Driving 10 miles south down old Highway A1A from Ponte Vedra Beach to Vilano Beach is simply a wonderful excursion by car in Florida. You have the feeling you’re in a tunnel of green created by the grass covered sand dunes like small mountains on either side of the the road. Then mangrove trees more inland make this stretch feel like an enclosed forest. About five miles of this drive runs through the community of South Ponte Vedra Beach. Think exclusive.
Today I want to show you Gate Station Beach, which is about a 3 on a scale of 1 to 5. St. Johns County has made a few accesses to the beach from A1A including one which crosses over a sand dune at the souther boundary of the Guana River State Park.
Here you’ll find a Gate service station which is how the beach got its name.
The beach is long and runs fairly wide with a grass covered dune separating it from the highway. The accesses are sandy trails that are formed and take you right down on the beach. Each entrance is about the same, so we recommend using the one at the gas station, at the edge of the Guana River State Park.
Beach Index:
Location: as stated above, just below the southern boundary of Guana River State Park on Highway A1A
Parking: free parking lot
Hours: October 1 through April 30, 24 hours - then May 1 through September 30, 5 AM till 10 PM
Facilities: bet the gas station gets a lot of attention - no facilities at the beach
Contact: St. Johns County Recreation Department 1-904-471-6616
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