Explore the Natural Beauty of Keewaydin Island

Florida’s Paradise Coast boasts 30 miles of stunning beaches, all of which are the perfect spots to escape the real world for a while. But only one lets you escape the actual mainland – because the only way to get there is by boat.

Keewaydin Island offers visitors eight miles of unspoiled, uncrowded beach. This long, narrow barrier island — with Naples to the north and Marco Island to the south — lies at the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands, a renowned collection of mangrove islands and islets that extends south into Everglades National Park.

About 85 percent of Keewaydin Island’s 1,300 acres is government-owned and open to the public. The remainder consists of roughly 50 private homes — and gorgeous homes they are. The island has no roads or cars.

The beach is so vast that you can easily find a place where no one else is around. If you prefer a party atmosphere, you can join the clusters of boats that congregate along the shoreline, mostly on weekends.

Keewaydin Island is celebrated as a sheller’s paradise, with plenty of sightseeing tours stopping here to allow people to find their treasures. It’s also the only dog-friendly beach on Florida’s Paradise Coast – so be sure to bring your furry friends along to join the fun.

No boat? No problem. Hemingway Water Shuttle on Marco Island offers daily routes to Keewaydin. Bring your cooler, snacks and beach gear for the day. The island is commercial-free, although you can sometimes find a floating concessionaire that serves food and drinks. One thing to note: Due to its pristine nature, the island has no amenities, not even restrooms.

Want to arrive in a more private way? You can rent a boat from one of the many marinas on Florida’s Paradise Coast.

It takes some doing to get to Keewaydin Island, so you’ll want to stay a while. Set up your beach chairs, spread out the blankets, open up the umbrellas. Sit back and relax. Pop into the Gulf to frolic and cool off. If you’re the exercise type, walk the length of the beach. You’re sure to get your 10,000 steps and then some.

Keewaydin Island is part of Florida’s Rookery Bay Research Reserve, which has been set aside since 1980 as a haven for wildlife. The island abounds with native plants and animals, which flourish in this protected environment. Among the island’s most precious inhabitants are endangered loggerhead sea turtles, which come ashore to lay their eggs generation after generation.

Sightseeing boats like the Sweet Liberty and Miss Naples sailing catamarans, the Dolphin Explorer eco-tour and other operators stop by the island to allow guests to walk the beach and hunt for shells.

However you get there, Keewaydin Island is the perfect place to discover the quiet side of Florida’s Paradise Coast.