Fort DeSoto North Beach

North Beach is a wide expansive beach in the Fort DeSoto area. It is a pretty area with sea oats and trees, and a lagoon. I love the look of this wild area, though the lagoon is murky with bacteria. Sometimes, you have to cross the shallow lagoon to get to the beach. The beach is long and flat, and you can walk it all the way to the long fishing pier on the south end. Check out the mortar battery, Battery Laidley on the way, and the ruins of Battery Bigelow on the beach right before the pier. There used to be a fort on this island called Fort DeSoto, but it no longer remains.

At the beach, there are lifeguards, a playground, a snack bar, jetsons-style picnic pavilions, and a huge parking lot. Have a swim in the clear, shallow water.
After, have a wonderful lunch at St. Pete Pier.

Directions

North Beach is located on the far northwest end of the anchor-shaped island. There is a huge, free parking lot. There are some small road tolls to get here. Entrance to Fort DeSoto Park by car costs $5.

Click on map for interactive view