Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse's $16M Shoreline Makeover Nears Finish — Boardwalk, Trails and Snorkel Area Open in December

One of Jupiter's most recognizable places is about to look a lot different. A $16 million shoreline restoration at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area is nearly finished, and the public will get its first look at the new boardwalk, trails, pavilion and snorkeling area in December.

"The infrastructure itself is 95% complete," Peter DeWitt, the Bureau of Land Management's site manager, told The Palm Beach Post. Work started in March 2025 and was originally due to wrap up in August, but a federal government shutdown early in the contract and material delivery problems pushed the finish to early December.

Key dates

• Dec. 3, 10 a.m. — Invitation-only ribbon-cutting
• Dec. 3, 1–5 p.m. — Public grand opening
• Dec. 20 — Snorkeling area opens to the public

Why it was needed

The 120-acre site has been losing roughly 7 feet of shoreline a year. Over the past five decades it has lost more than 5 acres, with collapsing dunes and vegetation washing into the Intracoastal Waterway, where it became a hazard for boaters. The erosion also threatened the 166-year-old lighthouse and the surrounding habitat.

"This project is critical," DeWitt said.

Crews have stabilized about a mile of shoreline with sheet-pile and concrete retaining walls, limestone breakwaters and riprap. The rock barriers also give coral a place to take root and provide habitat for seagrass and marine life. The work is designed to withstand a 75-year flood event, and the breakwaters can be raised if sea levels rise. "I don't expect this to fall down in 75 years," DeWitt said.

What's new for visitors

• A new boardwalk: Roughly 800 feet long, running along the Loxahatchee River side of the property. It sits on about 200 pilings and has wider sections for interpretive signs and anglers.
• An ADA-accessible trail: It loops around the lighthouse and connects to the pier and boardwalk, with stairways down to small beaches.
• A protected snorkeling area: It sits near Cato's Bridge, with new pilings to keep boaters out and a kiosk with snorkeling information.
• A pavilion and event lawn: They'll host educational programs, including a monthly homeschool morning, along with private events. The lawn will also host the River Cherish Art Festival in March, where organizers hope to grow from 70 artists to 100.
• More kayaking: Two outfitters will work from new chickee huts, one on the Loxahatchee River and one on the Indian River Lagoon. Monthly public fishing days are also planned.

Katrina Heller, executive director of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, said the improvements are "a really great benefit" for the locals who walk the grounds daily and for lighthouse climbers.

A living shoreline

More than 7,000 mangroves have already been planted, and the goal is 10,000, with four more planting rounds to go. The project also includes a salt marsh, native plants that were saved from the site and replanted, and experimental artificial reef structures. Florida Atlantic University will monitor whether the new beaches stay stable once construction crews leave.

What changes for boaters

Boat access to the site's beaches stays, but on a smaller scale. The shoreline now holds about 17 boats at a time on a first-come, first-served basis. That matches the average daily use the BLM measured before construction. Holiday weekends used to draw 40 to 60 boats at once, and DeWitt said "that use is no longer permitted." An earlier design would have removed boat access entirely, so the final plan is a compromise reached after more than 800 public comments. The new dock is for permitted users only, and a Tequesta police boat will be stationed there on a lift.

Who paid for it

According to the BLM, $8.3 million came from the federal Great American Outdoors Act and $7 million came from the Florida Inland Navigation District, with the remainder coming from other sources. Congress designated the site an Outstanding Natural Area in 2008. The BLM manages it in partnership with the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum.

For more information, visit the BLM project page or call 561-295-5953.