By: Author Rob Taylor
Posted on - Last updated:
So how do you get to enjoy the beautiful, sandy beaches of Daytona Beach? Easy! Volusia County and the respective towns do a great job of making sure that the public has access to the beach any time of year. Whether you want to walk across a boardwalk, drive on with your car, or just park and bring your cooler and umbrella, there are lots of options.
If you’re doing a North Florida road trip or adding a trip to Daytona Beach to your Disney World or Universal Orlando vacation, you’ll need to know how to get onto the beach. With so many beachfront hotels and condos, it might look tricky to find your perfect slice of beach. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Heading to Saint Augustine on you visit? Check out all of the St Augustine Beach Access Points!
List of Daytona Beach Access Points
Starting at the north end, where Ormond Beach becomes Daytona Beach, here are the best access points, with parking or walking path noted.
- Seminole Ave – Parking
- Across from Beachside Johnny’s – walk on
- Rockefeller Drive – Parking
- River Beach Drive – walk on
- Cardinal Drive Beach Park – Parking
- Romano Beachfront Park – Parking
- Harvard Drive – drive on access
- Boylston Ave – Parking
- Hartford Ave – drive on access
- Seaview Ave – walk on access
- University Blvd – Parking
- Hard Rock Beach, south of hotel – Parking
- Glenview Blvd – Parking
- Daytona Boardwalk – Parking
- World’s Most Famous Beach – drive on access
- 505 S Atlantic, north and south of here – Parking
- Silver Beach – Parking
- Botefuhr Ave – drive on access
- Sunrise Blvd – Parking
- Florida Shores Blvd, Frank Rendon Park – Parking
- El Portal Beach – drive on access
- Fornari Park – Parking
- Dunlawton Blvd – drive on access
- Dahlia Ave Park – Parking
- Phyllis Ave – Parking
- Emilia Ave – drive on access
- Wilbur Beach at Heron St – Parking
- Toronita Ave Beach Park – Parking
- Curlew Ave Boardwalk – walk on access only
- Major St Boardwalk – Parking
- Carriage St Boardwalk – walk on access only
- Ponce Preserve – Parking, trails AND beach access
- Winterhaven Park – Parking
- Oceanview Ave – Parking
- Glenview Ave Boardwalk – walk on access only
- Calumet Ave Boardwalk – walk on access only
- Inlet Harbor Rd – Parking
- Beach St – drive on access
- Ponce Inlet Park – paid access and parking
- Lighthouse Point Park – THIS IS THE ONLY DOG FRIENDLY BEACH in Daytona
Daytona Beach Access Rules
Like with any beach access, you’ll want to be respectful of private property. There are a lot of homes and condos along the beaches of Daytona, but ALL stretches of beach are public. You can enjoy all 28 miles of beach in Volusia County with no worries… HAVING SAID THAT:
- Do not go onto private BEACHFRONT property – you can be on the sand, but not private spaces including privately owned boardwalks, retaining walls, structured seating areas or landscaped property.
- Driving on the the beach is okay with a permit or paid access – only drive the direction noted on the signs and ONLY in the traffic lanes
- Watch for beach pedestrians – weather you’re driving on Daytona Beach or riding your bike, there are a lot of pedestrians to be safe around
- Do not walk in the dunes – along much of the beaches of Daytona Beach and Ponce Inlet there are sand dunes covered in vegetation. Only cross the dunes on designated trails or boardwalks to protect the habitat.
- DO NOT LITTER – leave the beach better than you found it
- Do not dig and abandon holes in the sand MAY through OCTOBER – this is sea turtle nesting season and the beaches of Daytona, Ponce Inlet and all the way up to Tybee Island in Savannah are all nesting areas for a variety of sea turtle populations.
- Beach fires are not allowed
Are there Dog-Friendly Beaches in Daytona?
Unfortunately, there is only one dog friendly beach in Daytona. Volusia County doesn’t allow dogs on almost all of the beach space except for Lighthouse Point Park beach and then Smyrna Dunes Beach across the Ponce Inlet.
If you’re in the area and looking for dog-friendly beaches near Daytona, head up to Flagler County or St Johns County. Dogs are allowed on most beaches, included off-leash in St Johns County. Butler Beach and Crescent Beach have great parking areas at the beach and dogs are allowed.
Favorite Beaches around Daytona Beach
Of course the beach directly in Daytona Beach that everyone goes to is fun, but it’s also crowded. We recommend picking a Daytona beach access point from the list above, either at the very top of the list (north side) or near the end of the list (south end). We have found the beaches of Daytona Beach Shores and Ponce Inlet to be our favorites.
You’ll see that as you head south the beach gets wider. The beaches of Ormond Beach to the north have fewer people and less parking, but they’re gorgeous with much more peachy colored sand and more shells.
As you get closer to Ponce Inlet, the beaches widen, there are boardwalks across the dunes, and because there isn’t a ton of parking, there are smaller crowds year round.
More Fun Daytona Beach Area Activities
There’s more to Daytona Beach than getting onto the sand. Here are some great suggestions for fun things to do in the Daytona area. Add these to a Daytona Beach vacation or as other day trips from Orlando.
- Bioluminescent Kayaking by Nasa
- Blue Spring State Park for Manatees
- Day Trip to St Augustine, the Nations Oldest City
- Canaveral National Seashore
- Rock Springs Run and Kayaking in the Jungle
I hope this is helpful. You’ll love spending time on the sand in Daytona Beach. You’ll find that it’s NOT all spring break shenanigans like you might think, and that some of the prettiest beaches in Florida are actually right here!
If you have questions about beach access in Daytona Beach, Flagler or St Johns Counties, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re happy to help others have amazing Florida beach days!
