Type: Sand, Out-and-back
Difficulty: 3 / 10
Altitude: 12 ft
Dog Friendly: Yes, with leash
Jog-Stroller Friendly: Yes
Filed Under: Running
If you haven't run on the beach, you should. It's the one must-do run you'll have on any coast, and you know better than to miss it. When in Jacksonville you can't miss the opportunity to run along the firmly packed sand that lines Atlantic, Neptune and Jacksonville Beaches.
Jax Beach has a ton of options. They're all out-and-back, but you pick your starting point and distance. The main beach starts downtown, at the eastern terminator of Beach Blvd (although there is parking at just about every street end in town, this is the perfect starting point for both north and south runs). A few blocks north is the pier, a good visible goal when you're running back and forth. Further north you'll run on Neptune and Atlantic beaches, and further south you'll be in the ritzy Ponte Vedra - all are well within a short run's reach.
Start anywhere you like, enjoy the surf and wildlife, and check the surfers and early-morning runners (they tend to be in decent shape and tan because it's too warm year-round to be wearing much). This is the best run in the area - be prepared to slip a little in the sand and don't go for a time trial, and don't worry too much when the surf comes and swallows you up to the ankle at high tide. It's all good.
There are signs to the Jax Beaches from everywhere off of I-95. Take any of the arteries east until you hit 3rd, the main N-S strip in Jax Beach. Parking (beach access) is at almost every street, with about 10 spots per road. The best parking is at Beach Blvd, middle of town (the streets are numbered increasing both north and south from here, so head DOWN in numbers until you hit zero, then go 2 blocks east to the sand). You can't miss. Remember where you parked! They all look the same from the beach. :)
Posted by: tradkelly and last modified on Feb 02, 2006 by thoos
Comments
tradkelly said ...
There's also a promenade in front of the beach, under the medium-rise hotels if you're sick of the sand.
The hurricanes in late 2004 damaged the sandbars and a lot of the formerly 100-yard wide beach went away; it's building back up pretty quickly, but you might want to check the tides if you don't want to get your feet damp while running for a bit. Nevertheless, the best run in the area is the beach, hands down.
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