"Almost a free-for-all." That is how Peter DeWitt of the Bureau of Land Management described boat use along the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse shoreline in a September 2026 WPTV report. On the busiest weekends, 40 to 60 boats nosed onto the sand. On an average day the number was closer to 17.
Those two numbers explain the $16 million project now in its final months around the lighthouse. The finished shoreline has room for about the number of boats that came on an ordinary day. It does not have room for the crowded weekend. The project also opens much of the 120-acre property to people who arrive on foot or by snorkel, not by boat.
The shoreline was falling into the river
The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area has been losing about 7 feet of land a year, and it has lost more than 5 acres over the decades, according to Stet News. When work began in 2025, DeWitt told WPTV that some sections were eroding at "more like 15 feet per year." A concrete revetment poured along the river edge about 40 years earlier had been cracking and slipping into the waterway.
The land at risk was more than lawn. DeWitt has pointed to the Native American shell midden that runs back toward the roadway: "We were constantly eroding historic artifacts and losing land, losing habitat, and losing the recreational resources here." The BLM also lists practical reasons for the work. Falling trees and collapsing sand had been dropping debris into the boating channel, and the sediment washing into the Intracoastal added to the dredging needed to keep it navigable.
Boat access survived the planning
Stopping the erosion could have meant closing the beach to boats entirely. DeWitt told Stet that the plan he inherited in 2013 "basically built a solid breakwater all the way along the shoreline that eliminated all boat access." More than 800 people, businesses and groups submitted comments. The Marine Industries Association and the Florida Inland Navigation District helped shape the direction, and the plan was revised.
Even in early 2025, WLRN's coverage said only five mooring spots would remain along the Indian River side of the property. The latest description of where boats can beach on the finished site is more generous.
| Scenario | Boats on the shoreline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Original solid-breakwater plan | None | Stet News, Sept. 2026 |
| Average day before construction | About 17 | BLM study, via Stet News |
| Busiest weekends before construction | 40 to 60 | DeWitt, via WPTV, Sept. 2026 |
| Finished site | 15 to 20, depending on boat size and spacing | Stet News, Sept. 2026 |
The way people use the beach stays the same. "What people used to do was pull up on the beach, nose in or bow in, and kind of get themselves wedged on the sand, then sit in the back of their boat to fish, play on the sand beside it. That's still available," DeWitt told Stet.
Boaters should know two more things. The new dock is "for permitted uses only," such as a visiting historic ship or a wedding party leaving by water, and "general public docking won't be available." Until the work is finished, the BLM says boat-beaching spots are reduced, anchorage is limited, and some areas close intermittently. The finished capacity is a description of the completed site, so check current conditions with the BLM before planning a Saturday on the sand.
People on foot get the most new space
The weekend boat count goes down. The space for walkers goes up considerably. The centerpiece is a boardwalk along the Loxahatchee River side of the property. Stet measured it at 835 feet and 8 feet wide, set on 200 pilings over limestone rock, with sections widening to 16 feet for interpretive plaques about the inlet's history and ecosystem. The BLM project page lists it as about 700 feet, and WPTV reported 830 feet. Every measurement puts it at hundreds of feet of new walkway over the water.
The boardwalk and the path leading to it are ADA-accessible. DeWitt said that families at a cleanup event organized for a children's physical therapy practice commented on the places where children in wheelchairs could look over the rail. By the BLM's July 31 update, the ADA pathway to the boardwalk and native plant trail was nearly finished. By August 20, the north end of the boardwalk was in its final stretch.
The boardwalk is meant to connect to the rest of the property. "People will be able to walk the 800 feet along the boardwalk, enjoy that, turn around and walk back," DeWitt said. "Or they can go up the stairs here, and there will be a trail connecting the top of the staircase back around to the lighthouse." On the Indian River Lagoon side, the BLM describes an 800-foot terraced wall with nine stairways down to the shoreline. A path between the two retaining walls is being replanted with native vegetation, much of it dug up before construction and kept in nurseries and at The Nature Conservancy's Blowing Rocks Preserve. Chickee huts went up between April and early June.
For now, the BLM's visitor page describes a two-mile loop on the north side. The first half-mile follows a concrete path and boardwalk to a covered overlook. About 500 feet of trail has been temporarily rerouted during construction, some areas close intermittently, and the BLM says updates are posted on signs at the site.
The new water features are under the surface
The most unusual change is out of sight. On September 9, the first experimental Reef Arches structure was placed on the Loxahatchee River side of the property, the start of an artificial reef system intended for both ecological study and visitors. The next day, research teams deployed acoustic monitors to track green sea turtles and other marine species moving through the waterways.
Plants are also going in along the water. The BLM's plans include 10,000 new mangroves and a 2-acre salt marsh. The MANG Foundation led the first mangrove planting on March 25, a volunteer planting on July 4, and another round behind a breakwater on August 30. Limestone breakwaters are going in along the Indian River Lagoon shoreline near Cato's Bridge. The BLM says they will support new habitat and create places for snorkeling and wildlife viewing.
The BLM's look-ahead for September through November calls for crews to enter the final phases of breakwater and boardwalk construction, a crew of six to help mulch the new trail system, and installation of the floating dock to begin. By winter, the agency expects to open new beaches, additional miles of trail and snorkeling routes with the experimental reef structures. The BLM says volunteer planting days will continue, but it has not posted public dates for this fall.
The lighthouse stays open this fall
Construction is happening along the water, and the 166-year-old tower keeps its own fall schedule. The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum has posted a maintenance closure from Monday, October 6, through Tuesday, October 13. Outside that window, climbs run Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $15 for adults, $12 for veterans and seniors 60 and older, and $8 for ages 6 to 18. Veterans are admitted free in November.
The museum's calendar lists these programs for the rest of the year:
- Sunset tours: October 14, 21 and 28; November 4, 11 and 18; December 2, 9 and 16. Tickets are $25, or $20 for members. The October 14 tour runs 6:15 to 7:15 p.m., and the December 16 tour runs 5 to 6:15 p.m.
- Sunrise tours: October 17, 24 and 31. The October 17 tour runs 6:45 to 8 a.m. and costs $30 per adult and $25 per child.
- Sensory-Friendly Exploration Day: October 18, with free admission for the first 300 registered guests, according to Florida Weekly.
- Rendezvous at the Light: November 14, 6 to 9 p.m., the museum's fundraiser.
- Moonrise tours: November 25, 5 to 6 p.m., and December 23, 4:45 to 6 p.m. Tickets are $30, or $25 for members.
- Shoreline project celebration: December 3, 1 to 5 p.m., with public tours, talks and family activities, followed by an evening celebration, according to the BLM's announcement.
- Luminary Nights: December 11, 12, 18 and 19, 6 to 9 p.m., a new holiday event with lights, interactive installations, a holiday market and live music, as reported by Florida Weekly. It does not yet appear on the museum's December calendar, so confirm details with the museum before planning around it.
The December 3 celebration is the first public look at the finished shoreline: the boardwalk, the stairways, the new beaches and the reef tiles.
Many people in Jupiter decide where to live based on time on the water, whether that means beaching a boat by the lighthouse on a Sunday or walking the boardwalk at sunset. When knowing which shorelines, ramps and inlets are close to home matters as much as the house itself, The Kelly Team is happy to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.
