Pinellas County · Gulf Coast, Florida
Eighteen beaches on one chain of barrier islands
They run in a single line from Tarpon Springs down to the mouth of Tampa Bay, and which one you should go to depends almost entirely on parking, crowds and whether you are bringing a dog. So that is what this guide leads with.
The chain, north to south
Ordered by latitude
28.155° N
Fred Howard Park
Tarpon Springs
A mainland park with big shade oaks, and a causeway out to its own island
28.146° N
Sunset Beach
Tarpon Springs
A small town beach that does exactly what its name says
28.065° N
Honeymoon Island State Park
Dunedin
One of the most visited state parks in Florida, and the county's dog beach
28.030° N
Caladesi Island State Park
Dunedin
Repeatedly ranked among the best beaches in America, and reachable only by boat
27.977° N
Clearwater Beach
Clearwater
The famous one. Wide, white, extremely busy, and worth it if you plan around the parking
27.955° N
Sand Key Park
Clearwater
Everything Clearwater Beach has, minus most of the crowd, one bridge south
27.887° N
Indian Rocks Beach
Indian Rocks Beach
Two dozen street-end access points and no resort strip
27.860° N
Indian Shores
Indian Shores
A narrow strip of a town with a county park and a seabird sanctuary
27.835° N
The Redingtons
Redington Shores, North Redington Beach and Redington Beach
Three small towns in a row, and the quietest sand in the middle of the county
27.795° N
Madeira Beach and John's Pass
Madeira Beach
A working pass, a boardwalk village, and the county's fishing fleet
27.768° N
Treasure Island
Treasure Island
The widest sand in the county, with room to actually throw something
27.725° N
St. Pete Beach
St. Pete Beach
Resort coast, with the pink hotel at the middle of it
27.685° N
Pass-a-Grille
St. Pete Beach
A historic village at the end of the island, and the best sunset in the county
27.615° N
Fort De Soto Park
Tierra Verde
Five islands, a century-old fort, a dog beach, and North Beach
27.665° N
Shell Key Preserve
Tierra Verde
An undeveloped barrier island you can only reach by boat, run for the birds first
27.600° N
Egmont Key
Mouth of Tampa Bay
A lighthouse, the ruins of a fort, and an island slowly being taken back by the Gulf
Off the chain, on the bay
Sheltered water, no surf
These two do not sit on the barrier islands and they do not face the open Gulf. The water is bay water, which means no waves and no rip currents. That makes them the better choice with a small child, and the wrong choice if you came for surf.
