Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park Visitor Guide, Jacksonville

The Hanna Park gate opens seven days a week at 8 a.m.; closing time follows the clock change, 8 p.m. in the daylight saving months and 6 p.m. in the standard time months, and a carload of as many as six pays $5.

The City of Jacksonville lists Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park at 500 Wonderwood Drive, Jacksonville 32233, reachable at (904) 255-6767 or [email protected] (JaxParks Hanna Park). The last car gets in 30 minutes before closing, so the Hanna Park gate stops admitting visitors at 7:30 p.m. in the daylight saving season and 5:30 p.m. in the standard time season.

Arriving before the regular opening takes planning. From 6 a.m. until the 8 a.m. opening, Hanna Park admits only holders of an early bird ticket or an annual pass bought ahead of time, and early bird tickets come in sets worth $50 (JaxParks Hanna Park). The gate takes cash, credit and debit cards. Veterans and active duty service members pay half price when they show a military ID or DD214, though that discount does not extend to annual passes or facility rentals.

The entry amounts in the city fee schedule, Section 111.125, differ from the prices posted on the park page, and neither page explains the difference (City of Jacksonville fees). The schedule also defines the early bird window as 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., an hour later than the 6 a.m. start the park page gives, and it carries a $55.00 annual pass for people who walk or cycle in, which the park page leaves out.

The ocean side of Hanna Park is a 1.5 mile strip of sand reached from multiple access points, and inland a 60 acre freshwater lake is set aside for fishing and paddling, not swimming.

JaxParks names The Poles, at the Hanna Park beach, as the top surf break in the northeast corner of the state (JaxParks Hanna Park). The dunes between the campground and the surf are protected habitat, and the campground rules send everyone to the sand over the boardwalks rather than across the dunes (JaxParks camping).

Anglers and paddlers share the Hanna Park lake, which is open to fishing, kayaks, pedal boats and canoes (JaxParks waterways). Four things are banned on that water: swimming, powerboats, castnets and fishing after dark (JaxParks Hanna Park). The Campground Store and Concession, managed by Adventure Kayak Florida, rents kayaks and mountain bikes and sells firewood, ice and snacks.

Younger children cool off at the Hanna Park Kids Splash Park, which runs from the first May weekend through the first October weekend, 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. (JaxParks Hanna Park). There are no lifeguards, an adult has to supervise, and the splash pad has unscheduled short closures for maintenance or lightning within a 10 mile radius.

Picnic areas and cookout spaces for reunions and retreats at Hanna Park are booked through [email protected] or 904-255-6767 (JaxParks Hanna Park). The city fee schedule lists a minimum fee of $50.00 for a shelter rental (City of Jacksonville fees).

New riders at Hanna Park should start on Long Trail and Back 40; Grunt, Misery and Tornado Alley are the routes the city reserves for experienced mountain bikers.

JaxParks counts more than 20 miles of bicycle trail inside Hanna Park, laid out for every level of rider (JaxParks bike trails). Every rider must wear a helmet anywhere in the park, and the city states plainly that riders ride at their own risk.

Visitors without a bike can rent a mountain bike at the Hanna Park camp store (JaxParks waterways). A rider who pedals through the gate pays the $3 pedestrian and bicyclist price instead of the $5 car price (JaxParks Hanna Park). Motorized toys are another matter: golf carts, ATVs, motorbikes, scooters, go karts and skateboards are all barred from the park (JaxParks Hanna Park).

The Hanna Park campground holds 300 wooded sites for tents, RVs and rustic cabins, priced at $18 a day for a tent and $30 a day for an RV site or Cozy Cabin, plus tax.

The campground sits in a wooded area reached by paved roads and offers electric and water hookups, a dump station, bathhouses with showers, overnight security, a camp store and coin laundry (JaxParks camping). Cozy Cabins carry a two night minimum on the main park page and a two day minimum on the camping page, and every camping payment is final, with no refunds (JaxParks Hanna Park).

The Hanna Park camping page still says sites go first come, first served, yet the same page and the main park page point campers to the newer online reservation system that takes debit and credit cards (JaxParks camping).

Hanna Park prices do not drop in winter. The fee schedule lists RV sites at $30.00 and tent sites at $18.00 in both the regular season and the off season from Nov. 1 to March 1 (City of Jacksonville fees). It also prices primitive camping at $50.00, twilight and late camping at $15.00 each, and the dump station at $6.00.

Hanna Park cabins and buildings are smoke free, campers may not leave food unattended at a site or picnic area, and cutting, sawing or chopping trees anywhere in the park is forbidden (JaxParks camping). The campground rules repeat the park ban on grills and fires on the beach.

Hanna Park admits dogs only in the areas set aside for pets, on leashes no longer than eight feet, and it bans alcohol, glass, balloons and fireworks everywhere in the park.

A pet at Hanna Park must have its owner beside it and behave at all times (JaxParks Hanna Park). Grills and open flames stay off the sand, wildlife may not be fed, and picking plants or disturbing animals or park property is prohibited.

Chainsaws and generators are also on the Hanna Park banned list, and leaving the park means paying again to come back in, because the city charges a fee for re entry (JaxParks Hanna Park). Campers face the same alcohol, glass and balloon ban as day visitors (JaxParks camping).

Dolphin Plaza, a 2,000 square foot oceanfront hall inside Hanna Park, rents from $850, and picnic shelters, Lee Hall and the campground amphitheater are also listed on the city fee schedule.

Dolphin Plaza at Hanna Park holds 125 guests set up for a banquet or as a theater, 96 at classroom tables and 55 in a U shape; it is air conditioned, with a refrigerator, microwave and sink, and is available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (JaxParks Dolphin Plaza). The ceiling rises from 9 feet at the wall to 30 feet at its peak, and bookings go through (904) 255-6767.

Those Hanna Park figures come from Section 111.125 of the city fee schedule (City of Jacksonville fees). Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the City of Jacksonville website.