Hiking along Siesta Key Beach is one of our favorite local places to walk. Siesta Key is an eight-mile-long island that is accessible by two bridges from the mainland. On the Key, there are three beaches: Siesta Key Beach, with adjacent Crescent Beach, and further south Turtle Beach.
We accessed the beach from the pavilion where there are bathrooms, dressing rooms, food, picnic areas, a playground, and volleyball courts. We used the yellow lifeguard stand as our reference point and headed south toward Crescent Beach and Point of Rocks, about two miles south.
Siesta Key has fine white quartz sand. Walking on it is like walking on cornstarch—soft, smooth, and cool. As we approach Crescent beach the sand becomes grainier with shells and we are thankful for our sandals.
Crescent Beach ends at Point of Rocks, a rocky area with a tide wall. At low tide, you can see various forms of marine life in the clear water, making it a fun place to snorkel.
The four-mile round trip walk took us about 1-1/2 hours. I recommend this hike at sunrise, sunset, or on cloudy days. Otherwise, it can be very warm and crowded.
