Spanish River Park in Boca Raton offers two distinct sides of a roughly 95-acre beach park: a shaded landscape along the Intracoastal Waterway and an Atlantic-facing beach reached through pedestrian tunnels beneath Ocean Boulevard.
Visitors who park on the Intracoastal side can find banyan trees, mangroves and a 40-foot observation tower for birdwatching. Three pedestrian tunnels then lead under the road to the ocean side, where the park has a wide Atlantic beach without the restaurants, souvenir shops and high-rises found along much of Florida’s coastline.
The park is also a stop on the Florida Birding Trail, with more than 25 species of wood warblers recorded there during migration. Spanish River Park Beach includes a dog-friendly beach, picnic pavilions and a launch for kayaks and canoes, according to Visit Florida.
Sea turtle protection is another part of the park’s coastal stewardship. During a 2025 visit described by Saltwater South, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center manager Leanne Welch pointed out a staked turtle nest with a data logger monitoring incubation temperature. Sea turtle hatchling sex is determined by nest temperature, with warmer sand producing more females and cooler sand more males.
Spanish River Park earned Blue Flag certification after a year-long, multi-agency effort involving sustainability officials, lifeguards, park rangers and Gumbo Limbo staff to document existing practices. The certification is held by only two Florida beaches, according to the report.
