Uncrowded Forgotten Coast sand where leashed dogs are welcome.
St. George Island is in Franklin County, Florida, on the Gulf coast.
Reaching St. George Island from the mainland means crossing a long causeway bridge into Franklin County. Free parking is plentiful at Lighthouse Park and along pull-offs on Gulf Beach Drive, and leashed dogs are welcome on the public beach, though not inside the state park section. No lifeguard watches this stretch, though restrooms are available. The nearest other Coasti beaches are a serious drive away, Panama City Beach almost sixty-seven miles and Destin a full one hundred ten.
Today's flag, water temperature, surf, wind, UV and tide times for St. George Island load on this page automatically. Conditions change through the day, so nothing on this page is a substitute for the flag flying when you arrive.
Amenity details are Coasti's own notes and can go out of date. Fees, lifeguard seasons and dog rules are set locally.
Flags run from green for low hazard to double red for water closed — see what each flag color means.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station Apalachicola (8728690).
Weather and marine forecasts come from the National Weather Service at Apalachicola Regional (KAAF).
Red tide readings come from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission monitoring map.
Karenia brevis lives in the Gulf year round as a matter of course. It only becomes red tide once it blooms. Readings for St. George Island come from FWC's monitoring map, which draws on Gulf water samples collected across a rolling eight-day window covering the whole state, not only the beaches that see blooms most. See today's statewide red tide status.
That depends on the flag and the surf, and both change through the day. Coasti shows the posted lifeguard flag when a current one exists, and estimates from surf, wind and rip-current risk when it does not. Today's answer for St. George Island loads at the top of this page.
St. George Island has no lifeguard station, so no official flag is posted here. Coasti estimates the flag from conditions instead.
Parking at St. George Island is free. Free lots at Lighthouse Park and small pull-offs along Gulf Beach Dr. Fees and lot hours change, so check locally before you go.
Dogs are allowed at St. George Island. Leashed dogs welcome on the public beaches; not in the state park. Leash and off-leash rules change, so check locally before you go.
It is quartz rather than crushed shell or coral. Quartz reflects more light, so it looks whiter and stays noticeably cooler underfoot on a hot afternoon.
All beaches Coasti covers · Red tide status · What the flags mean