Vanderbilt Beach is Collier County’s second most commercialized beach area after Marco Island. It is one of the busiest beaches in the area and for good reason. Along the north end of this section you will find Wiggins Pass State Park. Here you will enjoy a natural preserved natural shoreline with an offshore rocky reef.
The main section of Vanderbilt Beach is the “busy beach” that is lined by Resorts and tends to be the most touristy. LaPlaya Beach Resort and the Ritz Carlton are the main hotels here, but there are a few smaller hotels including Vanderbilt Beach and Harbor Club, Vanderbilt Beach Resort, and the Lighthouse Inn.
Delnor Wiggins Pass State Park
Located at the north end of Vanderbilt Beach, just south of Wiggins Pass is Wiggins Pass State Park. This is perhaps the busiest beach location in Collier County. Consistently rated among the best beaches in Florida. It was recently ranked #9 on America’s best beaches.
This 199 acre park offers a mile of unspoiled beaches and a boat launch area for all types of trailerable vessels.
Delnor-Wiggins State Park is heavily wooded with plenty of shaded picnic tables all along the beach. Restroom facilities are spaced conveniently along the beach front. A nature trail leads to an observation tower at the north end of the park that puts you above the small oaks and cabbage palms and mangroves. Unfortunately it is about 10 feet too short to give a good view of the Gulf of Mexico.
Wiggins Pass Beach Areas
You'll find 5 different beach areas at the park. The northernmost is area 5 which is along the pass. This area has the observation tower, and several picnic pavilions. You should NOT swim at the beach along area 5. This beach is along a channel with heavy boat traffic. This channel offers excellent fishing on a rising or falling tide.
You can see the south end of Barefoot Beach Preserve to the north just across the pass. DO NOT try to swim across the pass here - its much further across than it looks.
To the south at 1, 2 3 and 4 you will find shaded picnic spots along the beach. Tall australian pines and seagrape trees shade the picnic areas. You can swim here and the water is some of the clearest on the gulf coast.
Just offshore of area 1 and 2 is a hard bottom reef that is a great snorkeling and dive site. You'll find it in 5 to 10 feet of water.
The down side to Delnor Wiggins is that it fills up fairly quickly. When that happens the park gates are closed. It can get crowded.
Conner Park / Bluebill Beach
Conner Park is located alongside Bluebill Avenue and offers access to the beach at the end of Bluebill Avenue. This beach access is between the Moraya Bay Condominiums and the Wiggins Pass State Park. Its a half mile walk from the parking area at Conner Park to the beach so this is often one of the “less visited” beach areas.
There are restroom facilities and running water available at the beach here, and you will never have trouble finding a place to park in Conner Park, unless Wiggins Pass State Park fills up and then Conner Park will become “overflow parking”.
Beach Accesses along Gulf Shore Drive
You will find several beach access points along Gulf Shore Drive. In between Bluebill Ave and Vanderbilt Beach Road these access points provide a short path to the beach. You wont have trouble finding these access points. They're marked by a green Beach Access sign.
CAT (collier area transit) provides transportation to the beach. Visitors and residents can catch the trolley at the North Collier Regional Park Administration Building, 15000 Livingston Road, Naples, Florida 34109. One may also catch the trolley at Conner Park.
The trolley runs every 60 minutes and serves the Vanderbilt Beach Area. The fare to ride the Beach Trolley is $1.50 for a single ride, or you may use your CAT pass to hop on.
Because of the lack of parking these access points lead to areas of beach that are almost never crowded. The quietest section is in the area by Channel Drive and the residential neighborhood beach here. Most of the crowds stay near the big parks or the resorts like LaPlaya or the Ritz Carlton.
Vanderbilt Beach Park
Located at the end of Vanderbilt Beach Road just north of the Ritz Carlton Beach Resort, Vanderbilt Beach Park is one of Naples most popular beaches. The easy access and proximity to large resorts make this Collier County’s most popular beach among visitors. It DOES get crowded here during season and on weekends. If you want to get away from the crowding, you can simply walk south of the Ritz Carlton towards Pelican Bay.
The park offers public restrooms and running water, as well as a parking garage with 375 spaces. Parking is $10 per day and FREE with a Collier County beach parking permit.
This beach has a concession stand that offers rentals of beach equipment, chairs and umbrellas.
Pelican Bay Beaches
Within Pelican Bay you'll find two beach access areas reserved for RESIDENTS ONLY. Members of the general public may access this beach area by walking south from Vanderbilt Beach Park or arriving on a watercraft.
Pelican Bay is situated alongside two and a half miles of white sand beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. Pelican Bay is unique due to it’s private beach pavilions, complete with beachfront dining for residents and their guests. There simply isn’t anything else like it in Southwest Florida.
Along the northern half of Pelican Bay’s beach is the gulf front community of Bay Colony. Here the beach is lined by 7 of the area’s most luxurious beach front high rise condominiums immediately south of the Ritz Carlton Beach Resort. South of the high rises of Bay Colony are 11 beachfront estate homes of Southwest Florida’s most exclusive neighborhood, The Strand at Bay Colony. One can walk south from Vanderbilt Beach to view these exquisite estates and admire the architecture.(STAY BELOW HIGH WATER MARK TO AVOID TRESPASSING). From Vanderbilt Beach Park it is about 3/4 mile to walk past the condos of Bay Colony to view the estate homes in The Strand. This half mile stretch of beach is an architecture connoisseur’s delight with numerous architectural styles on display among the grand estates.
Pelican Bay North Beach
Just south of The Strand at Bay Colony is Pelican Bay’s North Beach. Located approximately halfway from Vanderbilt Beach to Clam Pass, this is the smaller of the two Pelican Bay residents only beach accesses. A popular site for morning walks, dolphin watching, shelling and more, North Beach offers a relaxed pace.
North Beach is home to Pelican Bay’s Marker 36 restaurant. Marker 36 is the essence of beachfront dining. Here, the cuisine more than measures up to the indulgent surroundings – with menus offering a mix of classic dishes and innovative lighter fare, all featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients and an exciting beverage program. Marker 36 does offer beach take-out service at the bar, so you can enjoy your cocktails on the beach.
Pelican Bay’s resident’s only beach accesses are located at the end of boardwalks crossing through a mangrove forest with a bridge across Pelican Bay’s namesake Pelican Bay.
Pelican Bay South Beach
Ideal for active families, Pelican Bay South End Beach (also known as Commons Park Beach) owing to its location close to Commons Park is located on the north side of Clam Pass at the southern tip of the Vanderbilt Beach section. Here you will find the Sandbar restaurant which offers a variety of fresh and flavorful selections, prepared in an open-air kitchen that imbues every dish with a hint of genuine beach breeze.
Members of the public can easily access Pelican Bay’s beach areas by watercraft, just pull up on the beach. The beaches themselves are PUBLIC. Non motorized small craft may land along clam pass, and motorized craft may land anywhere between Pelican Bay’s north and south beaches (PLEASE USE COURTESY, and avoid parking watercraft in front of the pelican bay beach facilities, and remember that all facilities are for RESIDENTS ONLY).