Most visitors to John D. MacArthur Beach State Park never set foot on part of it. That part is Munyon Island, which sits in the Lake Worth Lagoon. It has covered picnic areas, grills, nature trails and a dock with room for 20 boats. It has no restrooms, and the only way to get there is by water. The Seminoles called it Nuctsachoo, meaning Pelican Island, and it reportedly held one of the largest wading bird rookeries in South Florida.
If you live in Palm Beach Isles, a trip to Munyon Island doesn't take a day of planning. It mostly takes a sense of timing. The island follows the park's schedule, and in fall that schedule is tighter than the weather suggests: kayak rentals start at 9 a.m., the last rental goes out at 3 p.m., and restrooms are limited on both the island and the mainland side of the park. Once you plan around those limits, the morning is easy.
Two Ways Onto the Island
If you keep a boat, look for the day-use dock 2.3 miles north of the Blue Heron Causeway, east of Intracoastal Waterway Marker 30. Florida State Parks describes protected docks on the island's west shore, beside the Intracoastal. The dock is built on a rock crib, a design meant to cut wave energy around the slips and create marine habitat at the same time. It has room for up to 20 boats and is open for day use only. On a busy weekend morning, those 20 slips set the limit on how many boats can visit at once.
Paddlers start from the park. The Friends of MacArthur Beach State Park describe the route through the park's estuary, under Burnt Bridge and out into the Lake Worth Lagoon toward Munyon Island. If you bring your own canoe or kayak, you can use the public launch and ask at the gate for directions. Florida State Parks notes that kayakers often paddle the shallow estuary. Great blue herons and little blue herons are common around the island, and mojarras, sardines, mullet, pinfish and snapper live in the water.
On the island, a trail runs through hammock habitat and connects five picnic pavilions. The island looks the way it does because Palm Beach County's Environmental Resources Management team rebuilt it in the 1990s. Crews removed dredge spoil, cut tidal channels and ponds, and restored mangrove, salt marsh, maritime hammock and seagrass habitat. The habitat you see from a kayak today grew back once that spoil was cleared away.
The Clock That Actually Sets Your Morning
The park itself is open from 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year. Rentals keep shorter hours. Equipment is rented at the Beach Outfitters Gift Shop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and everything must be back by 4 p.m. Rentals are first come, first served, with no reservations. They also depend on the weather, and the Friends set wind limits above which boats stay on shore.
If you plan to rent and paddle to Munyon, aim to be at the counter close to 9, because you can't book ahead. And if you start late, a slow lunch on the island can run into the 4 p.m. return time.
Here is what the Friends list for rental rates:
Equipment | Hourly | Half day | Full day |
|---|---|---|---|
Single kayak | $15 | $38 | $60 |
Double kayak | $20 | $50 | $70 |
Stand-up paddleboard | $25 | $60 | $80 |
The hourly rate looks cheapest, but it adds up quickly once you include an island stop. At $15 an hour, a single kayak out for three hours costs $45, more than the $38 half-day rate. Paddling under Burnt Bridge, walking the trail and paddling back can easily take that long. For a round trip with time on the island, the half-day rate is usually the better deal.
If you go often, membership changes the math. The Friends offer free kayak rentals to members, subject to availability. At the entrance, admission is $5 per vehicle. A Florida State Parks individual annual pass costs $60, and a family pass costs $120 and covers a group of up to eight, with some park-specific exceptions. The individual pass covers only the person named on it, so the comparison is simplest for someone who drives in alone. For that visitor, $5 a trip adds up to the $60 pass on the twelfth visit, which a weekly visitor could hit before spring. A carload of family members comes out differently, which is where the family pass comes in.
Plan the Restroom Stop Before You Push Off
Munyon Island has no restrooms. Back at the park, the restrooms near the Nature Center have been unavailable since Aug. 5, 2026, and portable toilets have been set up instead. The North Beach restroom has been closed since March 17, 2025, until further notice. Neither notice gives an end date, so check the park's page before you go.
So if you're paddling or boating out to the island, stop at the portable toilets near the Nature Center before you set off. Pack water and food for the full outing, since what the island offers for a meal break is grills and covered picnic areas.
What Is Running This Fall
The season's events fill in the rest of the visit. Many of them meet near the Nature Center, which also works as a landmark for the restroom stop. In the order they happen after this post goes up:
- Sunset kayak tour, Friday, Oct. 23, 5 to 7 p.m. The Friends run a small-group guided paddle through the estuary. Space is limited, and the listing points paddlers to the South Paddle Launch details. It's the one event on this list that puts you on the water after rental hours.
- Bluegrass with the Jacksonian Music Factory, Sunday, Oct. 25, 1 to 3 p.m. Florida State Parks lists this one, and the Friends calendar lists folk music in the outdoor amphitheater the same afternoon.
- Secret Lives of Snakes, Sunday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Dec. 12, at 1 p.m. This is a half-hour amphitheater program for all ages.
- MacBeach Gala, Thursday, Nov. 12. The Friends list "Mangroves in the Moonlight" as sold out.
- Holiday Sip & Shop, Thursday, Dec. 3, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friends members get 20% off that evening.
Two regular programs run between those dates. Guided walks along the boardwalk, through the forest and onto the beach meet in front of the Nature Center at 10 a.m. on Sundays and Mondays. The route is about a mile and free with park admission. Bird Talk & Walk runs monthly from August through April. It requires registration and is timed around low tide. Since the bird walk follows the tide, check its date before planning around it.
A guided walk at 10 also fits well with a paddle. Rent at 9, take a short loop in the estuary, return the boat and make the walk. Or reverse it: walk first, then paddle to Munyon and back well before the 4 p.m. return.
The Season Has Already Turned
Fall marks a handoff at the park. The Friends say sea turtle nesting runs from March through October, and their 2026 guided evening turtle walks are over. Details for the 2027 walks come out in April 2027. Bird Talk & Walk, which runs through April, takes over as the main wildlife program for the cooler months.
Out in the lagoon, Munyon Island's history as a rookery is the reason to bring binoculars. Herons are the birds Florida State Parks names around the island, and the restored marsh and mangrove edges are where to look for them. On the ocean side of the park, Florida State Parks describes the nearshore reef as a short swim from shore and says snorkeling is a popular activity. One admission covers the beach, the estuary and the island.
Getting There From the Isles
Palm Beach Isles is the community on Bimini, North Ocean, Coral Way, Dolphin, Emerald, Fairview, Grand Bahama, Gulfstream and Sunset Lane, and its property owners association lists its address at 1287 N. Ocean Drive. By car, the park entrance is at 10900 Jack Nicklaus Drive in North Palm Beach. The park's phone number is 561-624-6950 if you want to check on conditions or closures before you leave. By boat, use Marker 30 and the 2.3-mile mark north of the Blue Heron Causeway to find the dock.
For a first trip, try a weekday. Get to the Beach Outfitters counter close to 9 a.m., take a half-day single kayak, stop at the Nature Center portable toilets, then paddle under Burnt Bridge to Munyon for an hour on the trail. You'll be back well before the 4 p.m. return time.
Lagoon access, dock locations and the views from different addresses are things we talk through with clients all the time, including people who already own here. If you'd like to compare notes on the water side of Singer Island, John Nugent and the team are glad to hear from you. Contact Us.
