"What people used to do was pull up on the beach, nose in or bow in, and kind of get themselves wedged on the sand, then sit in the back of their boat to fish, play on the sand beside it. That's still available." That's how Peter DeWitt of the Bureau of Land Management described boating at the rebuilt lighthouse grounds to Stet News in September.
Bow-in beaching is still allowed. The amount of room for it is the part that changed. The $16 million shoreline stabilization project at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area opens to the public on Dec. 3. It brings longer walks, more ways onto the water by paddle, and a snorkel trail on the way. Boat access is the one category that does not grow. The design sizes it to an ordinary day, and on holiday weekends that number is a firm limit.
Seventeen Boats Was the Average Day. Now It Is the Ceiling.
The number to remember is 17. A BLM study found the lagoon-side shoreline averaged about 17 boats a day before construction, according to Stet News. The finished site holds 15 to 20, depending on boat size and how close boaters want to sit to each other.
The Palm Beach Post reported in October that the shoreline can handle about 17 boats at a time on a first-come, first-served basis. On holiday weekends the old shoreline sometimes drew 40 to 60. "That use is no longer permitted," DeWitt told the Post.
On a quiet Tuesday, a boater who pulls in will find roughly what they found before. On a holiday Saturday, the boats past about the twentieth have no place to go. Boats will come ashore at small beaches carved into the lagoon side between the new breakwaters.
The project also adds a dock, which works on different rules. DeWitt described it as "a dock for permitted uses only." His examples were a historic ship tying up for a week of tours or a wedding party leaving by boat. "General public docking won't be available," he told Stet. The BLM project schedule listed the start of floating dock installation for permit holders in its September to November window.
The cap came out of a compromise. An early plan built a solid breakwater along the whole shoreline and ended boat access entirely. More than 800 individuals, businesses, partners and recreational users commented. The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County and the Florida Inland Navigation District helped shape the redesign, and the Navigation District later contributed funding. DeWitt told the Post it took him four years to get his management to consider a new design. "And so the new design was a compromise," he said.
Everything You Reach on Foot Got Bigger
Erosion drove the cap, and erosion also explains why the land side grew. According to WFLX, the shoreline had been losing about 7 feet a year. Sand and vegetation washed into the Intracoastal and out the inlet, and floating plant debris became a hazard for boaters. Once the shoreline was stabilized, the grounds had room for a lot more walking.
Here's what is new for anyone arriving on foot:
- The boardwalk. It runs along the Loxahatchee River side and measures 835 feet in the Post's reporting and 830 feet in WFLX's.
- Seven staircases. They lead down from the boardwalk to small new beaches below.
- An ADA-accessible loop trail. It circles the lighthouse and connects to both the pier and the boardwalk.
- A new pavilion. It will host programs and private events.
- New lawn space. It replaces a previously restricted section and gives the lighthouse more room for events.
- Angler areas. Sixteen-foot-wide sections along the boardwalk are set aside for fishing, and DeWitt told Stet he plans public fishing days every month.
Katrina Heller, executive director of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Museum, told the Post the loop is "a really great benefit for some locals who each morning just want to do a beautiful walk around the property or a climb of the lighthouse." The new lawn also lets the museum's March River Cherish Art Festival grow. Heller said the museum hopes for 100 artists this year, up from 70 last year.
The fishing days come with some history. DeWitt told Stet News he has heard from people who grew up in Jupiter that the old Coast Guard docks on the property had some of the best snook fishing around.
Walking the grounds costs nothing. The BLM lists the Outstanding Natural Area's trails and natural areas as open daily from dawn to dusk with no fees, according to its recreation page for the site. Climbing the tower is separate and paid. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum lists hours of Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4 p.m. Adult admission is $15, and on-site parking is free.
Paddles and Snorkels Open on a Later Clock
Small craft are where the property gains the most. Boat beaching is capped, but the kayak side has grown from one operator to two.
Get Up and Go Kayaking has run glass-bottom kayak tours from the site for years. It now works out of a large tiki hut near the Indian River shoreline, which it shares with the Palm Beach Outrigger Canoe Club. A second kayaking company will run tours from a smaller tiki hut on the west side of the property, near the rebuilt U.S. 1 bridge. "Hopefully a little competition between the two keeps the price nice and low," DeWitt told the Post.
The snorkel trail is the part that opens later. It starts on the south side of Cato's Bridge, at the far northeast edge of the project. A cutout bay behind the rocks leads into a trail that runs up and under the bridge, with new pilings to keep boats out. A kiosk will post snorkeling information. DeWitt called the spot "locally renowned for being just a great place to hang out, snorkel and see a lot of Caribbean-type fish and corals."
The Post reported that the snorkeling area is expected to open Dec. 20, a little more than two weeks after the rest of the project. DeWitt said a government shutdown early in the contract and late material deliveries set the work back.
The habitat work keeps going after the ribbon cutting. The first experimental Reef Arches structure went in on the Loxahatchee River side on Sept. 9. The next day, researchers deployed acoustic monitors to track green sea turtles and other marine life. In early October, more than 7,000 mangroves had been planted toward a goal of 10,000. "The infrastructure itself is 95% complete. The restoration is still very much underway," DeWitt told the Post. Volunteer planting days will continue through the winter, and Florida Atlantic University will monitor whether the new beaches are stable, growing or shrinking.
The Lighthouse Calendar, November Through December
The reopening falls in the middle of the lighthouse's busiest season. The new boardwalk and lawn will see heavy use in their first few weeks. Every date below is scheduled and could still change.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 6 to 9 p.m. Rendezvous at the Light, the museum's fundraiser with culinary tastings, an auction and live entertainment, at 500 Captain Armours Way.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m. An invitation-only ribbon cutting, as reported by the Post.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 1 to 5 p.m. The BLM's public project celebration at 600 State Road, Jupiter, with public tours, interpretive talks, family activities and an evening celebration.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, around 8 p.m. The 32nd Annual Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade reaches the lighthouse after starting at 6 p.m. The organizer estimates the Jupiter Federal Bridge will open around 7:45 p.m., though the time can vary.
- Dec. 11, 12, 18 and 19, 6 to 9 p.m. Luminary Nights at the lighthouse, with lights, artisans, live entertainment, family activities and food.
- Sunday, Dec. 20. The Cato's Bridge snorkel trail's expected opening.
The parade on Dec. 5 is the first big boating night after the reopening. Anyone watching from the grounds will be on the new shoreline. On the water, the beaching bays still hold only about 15 to 20 boats, first come, first served.
The Benchmark Group at Erin Duke-Warren follows changes like this across Jupiter and the Treasure Coast, including the new dock rules and boat-beaching limits at the lighthouse. If you have questions about water access near home, or you're weighing a property where the boat matters as much as the house, let's connect.
