For years, boating at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse meant a simple routine. You ran the bow onto the sand below the lighthouse, wedged the hull in, then fished from the stern or played on the beach next to the boat. That is how the Bureau of Land Management's site manager, Peter DeWitt, described it to Stet News in September. He also told Stet the routine is "still available" once the new shoreline opens.
What changes is how many boats fit. The $16 million shoreline project at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area is scheduled for a public grand opening on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 1 to 5 p.m., after an invitation-only ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. The beach was sized for the number of boats an average day used to bring. It was not sized for the busiest days.
Sized for an Ordinary Day
A BLM study found the shoreline averaged 17 boats a day before construction. The rebuilt shoreline holds 15 to 20, depending on boat size and how much room owners leave between hulls. In The Palm Beach Post in October, DeWitt put the figure at about 17 boats at a time, first come, first served. He said holiday weekends had sometimes drawn 40 to 60 boats at once, and that "that use is no longer permitted."
| Shoreline use | Boats on the beach |
|---|---|
| Average day before the project, per the BLM study | 17 |
| Busy holiday weekends before the project | 40 to 60 |
| Capacity of the rebuilt shoreline | About 15 to 20 |
On a typical weekday, the new beach holds about as many boats as the old one did. On Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, about two-thirds of the boats that used to fit will have no room. First come, first served makes arrival time the deciding factor on any day the beach is likely to be popular.
The project also includes a new dock, which is not a workaround. DeWitt told Stet it is "for permitted uses only." His examples were a historic ship tying up for a week to add to the tours, or a wedding party leaving by boat. "General public docking won't be available," he said. The BLM's project page calls it a dock facility for ferries and water taxis. According to the Post, a Tequesta police boat will also be kept on a lift there.
The Earlier Plan Had No Beach at All
A cap of about 17 boats is a compromise, and the earlier plan would have allowed no boats at all. When DeWitt took over the project in 2013, the plan he inherited called for a solid breakwater along the whole shoreline. "That very early plan just basically built a solid breakwater all the way along the shoreline that eliminated all boat access," he told Stet News.
More than 800 individuals, businesses, partners and recreational users commented on the plans, and the government changed them. The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County and the Florida Inland Navigation District helped shape the direction, and the Navigation District later provided funding. DeWitt told the Post he had doubted anyone would fund the closed-shoreline design. "It took me four years to get my management to be willing to look at a new design, and so the new design was a compromise," he said. Construction began in March 2025.
The shoreline had to be rebuilt because it was eroding. The Post reported that it was losing about 7 feet a year, and that the 120-acre site had lost more than 5 acres over five decades. DeWitt told Stet the erosion was exposing the Native American shell midden that runs back toward the roadway. "We were constantly eroding historic artifacts and losing land, losing habitat, and losing the recreational resources here," he said. Protecting that ground set a limit on how much sand stayed open to boats.
Where the Holiday Crowd's Space Went
The beach no longer holds 60 boats, but the property has more public space than before. It now serves people who arrive on foot, by kayak or with a snorkel.
- A boardwalk on the Loxahatchee River side. It runs roughly 800 feet, and DeWitt describes walking it out and back. Stairs climb to a trail that loops back to the lighthouse.
- An ADA-accessible trail around the lighthouse. It connects to both the pier and the boardwalk. Katrina Heller, executive director of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, told the Post it suits "some locals who each morning just want to do a beautiful walk around the property or a climb of the lighthouse."
- Small beaches carved into the Indian River side. A terraced wall with nine stairways gives access to them, according to the BLM's project page.
- Two paddle operators on opposite sides of the park. Get Up and Go Kayaking, which has run glass-bottom kayak tours from the site for years, now works out of a large tiki hut near the Indian River shoreline. The Palm Beach Outrigger Canoe Club shares it. A second kayaking company will run tours from a smaller hut on the west side, near the rebuilt U.S. 1 bridge. "Hopefully a little competition between the two keeps the price nice and low," DeWitt told the Post.
- A pavilion and new lawn. The museum plans to use the pavilion for educational programs, including a monthly homeschool morning, and it will also host private events. An area that used to be off-limits is becoming lawn for gatherings such as the River Cherish Art Festival in March. Heller told the Post the festival hopes to grow to 100 artists, up from 70 last year.
- Monthly public fishing days. The boardwalk has 16-foot-wide areas set aside for anglers. DeWitt told Stet he has heard from people who grew up in Jupiter that the old Coast Guard docks here had some of the best snook fishing around.
Fishing shows the tradeoff most clearly. Anglers who used to cast from a beached boat on a crowded Saturday now have dedicated space on the boardwalk if they arrive on foot.
Cato's Bridge Gets Its Own Protected Water
The snorkel area adds the most for people who come by land, and it opens later than the rest. On the south side of Cato's Bridge, at the far northeast corner of the project, a cutout bay behind the rocks starts a snorkel trail that runs under the bridge toward Jupiter Island. DeWitt told Stet News the spot "is locally renowned for being just a great place to hang out, snorkel and see a lot of Caribbean-type fish and corals. So, we're going to lean into that." New pilings will keep boats out of the area, and a kiosk will post snorkeling information.
The Post reports the snorkel area is scheduled to open Dec. 20, a little over two weeks after the rest of the property. DeWitt said a government shutdown early in the contract and late material deliveries pushed the work back. The project was first expected to finish in August.
The water itself is being rebuilt too. On Sept. 9, crews installed the first experimental Reef Arches structure on the Loxahatchee River side. The BLM describes it as the start of an artificial reef system built for ecological study and for visitors to see. As of the Post's October report, more than 7,000 mangroves had been planted toward a goal of 10,000. Florida Atlantic University will keep monitoring whether the new beaches are stable, growing or shrinking, which will guide future decisions about adding sand. The BLM lists the natural area's trails as open daily from dawn to dusk.
Six Weeks on the Property
The new grounds open right as the museum's busiest stretch of the year begins, so there are several reasons to see them before the year ends:
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 6 to 9 p.m. Rendezvous at the Light, the museum's evening of culinary tastings, a silent auction and live entertainment.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 1 to 5 p.m. The public grand opening of the shoreline project.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, around 8 p.m. The 32nd annual Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade is expected to pass the lighthouse about two hours after its 6 p.m. start, according to the Marine Industries Association. Harbourside Place and the Riverwalk are listed as public viewing spots.
- Dec. 11–12 and Dec. 18–19. Luminary Nights at the museum, with lights, local artisans, live entertainment, food and family activities, per the museum calendar.
- Sunday, Dec. 20. The scheduled opening of the protected snorkel area at Cato's Bridge.
If you take your boat to the lighthouse beach, the first holiday weekend after the reopening will show how quickly about 17 spots fill.
For many owners, a home near the inlet comes with a boat and a few favorite spots to run it to. If you'd like to talk through how places like the lighthouse beach fit into the way you use the water, Steve Rockoff is glad to help. Schedule a Confidential Consultation.
