Indian River County Parks Guide: Beaches, Pools, Campgrounds and Preserves

Indian River County lists its beach accesses, beach parks, parks and two park and campground sites, Donald MacDonald Park and Campground and Middleton's Fish Camp Park, on one Parks and Campground page (Indian River County Parks and Campground).

The list runs alphabetically from Ambersands Beach Access to West Wabasso Park (county park list). Two names changed recently: Commissioner Fran B. Adams Park was formerly North County Regional Park, and the Victor Hart Sr. Community Enhancement Complex was formerly Gifford Community Park.

Most county parks open sunrise to sunset; Dale Wimbrow Park in Roseland opens at 7:30 AM, and West Wabasso Park, the Roseland Ball Field (Helen Hanson Park) and the Roseland Community Center and Park open at 7 AM (county parks GIS layer). The IRC Parks Division office at 5500 77th St, Vero Beach, keeps hours of 7 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday thru Friday, and its general line is 772-589-9223.

County fields and courts are reserved through a Field/Court Reservation Request; a multipurpose ball field costs $25/Hour to $175/Day, lights add $25 an hour, and pickleball, tennis or basketball courts rent for $20 between noon and 5 pm on weekdays (Athletic Field and Court Reservations). Fran B. Adams Park sits at 9450 CR 512, approximately 1.5 miles east of I-95 inside the St. Sebastian Buffer Preserve State Park, with four lighted multipurpose fields, a concession stand and two pavilions; the North County Aquatic Center page puts the same complex approximately 2 miles east of I95 (North County Aquatic Center). The county parks and recreation guide lists every park with its amenities and rules.

Four county beach parks with Vero Beach addresses have lifeguards from 9:10 AM to 4:50 PM: Tracking Station, Golden Sands, Round Island Oceanside and Wabasso Beach Park (county parks GIS layer).

Treasure Shores Beach Park at 11300 Hwy A1A lists no lifeguards and tells visitors to swim at their own risk, and the Seagrape Trail and Turtle Trail beach accesses carry the same warning (county parks GIS layer). The guarded parks share a rule set: no pets, no glass containers, no alcohol and no fishing, with surfing allowed on a leash; Tracking Station also bars scuba diving. Golden Sands has its own lifeguard tower line, 772-581-4995.

The Ambersands Beach Access listing at 12566 Hwy A1A notes sea turtle nesting season, March 1 to October 31, and gives the county environmental specialist's line, 772-226-1569, for the sea turtle program (county parks GIS layer).

Indian River County runs two outdoor pools, the North County Aquatic Center off CR 512 in Sebastian and the Gifford Aquatic Center on 43rd Ave in Vero Beach (Indian River County Aquatics), and aquatic passes may be used at both (North County Aquatic Center).

At the North County Aquatic Center in Sebastian, children 3 to 12 pay $5.00 plus tax ($3.00 when the children's activity pool is not available) and swimmers 55 and older pay $3.00 plus tax; the complex has an 18 lane, 25 yard competition pool, a diving well with one and three meter boards and a zero depth activity pool (North County Aquatic Center). Gifford charges $3.00 plus tax for ages 3 to 12 and for 55 and older (Gifford Aquatic Center).

Two county listings for the Sebastian pool disagree. The facility page gives weekday hours of 6:00am to 6:00pm and the phone (772) 226-1752 (North County Aquatic Center), while the county parks GIS layer shows a 9 AM opening on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the number 772-581-7665 (county parks GIS layer). The Gifford page still said on October 15, 2026 that slide replacement is set to begin January 2026, with increased noise and limited lane access expected (Gifford Aquatic Center), so a call to either pool before a weekday lap swim is the safer plan. The Indian River County aquatic centers guide covers lessons, rules and holiday closures.

County camping is at Donald MacDonald Park and Campground in Roseland and Middleton's Fish Camp Park on Blue Cypress Lake, (Indian River County Parks and Campground), and Middleton's lists a boat ramp (county parks GIS layer).

MacDonald Park and Campground at 12315 Roseland Rd is open 365 days per year, with quiet hours from 10 PM to 7 AM, a two week maximum stay, and campsites limited to 2 vehicles and 2 tents; pets are allowed on a leash, swimming is not, and only small hospitality campfires are permitted (county parks GIS layer). Questions go to 772-589-0087.

Middleton's Fish Camp Park at 7400 Blue Cypress Lake Rd lists a boat ramp, bait and tackle, primitive camping, free showers, lodging, boat rentals and pontoon eco tours (county parks GIS layer). Its summer hours, June 1 to October 31, run 6 AM to 2 PM Wednesday through Sunday with Mondays and Tuesdays closed, though the park itself stays open; from November 1 to May 31 it opens 6 AM to 2 PM Monday thru Friday and 6 AM to 4 PM on weekends. Phone 772-778-0150 or toll free 1-800-258-5002. The IRC Fairgrounds at 7955 58th Av also has an RV campground, available by reservation only.

Elsewhere, Dale Wimbrow Park in Roseland and Wabasso Causeway Park list boat trailer parking, Round Island Riverside Park has trailer parking and a fishing pier, Oslo Dock has a boat launch for shallow draft vessels only and a canoe launch, and the Sebastian Canoe Launch at 9800 Canoe Launch Cove does not allow motored vessels (county parks GIS layer).

Most Indian River County park and beach listings say No pets, from Wabasso Beach Park to Fran Adams North County Regional Park, and MacDonald Park and Campground in Roseland is the only listing that allows pets on a leash (county parks GIS layer).

The county GIS layer prints No pets in the rules for the A1A beach parks, Moore's Point Park on US Highway 1 in Sebastian, the Sebastian Canoe Launch, Dale Wimbrow Park and the Gifford and Hobart parks. Most listings also ban alcohol, and overnight parking is banned at many beach and regional parks (county parks GIS layer). The county parks and recreation guide sets out the posted rules park by park.

The Indian River County Conservation Lands page lists 27 sites, 10 of them with Sebastian addresses, including the Pelican Island and Archie Carr national wildlife refuges (Indian River County Conservation Lands).

Sebastian entries include the Ansin Riverfront Conservation Area at 9800 Canoe Launch Cove, the Archie Smith Fish House Conservation Area at 1740 North Indian River Drive, Cypress Bend Community Preserve at 801 Gardenia St, the Jane Schnee Scrub Preserve at 2050 Barber St, the North Sebastian Conservation Area at 1295 Main St, the Rodney Kroegel Conservation Area at 11296 Indian River Drive, Sebastian Harbor Preserve at 184 Englar Drive and the Sebastian Scrub Conservation Area at 1258 Schumann Drive (county conservation lands list). Vero Beach entries include the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area at 150 9th Street SE, Captain Forster Hammock Preserve on Jungle Trail and the Indian River Lagoon Greenway at 850 Indian River Blvd; the Carson Platt Estate sits at 11800 County Road 512 in Fellsmere.

Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, in the Indian River Lagoon near Sebastian, became the nation's first national wildlife refuge by Theodore Roosevelt's executive order in 1903 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Refuge volunteers meet visitors every Friday from 10:30am to 1:30pm through December 26 at the Centennial Trailhead, 0.7 miles south of State Hwy A1A on the west side of Jungle Trail Road, at no charge.

Two Indian River County parks guides go deeper: the county parks and recreation guide for beaches, campgrounds, rentals and rules, and the aquatic centers guide for the Sebastian and Gifford pools.

Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the Indian River County website. Fees and hours above come from the county pool pages and the county parks GIS layer (county parks GIS layer), and the Sebastian town guide and the Vero Beach town guide cover city parks inside those city limits.