Green Key
North coast launch
Green Key is a north-coast kayak and paddleboard launch, free to park.
Green Key, officially Robert K. Rees Memorial Park, is a west-facing key beach with the most open Gulf exposure of the New Port Richey launches. You hand-launch off a primitive sand ramp or the beach itself, straight into water that faces the sunset, which is exactly why locals come here in the evening. That open exposure cuts both ways: when the wind has any west in it the beach builds real chop, so this is a pick-a-calm-morning spot rather than a launch-in-anything one. On a flat day it is lovely, a long sandy beach with a designated swim area and one of the better sunset seats on the coast. The park has restrooms and, unusually for this stretch, a free-standing rinse shower to wash the salt off before you drive home.
Where do I park, and is it free?
- Cost
- Free
- Parking
- Moderate
- Restrooms
- yes
- Showers
- yes
Free county park beach launch with parking and restrooms.
How clear is the water?
Open Gulf beach, builds chop in wind.
What will I see?
- Shorebirds working the beach and the tide line, dolphins off the key
- Manatees in the warmer near-shore water through the cold months
- Snook, trout, and redfish along the grass, pompano and whiting in the wash
What's the fishing like?
Open Gulf beach and flats: snook, trout, and redfish along the grass, pompano and whiting in the wash.
How do I share the water here?
This is a resting and feeding beach for shorebirds, so give any flock a wide arc instead of paddling or walking it up off the sand, and keep boards and dogs clear of any posted nesting areas in spring and summer. The grass off the beach is seagrass: walk out to open sand before you climb on rather than dragging through it.