St. Andrews State Park

For just $8 per car, St. Andrews State Park is an absolute gem and well worth every penny. The beaches here are some of the best I’ve ever visited, powdery white sand and incredibly clear, turquoise water that feels like a big pool. Beyond the beach, the park offers a wide variety of activities for all kinds of visitors. It’s clean, family-friendly, and not overly commercialized, just raw, natural beauty.

Absolutely beautiful state park! Good restroom facilities with changing stalls as well. There is also a small gift/souvenir shop, as well as a snack shack with some good food options. Definitely one of our favorite local beaches, especially with fewer crowds (and way less rowdy) than the public beaches.

If you're looking for a quieter beach away from the crowds, Sandy Point is a great option. Park near the restroom and follow the trail. it's an easy 10 minute walk and well worth it. Be sure to bring your own drinks, as there are no facilities once you arrive. Interestingly, some paid snorkeling boat tours stop at this very spot, so it's worth checking out beforehand. You might find it's just as beautiful without needing to hop on a boat or spend the extra money.

I was enjoying this place but it's not worth the cost to get to. The storms made us leave but that's just a force of nature. It's worth going at least once. But there's far better free beaches in Florida. I did find my 1st sand dollar and see little crabs which was cool.

Amazing. Just go. Plan a day trip here. Captain Sierra for snorkeling was amazing! This is a must do!!! Captain Kent and Roy for the ferry were some of the funniest! Captain Ryan and Brian for the Sunset Dolphin tour were also some of the nicest and chillest people! Do this! Great for families!

This place is great especially if you have small children! There's a "kids pond " off to the side, and the rocks keep the water very calm. Cool place to snorkel. We come here every year.

St. Andrews is always amazing. Being a state park seems to keep the crowds low. We have been wanting to get into the campground for a while, and I was super happy we got in for our anniversary this year. And while the grounds were nice and the views even better. One downside is the spaces for the pull through sites. They can be tight, and an inexperienced new RVer might have some trouble getting into some of the spots. My husband has driven several large trucks and military vehicles before we got our RV, and even he had a hard time swinging the travel trailer with how tight the spot was. It's doable, but be mindful that your spotter might need to move some things out of the way, like the picnic table or the fire pit. Next time, we will do a back in site along the water or one of the panoramic sights, which are also nice. The camp store is small but well stocked. The staff are super friendly from the park rangers to the camp store. Take the shell island ferry to the beach. it's a good time. Or rent a golf cart for easier access to the beach parking lots. It seems a lot more crowded towards the jetty side, so if you want less crowding, go towards the pier side. Great spot for snorkeling, though, and it's not too bad for a beginner surfer like my kids.

The best beach is here. The jetty is amazing.. great for kids and worry-free for parents having their kids in the water. Great parking lot, bathrooms nearby, a restaurant, the jetty store, picnic area and grills ... I can't say enough.. beautiful. Peaceful, quiet. Perfect temperature in the water and sand.. ah, and you only pay 8$ for the day.

There's a lot of great things about St Andrews and a lot of different uses for it as well. On the beach-goer side of things, this is the best beach setup in PCB, and in my opinion even outshines private hotel beaches. There's a Gulf side where you can catch the waves, fish, and watch boats go by just like all the other beaches (except it's not as crowded), but there's also a lagoon built to the side of the channel that has very calm water which is perfect for little kids. This has been the best place to take our little ones who are trying to get used to waves or learning how to snorkel. We have seen barracuda, manatees, rays, sharks, and dolphins in the lagoon, so it's a great place to see ocean life. You can rent beach chairs here or bring your own (just be aware of the walk from the car). Don't miss out on the hotdogs at the beach store, where you can also buy towels and rent snorkelling or beach equipment if you forgot to bring your own. The lagoon is also THE place to do self guided scuba dives. This is a great way to shake off the rust from a year or more of no diving and have a relaxing refresher dive. You can dive either on the lagoon side (shallow water, no current) or on the channel side (deeper water, often a current) to suit any taste and skill level. Just be aware of the tides and current if you enter the channel. Camping (RV or tent) here is popular, and they have both primitive (no facilities) and "normal" sites with full bathhouses and hookups. Unfortunately, in the last year they have chopped down almost all the trees in the campsites so there's no longer much shade. That might be fine for RVs, but for tent camping that makes it almost unbearable. There's a camp store right near the campsites that's stocked with the usual camping and boating gear, and also two other stores where food and drinks can be bought. There's a few places to fish here; the pier, the beach, and the jetties. Just watch out for scuba divers! By far my favorite thing to do in the park is bike and walk around. Biking in the early morning let's you see a lot of animals and nature before the sun and other tourists scare them all off, and there are lots of walking trails and boardwalks to explore; a large "gator lake", two swamp boardwalks, and several nature trails wind through maritime forest and out into the lagoon and beach face. It really is the "real Florida"! Finally, there are several boating opportunities. You can rent pontoon boats here, and the boat ramp is one of the nicer and calmer ways to get your boat in the water. It's shallow and long so it's good for larger boats too.

This is (for reason) the #2 best beach in the nation. It is beautiful, and clean, and perfect beach conditions! Very well run, ample parking, clean bathrooms.

St Andrews state park is a park and beach experience you can do while visiting Panama City beach Florida. Parking for this park is $8 a car load (was $7 for month of July) and it is well worth it Beautiful and clean beaches and amazing scenery and a chance for legit encounters with wildlife like the many wild deer and some birds and gators as well. Thai is a perfect way to spend a day whether it is relaxing on the amazing beach or exploring nature. A great place to go to a beach if you aren't staying at beach front property. Makes parking easy and it is less crowded and hectic. The setup and landscape here was astonishing and beautiful. This was no doubt my favorite beach front I've been to on Panama City beach. Overall a great experience. We had a lot of fun in the ocean, seen a bunch of wild deer and even seen some gator activity that we appreciated from a safe distance.

One of the most beautiful parks in Florida! Clear waters with kiddie areas. Fishing on the rocks. It's just amazing. Highly recommend visiting here.

The park has a lot of construction on the roads going on at the moment. The construction has created a lot of bumpiness to the road and holes, so be careful. They do have nice bathroom facilities. The park offers a shuttle ferry to shell island. See, if you can get discounts for the ferry to shell island through booking.com other booking sites. It can be as much as $5 off per ticket. Also arrive 30 minutes earlier than your scheduled ferry departure. They start boarding 30 minutes early.

We stayed at St Andrews on a recommendation of a friend. Park staff was friendly, check in was easy. Park was clean. RV sites were level and wide. 50/30 amp, water and sewer hookups. Site 59 was on the bayside. Nice breeze and water view. Bath houses were clean and stocked . Beach was closed for "repair" while we were there, as was the fishing pier in the bay side. Sites were not angled and difficult to back into. Had to jack-knife my truck-trailer to get my trailer straight into my site. No shade trees and sites were very close together. (I could hear my neighbors arguing.) 4 stars just for the beach being closed, site difficulty, and proximity to neighbors.

We enjoyed an afternoon walking the trail and taking in the views. It cost $8 for our full vehicle.

We camped there and the price was very affordable. The facilities are nice enough but there is no shade from any trees. If you have a camper make sure that ac is working well because it's going to be working often. The beaches around are incredible and they are all inside the park. One of the coolest things that we saw when we're leaving was a young alligator crossing the road inside the park. Don't be alarmed, just stay away from them and they will stay away from you. I loved this place!

Beautiful place ! The Beach's are clean. Great place to visit ! Highly recommend it! For your family

Loved this beach! Beach and nice to have lagoon next to open water! Family loved it! Bathrooms were clean and so was the beach.

What a beautiful location, wish I could build my house there ! Staff works hard to keep the location safe and clean. We chartered a dolphin and snorkeling tour, this was the best move I could have done. The cost was inexpensive for a family of four and to my surprise we were the only family on the tour. Angie our guide was the best guide ever! Professional, knowledgeable and her smile was contagious!! Thank you Angie!!! Thank you St Andrews Park!

My wife and I were staying in Panama City Beach and we took an Uber down to the state park to walk on the beach. Our Uber driver got to the check in gate and the ranger wanted us to pay $8 just for the driver to take us to the Jetty and drop us off. C'mon, can someone just be cool for two seconds? So we got out at the gate and paid our money to walk into the park. Not a bad mile walk or so to the pier, which was nice to go onto and the water was super calm and the sand was nice and easy to walk on. We did see a stingray swimming in the harbor, which was cool. There is a nice gift shop by the pier, but $3 for a 20oz soda? There is a place called Patches, which was nearby for a great lunch and a nice barbeque place called Outlaws, which I got take home from. Great pulled pork lunch platter! I'd recommend this place except for the uncool ranger.

A glimpse of what this area was in the past, Beautiful and wild. We went around 9:30 am and spied a huge bald Eagle, cranes, deer and a wide variety of birds. We heard the sounds of creatures deep in the thick of their natural habitats. Sand dunes adorn and protect the coast and the sun kissed the sand as it ascended into the morning sky.

This place is amazing. Be sure to do the nature trails. The beach is beautiful and the facilities for showering and bathrooms are clean and close. Did not get to see the campgrounds as they are for campers but were told by campers it was nice.

Awesome beautiful park good vibes snorkeling and llooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong walk

We are here visiting from GA and this park is beautiful!!! Admission is $8 and to my knowledge you can leave and come back on the same date with your receipt as long as it is not too late, I think I saw where they close at 5. Parking is free and plentiful and just a fun day with the family. Water at least at the part we were at was not too deep but folks still need to be careful around water. Bring food/snacks, I saw what looks like 2 general type stores where you can get items but I'm sure it's pricey. Fun day

Love this place. We came close to closing so got to see the sun setting. Also water was warm enough for the kids to still play

Out doing some sightseeing, I decided to check out this park. There's a fee to get into the park...it was just $4 because I was alone and a Veteran. Like some of the other reviews mention, the road could use some repairs. But the various parking lots all seemed to be in good shape. I visited in the winter so there wasn't much traffic even though it was a weekend. Lots of access to the beach is available. There's a short pier and a gift shop/store. There's a few trails you can explore also. I checked out the gator pond but didn't see any. I even drive through the "camping" area...that was full of RVs and pop-up campers. But there were a few hearty "sleep in a tent" campers too. According to a map I referenced, the park also has a seaplane base. I was hoping to see some planes taking off or landing but none were there. Also, the west end of the camp area was closed off. For me, nothing more than average stood out about this particular park...maybe if I were to have see a couple alligators. But my likes, might not be your likes...so check it out for yourself.

Great clean beach not much crowd at all. Easy access and small surf and sand bars as well

We visited St. Andrew's State Park both days of our weekend trip in PCB. There are short walking trails where you can bring dogs. Although the sign said dogs were not allowed on the beach, there was a small stretch of calm water where lots of sea grass had settled thus making it not great for human swimming... but great for dog swimming. One of the days we rented a kayak for 4 hours which was easy to do from the Jetty Store. We initially spotted a shack near the boat launch ramp area where there were kayaks and signage for rentals but no one was there staffing it. I called the number and they indicated we were in the wrong place. Other than the rather unenthusiastic teenager workers in the shop, it was a pleasant experience. They recommended not kayaking to Shell Island and once we got out there I could totally see why. We started in the kiddie pool area and were able to easily kayak along the shoreline where we weren't bothered too much by the boats and jet skis zipping by. We stopped at a few of the beach areas to dock the kayak and go swimming. Many of these areas we had completely go ourselves which was really nice and peaceful. The park was super clean, excellent bathroom facilities, concessions, etc. We also had no trouble finding parking. There are only two lanes at the entrance gate so you might expect to see a long wait especially if you arrive during the afternoon hours. Both times we were there in the morning and didn't have any issues.

8 days into our trip to PCB, we were desperate for fresh vegetables. By the 10th day, we were desperate for nature. From my condo window, we saw a green spot on the horizon and I told my husband to get the car keys - we had to find that green! For our $8 entry fee, we were richly rewarded. We saw plenty of green; a lovely wetland, a gator at the viewing area, several deer (one standing among the dunes), We found our way to the beach and couldn't believe our eyes. After the packed sand of our high rise, the mostly-empty, dune-rimmed beach was a balm to the weary soul. This place is well worth a visit. The wildlife think so, too!

One of my favorite state parks to visit since my first visit in 1971. They have campgrounds for nightly camping or long term stays, visit the beach for the day , fishing, snorkeling or visit shell island. Please if you visit don't litter and enjoy your time with nature.

So many different aspects of what Florida is naturally in one park. Beautiful Gulf Coast Beach. Natural pine scrub forest. Marsh/swamp/wetland. Deer, snakes, rabbits, alligators... We recently stayed at Panama City Beach RV resort, which is right next to the entrance. Took a 3 mile sunrise jog that I would recommend to anyone. Sunrise over this park, and sunset for that matter, are exquisite. Bring your fancy camera. There's a lovely scenic drive with plenty of pull outs to stop and take pictures. Parking to the beach, parking for the boat ramp. There's also a shuttle to a nearby island that you can only access by shuttle. There's a lot to do for a minimal entry fee.

Parking was hard, especially since there was not enough handicapped spaces. However, the park has stayed beautiful for the last 50 years I have been coming. Just a very special place.

Our favorite state park we have visited. Sites book up fast. The park is absolutely beautiful and we love the jetties. All of the staff has been super nice except for one man at the check-in/welcome station. The bathhouses are always super clean. You will meet great people from all over the South here.

Awesome place with beaches, boat and parking, clean restrooms, a RV park, a tourist store and a camp store. I noted people swim where people fish which was no issue for us since we're walking the beach.

The St. Andrews State Park - Lagoon Beach area is awesome. A Must visit. Bring snorkeling gear, rent a kayak, or just lay on the beach. Concessions is a plus. Enjoy!

We love this place! You always see lots of wild life gators,deer,raccoon ect. The park is beautiful and well kept. The price of admission is less than a walk on the county pier. The jetty is perfect for snorkeling and shallow swimming. We love it for the grand babies!! The beaches are perfect.

Great spot to snorkel and swim if ocean is bad/ rough. Swimming area is right next to the jetties so see all sorts of boats coming and going from the bay. Has some good hiking/nature trails. Camping is good except don't have large slots to accommodate bigger rigs. Has a boat launch and fishing pier within park. $8/vehicle per day to visit park. Have restrooms and picnic areas scattered about. Watch out for gators when walking around. Is a protected nesting area for cranes/herons. Over all is a nice area to visit and kill time when waiting to get into a condo or something else. Oh and it is also close to naval base so will see jets and military helicopters out doing training exercises. They fly low enough that you can see them really good and will hear them well in advance.

My husband and I went tent camping for one night here in late May, and it was awesome. The weather was just getting to be too hot for camping, but we brought a fan for the tent that helped. The showers and toilets of the camping facility were clean and well maintained, and there wasn't a bad spot as far as site locations. The beach was pretty steep in parts, so get there early so you don't have to sit on an incline. We rented a standup paddle board, and that was reasonably priced and lots of fun. We saw manta rays, sharks, and lots of brown jellies. It wasn't great swimming with all the jellyfish, but we still had a great time.

Beautiful place for a wedding ceremony and reception!! They offer various packages and options from simplicity to weddings on the island to after hours with a reception under the stars! My husband and I stayed at the eco-tent because we just love the outdoors, It was stunningly clean and had water views. This park is perfect. Reminds me of African jungle.

It's just what you expect from a beachfront state run park. The campground is being rebuilt and looks great. Whoever they hired to rebuild the campsites and asphalt the road did a great job but beware the roads are narrow. I went to visit one of the host campers in the campground and was kicked out and banned for a year by Mr Robinson the park manager. I was not a registered camper. I should have asked the other volunteer to meet me outside the campground entrance. However, the park manager went overboard in his discipline and even threatened to have me arrested for trespassing. My advice, follow the signs and don't visit anyone camping. Have them meet you outside the campground. If not for his attitude I would have given this review a 5 star rating.

Beautiful park, well-run, friendly staff, and excellent facilities. The camp sites are well kept and very nice. We were there in late November and it was great.

So happy we added this trio on. Such a pretty place. We didn't see any gators, but did see the birds and deer. We walked out on fishing pier and saw sharks and sting ray. We caught the ferry to shell island. Make this a stop on vacation!

Beautiful bay perfect to just relax and swim and snorkel. The rock walls block the waves. Family friendly. We didn't hike through the actual park to see it all but did see some wildlife on the drive as well. There's also shuttles to go to shell island, and rentals available.

One of my favorite parks so far in the Panama City Beach area. There's an entrance fee of $4 for one person. Bring your friends and family to St. Andrews State Park, it's peaceful and clean! Some parts of the beach are calm and rough. St. Andrew Bay would be great to snorkel and teach children how to swim. The main beach are mainly for people who surf and parasail. The park closes at 5PM. 5 stars!

Super cool park, awesome white color sand with many nice special shells, super clean restrooms, great for surfing and relaxing!

This park is beautiful and we usually just go to pier park but glad we decided to drive a few extra minutes for this place. It is free to enter all parts of it just have to pay a parking fee which is barely anything. Loved the privateness and ability to hike fish and hang out by the water. Make sure y'a pack snacks because once you get here you'll want to spend the entire day here!

I don't geek out often about trails or running into animals during walks, but St. Andrew's State Park has a way of making you one with nature with its majestic forest surroundings and echoing sounds of the sea, creating a kid-like excitement as you explore the grounds and bump into deer, cranes, gators and more! Free to walk in or $8 per car load, this park delivers a great experience. With more than 2 miles or paved roads and another 5 miles of walking trails, the park offers plenty of opportunities to achieve your 10,000 steps for the day. There are two trails in the park - Heron Pond and Gator Lake. The Heron Pond Trail takes you through the flatwood pine forest and past the Turpentine Still. The Gator Lake trail provides a scenic lakeside view. If you go early enough in the morning, usually between 6am - 9am, you are almost guaranteed to see some of the park's wildlife inhabitants. I left my wife at the condo and planned on going for a short walk before taking her out for breakfast. The explorer in me took over and I found myself losing track of the time and begging my wife for forgiveness 3.5 hours later when she called ready to send a search party. Now, the guy in me says, she should have called sooner if she was worried, but take my advice, it's better to just think that to yourself. I wouldn't recommend actually saying it out loud to your wife/girl/significant other, mine didn't respond well to that rebuttal. However, when I showed her the photos of the baby gator, deer and crane I saw during my exploratory walk, she understood how you could forget the outside world at St. Andrew's Park. Ok, she wasn't exactly that forgiving just because of some photos, but finally getting her some breakfast helped. If you're in the area and into nature trails, this is one park worth visiting. In addition to the trails, it also offers a beautiful beach, a pier for fishing or simply watching the ocean, picnic shelters, clean restrooms, and a seasonal general-like store. Just one visit and I think you'll find that you might just geek out a little bit on your own. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, nature boy.

This is such a great location for families. We decided to visit after check out today before we headed back for home. $8 per vehicle is a real bargain especially in PCB We only intended to stay for an hour or so to check it out for next time. Ended up staying 6 hours by accident ! We found so many beautiful shells which is amazing because we never find any at our hotel. We will make some day trips through the summer just to visit this park ! Also a stingray swam right up to me while swimming it was awesome !

I really can't review too much because I wasn't at the park very long however. To start its $8 admission/vehicle which is nice instead of per person. The beach doesn't appear to super packed on the backside of the park. The pier is a great place to catch bait fish if you're looking for cut bait. In addition they also have a "Alligator Lake", which has a path around the lake and you can spot alligators and it's a nice little nature trail if you're looking for a stroll around the area!

The ocean is warm, clean and in most areas is appropriate for small toddlers and children to sit and splash in the ocean. You can see fish, jellyfish, sting rays swimming amongst you . The water was still enough to sit and lounge in your floatation device without crashing waves. Lots of picnic areas, clean bathrooms, rinse stations, a convent store for snacks etc, right now hey have chairs with umbrellas you can rent for $38 or bring your own.

Great beaches and the view from the pier was awesome. Alligator lake was interesting. We saw the snout of one gator and lots of Egrets.

St. Andrew's State Park is a short drive from PCB and provides a scenic respite from the more crowded beaches along the coast. There are a number of trails in the park (including the Gator Lake Trail, where you are virtually guaranteed to see gators). Many trails were closed during our visit due to recent flooding from a tropical storm. We did see a baby gator at the trail start, which was still accessible. The beach here is expansive and not too crowded -- a great spot for enjoying the outdoors while still distancing during covid-19.

Another great Florida State Park, we came here for the beach and what a great beach it is sugar sand, crystal clear water and this time of the year the water temperature is about 85 degrees it wasn't crowded and today the waves were amazing. Like many State Parks there's plenty to do and if you're beach people plan to spend the day if you need a break from the sun there are plenty of areas to find shade around the park. The accommodations are very good, great restrooms and changing areas plenty of paved parking close to the beach. Great place to spend the day bring plenty of water, snacks, sunblock if you must and a pop up canopy and chair enhances the experience. With all the State Parks in Florida buying an annual pass only makes sense it's a real bargain if parks are your thing.

If you love nature and not just the strip of beach all down PCB this is a great place to go. It's very beautiful and not nearly as crowded as it would be in the strip. Nice for families too..

$8 to get in but it's worth it as it's absolutely beautiful and so much fun! Took our little one who is almost two down to the lagoon by the jetty's and it was a perfect swimming area. We took turns snorkeling and saw a lot of different types of fish. My fiancé even got to swim with a sheephead for a couple minutes while it was eating shrimp. I suggest snorkeling by the rocks to see more wildlife just be careful of the current and sea urchins. We went over to Gator lake while we were there too and saw a little alligator that was right up against the waters edge. It was probably about 4-5ft long. There's a viewing area that's a fenced of your more comfortable then walking along the trails and being close to the water. Saw a large soft shell turtle in there as well. On our way out we had a doe just come strolling across the road so you definitely need to drive slow through the whole area. She was taking her sweet time crossing which was pretty neat. Tons of birds if you're a bird watcher. There are viewing areas for this as well.

Such a neat place to explore! My husband and I went snorkeling and although the water was very murky when we went due to the storms that recently came through while we were visiting....it was still very fun. We collected some great shells as well! We unfortunately couldn't go to shell island due to it being closed while we were there. Definitely a great place to check out while in PCB.

Beautiful place to camp off-season! We've only been to this area in the heat of summer, so it was neat to see it in a different season: to walk the beaches practically alone, fish from the jetty, see the deer up close nibbling on the grass. Beautiful herons and other birds, wonderful sunsets and water view from our campsite.