to find parking near the Smathers Beach rentals, bathrooms, and/or food trucks.

As you drive along A1A past Smathers Beach, it will be pretty obvious where these conveniences are.

It will likely be easier to find parking the further away you get from these beach conveniences.

My first time to Smathers Beach was in 2022, but it seems as though this area directly at Smathers Beach used to be free parking.

It is no longer free to park directly at Smathers Beach.

Once you park, you’ll want to locate a parking payment station to make your parking payment.

You can follow the prompts.

There is a spot to insert your credit card.

There is a slot to insert coins.

You will also see instructions on the side of the parking payment station for how to pay online if you want to do that.

 

 

Then you can find the Smathers Beach access near you!

 

 

How much does Smathers Beach parking cost?

If you park directly at Smathers Beach, then the parking fee is $5 per hour. This is as of May 2022.

You can pay the Smathers Beach parking fee for as little as 30 minutes.

30 minutes of parking at Smathers Beach is $2.50.

So as part of your one day in Key West you can make it a quick stop at Smathers Beach for $3!

 

Where is the free parking near Smathers Beach?

 

If you don’t mind being further away from the beach conveniences of Smathers Beach, then you can park even further away and get free parking.

Since I did not see any parking payment stations on this part of the Florida A1A, I took this to mean that this is free parking in Key West!

This is to the “north” of Smathers Beach, which is to the left of Smathers Beach as you’re facing the ocean. 

Depending on where you set up camp on Smathers Beach and where you’re able to find free parking, it might be a 5 to 10 minute walk.

Keep in mind, that parking far down the road means that you’ll be further away from the beach conveniences like the beach rentals, bathrooms, and food trucks.

Maybe first do a drive by to see where the beach facilities are located so you can see how far it would be and to decide whether or not you would mind the distance.

You will want to be sure to look out for the parking sign.

 

 

And then from the parking directly along the ocean, you can walk towards Smathers Beach to find the nearest beach access!

 

 

 

Smathers Beach is near mile marker 1.

You will see mile marker 1 in the free parking area near Smathers Beach!

 

 

 

And that’s a bit about Smathers Beach parking in Key West!

 

More for your Florida Keys road trip and beyond:

• What’s at Smathers Beach?
• One day in Key West
• What’s it like at South Beach in Key West?
• Bahia Honda State Park (1 hour from Key West)
• Looe Key in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (best snorkeling in the Florida Keys)
• Key Largo to Key West
• Miami to Key West
• Naples to Key West
• Marco Island to Key West
• Things to do in Everglades National Park

 

GOOD LUCK PARKING IN KEY WEST AT SMATHERS BEACH!