Round Island Riverside Park 2026 Visitor Guide

Round Island Riverside Park is an Indian River County park at 2200 South Highway A1A in Vero Beach, on the Indian River Lagoon side of the highway 7.5 miles south of 17th Street and A1A.

Indian River County lists the park at 2200 South Highway A1A, Vero Beach, FL 32963, and gives its location as 7.5 miles south of 17th Street and A1A (Indian River County). The county places the adjoining Round Island South Conservation Area, immediately south of the park, on the west side of SR A1A (Indian River County). Round Island Oceanside Beach Park sits directly across A1A at 2201 South Highway A1A, and the county calls the two parks sister sites (Indian River County).

Round Island is a county park, not a City of Vero Beach park, so questions about it go to Indian River County Parks, Recreation and Conservation at 1590 9th St SW, Vero Beach, (772) 226-1780 (Indian River County Parks, Recreation and Conservation). The Florida Birding Trail lists the site as free to enter and managed by Indian River County (Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail).

Round Island Riverside Park has two boat ramps, a canoe launch, a 400 foot manatee boardwalk, a fishing pier, an observation tower, a pavilion with a grill, restrooms and walking trails on 82.8 acres.

The county describes a paved parking lot, two boat ramps, a canoe launch, a picnic pavilion with a grill and a 400 foot boardwalk to observe the many manatees (Indian River County). A foot bridge crosses to a small island whose trails lead to the observation tower and the fishing pier. The Florida Birding Trail adds that the tower is two stories and lists a viewing platform as well (Florida Birding Trail).

The county counts 12 boat trailer spaces and 28 parking spaces at Round Island, and those 28 spaces are shared by boardwalk walkers, anglers on the pier and paddlers at the canoe launch (Indian River County).

Indian River County lists Round Island Riverside Park as open 24 hours with a 24 hour boat ramp, but county rules ban overnight parking, pets, alcohol, open fires, camping and fireworks in the park.

The county park page cites its ordinances for each rule: no pets in any county park (Ordinance 205.03.22), no alcohol (205.03.26), no open fires (205.03.04), no camping (205.03.16), no overnight parking and no trespassing when the park is closed (205.03.19), no equestrian activities, no fireworks and no remote controlled aircraft (Indian River County park rules). The pet ban covers the Riverside Park boardwalk and tower.

The listed hours do not agree across official pages. The county lists the riverside park as open 24 hours, while the Florida Birding Trail lists the Round Island complex as open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset (Florida Birding Trail), and the county lists the adjoining Round Island South Conservation Area as open 7:30 a.m. to sunset year round (Indian River County). The no overnight parking rule means a car left at Round Island overnight breaks county rules even though the ramp itself is listed as always open. Last verified: October 14, 2026, on the Indian River County website.

Manatees may be present at Round Island in the fall and winter months, in the creek, under the bridge or in front of the boat ramps, and Tricolored Herons, Snowy Egrets and Brown Pelicans can be watched from the boardwalk, tower and platform.

The Florida Birding Trail describes manatees in the creek in the fall and winter months, seen swimming under the bridge or in front of the Round Island boat ramps (Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail). From the boardwalk, tower and platform it lists Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret and Brown Pelican. For Limpkin, Clapper Rail, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Caspian Tern and Wood Stork it sends birders to the boat ramps in the southeast corner of the park and the impoundment loop trail south through the mangroves. The maritime hammock has recorded up to 20 species of wood-warbler, including Cape May, Blackpoll and Wilson's.

Watching from the Round Island boardwalk carries legal limits. Florida's Manatee Sanctuary Act, section 379.2431 of the Florida Statutes, makes it unlawful to intentionally or negligently annoy, molest, harass or disturb any manatee (Florida Senate), and the county park page adds the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and Endangered Species Act of 1973 protections (Indian River County). The county page adds that a state conviction carries a possible maximum fine of $500 and/or up to 60 days in jail, and a federal conviction a fine of up to $50,000 and/or one year in prison.

The Round Island South Conservation Area is a 59-acre county tract of mangrove wetland and live oak hammock immediately south of Round Island Riverside Park, open 7:30 a.m. to sunset with parking at the park.

Indian River County describes two plant communities on the tract: a large mangrove wetland along the Indian River Lagoon, reached by an impoundment road around its edge, and a maritime hammock of mature live oaks to the east (Indian River County Round Island South Conservation Area). The main walking trail follows the edge of the mangroves, and the county notes wading birds, frogs, lizards, burrowing crabs and pools of juvenile fish along the way, with manatees often seen in the lagoon from the impoundment road. The Birding Trail says the conservation area can be reached in two places off the southern boundary of Riverside Park, including a trail opening in the live oaks about 100 yards west of the main park entrance (Florida Birding Trail).

The rules differ from the riverside park: dogs are allowed on a leash in the Round Island South Conservation Area, while alcohol, glass containers, open fires and overnight parking are banned, so a leashed dog can walk the conservation trail but not the Riverside Park boardwalk.

Indian River County is designing a viewing area and boardwalk at the south end of the Round Island conservation trail and planning a possible floating kayak launch beside the existing boat launch, with no completion date posted.

The county conservation area page says it is in the process of design and permitting of a viewing area and boardwalk at the southern end of the existing trail, and is developing a plan that may include a floating kayak launch near the northwest portion of the impoundment, adjacent to the existing Round Island boat launch (Indian River County). The page carries no date for either project, so the status is best confirmed with the Parks, Recreation and Conservation office. The county has already installed several culverts to improve the connection between the impoundment and the lagoon.

Across the highway, Round Island Oceanside Beach Park offers the Atlantic side: an 11.36-acre county beach open daily 7 a.m. to sunset, with lifeguards on duty 9:10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., 73 parking spaces, five pavilions, a playground, outdoor showers and a beach wheelchair available 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Indian River County Round Island Oceanside Beach Park). The county ties that beach to the Fort Pierce Amphibious Training Base of World War II and notes concrete tank traps still visible offshore. The Digital Towns Vero Beach parks guides cover the city's own riverfront parks.