Walton County's free beach tram runs every day. On this fall's schedule, every route begins and ends east of Miramar Beach. The county is now building the piece that changes that. On a 1.25-acre parcel at 76 Driftwood Road, the Driftwood Road Municipal Parking Facility is going up as a hub for the South Walton Beach Tram. Completion is expected in winter 2026.
So Miramar Beach is joining the county's park-and-ride beach network. The first visible changes are the Driftwood Road lot and a planned quarter mile of formalized parking on Scenic Gulf Drive next to Miramar Park.
Every Tram Route Today Starts From Two Lots
The county's Beach Tram schedule went to its off-season timetable on Oct. 1. All of the service still runs out of two park-and-rides in Santa Rosa Beach:
- 393 Beach Park and Ride, 1668 S County Hwy 393. The Ed Walline Express goes straight to Ed Walline Regional Beach Access every 10 minutes, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The hourly Dune Allen Local stops at Dune Allen, Fort Panic, Gulfview Heights and Blue Mountain accesses and at the Grayton Beach Park and Ride.
- Grayton Beach Park and Ride, 1505 County Hwy 283 S. The Grayton Express runs to Bets "Beachmama" Haynes Regional Beach Access every 10 minutes, 6 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. The hourly Blue Mountain Local covers the same string of accesses in reverse, ending at 393.
Every beach access on those routes is on the 30A side of the county, and none is in Miramar Beach. The network grew this year: WJHG reported new routes starting March 1, 2026, and by Memorial Day weekend the station was covering service to Topsail Hill and Grayton Beach state parks. All of that growth stayed on the 30A side of the county. On the same schedule page, Miramar Beach shows up only under a heading that reads "Coming Soon."
What Is Going Up at 76 Driftwood Road
The Driftwood Road facility is what moves Miramar Beach out of that "Coming Soon" line. At the Tourist Development Council's Oct. 6, 2026 meeting, Walton County Tourism's Beach Operations update gave this list:
- 82 parking spaces
- Four electric vehicle charging stations
- An 800-square-foot restroom building
- Dedicated ADA, low-speed vehicle and bicycle parking
- Drainage improvements
- A hub for the South Walton Beach Tram
- A $2.2 million budget, 35% complete as of that meeting
The county's project page calls the restroom building an air-conditioned public transit stop. That detail matters more than it sounds. At 393 and Grayton, the park-and-ride is where riders leave the car and wait. At Driftwood, the county has designed the waiting area as a building.
For scale, 82 spaces is a lot smaller than the parking at Miramar Park, which the county lists at more than 200 spaces. The Driftwood lot isn't meant to replace beach parking on Scenic Gulf Drive. It's a staging point that feeds riders onto it.
The First Route Points at Miramar Park
The schedule page says what the hub will do once it opens. Driftwood Road will "join the Beach Tram service with a direct route from Driftwood Road MPF to Miramar RBA, as well as other RBAs along Scenic Gulf Drive," with final routes still to be posted.
Miramar RBA is the county's name for Miramar Beach Regional Beach Access #49, at 2375 Scenic Gulf Drive. Most locals know it as Miramar Park. The Tourist Development Council owns and runs it. Parking sits on both the north and south sides of Scenic 98, with more than 200 spaces, plus restrooms, showers, three beach accesses (one of them ADA accessible), and more than 1,100 feet of public beach. The county lists admission as free.
Here is where the rest of Miramar Beach's county beach access sits, according to Visit South Walton's beach access directory:
| Access | Address | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Miramar Beach Regional Beach Access #49 | 2375 Scenic Gulf Dr. | Regional, with parking and accessible facilities |
| Scenic Gulf Drive Regional Beach Access | 907 Scenic Gulf Dr. | Regional, with parking and restrooms |
| Geronimo Street #48 | 735 Scenic Gulf Dr. | Neighborhood |
| Norwood Drive #47 | 132 Norwood Dr. | Neighborhood |
| Open Gulf Street #46 | 213 Open Gulf St. | Neighborhood |
| Sand Trap #45 | 253 Sand Trap Rd. | Neighborhood |
The four neighborhood accesses don't list parking, and the county's beach access FAQ says neighborhood accesses are designed mainly for walk-up traffic. That leaves the two regional accesses carrying almost all the drive-in demand along Scenic Gulf Drive. A tram from Driftwood is aimed squarely at that load. If you live near one of the walk-up accesses, the tram changes little about your own trip to the sand. It changes how many cars are circling the regional lots.
The Quarter Mile West of Ellis Road
The second project starts at Miramar Park's own curb. On Aug. 25, 2026, Commissioner Johns raised right-of-way parking along Scenic Gulf Drive and asked staff to look at parking and landscaping near Miramar Beach Regional Beach Access. Beach Operations Director Josh Ervin said staff would prepare a task work order. That order went before the Board of County Commissioners on its Oct. 27, 2026 consent agenda: a $178,349.33 task order with HDR, Inc. for design, permitting and construction administration, paid from the TDC's fiscal 2026/27 budget.
The agenda item states the county's goal plainly. It calls for "formalized on-street parking in all feasible areas," both regular and low-speed vehicle spaces, and it would "limit parking in undesired locations" by adding landscaping and hardscape. HDR's Oct. 8 scope narrows that to about 0.25 mile from the west entrance of Miramar Beach Regional Access to Ellis Road. It covers parallel parking where possible along the northern half of the right-of-way, landscaping to keep cars off the grass, drainage work, and widening the multi-use path from 8.5 feet to 10 feet.
Driftwood adds organized parking a short tram ride from the beach. The Scenic Gulf Drive work turns informal roadside parking at the beach into marked spaces and adds landscaping where cars used to pull onto the grass. Both move the corridor toward planned, counted parking.
How the System Runs Where It Is Already Built
The 30A side of the county shows how the finished system works. On April 3, 2026, Walton County started paid parking at three lots: Van Ness Butler, 393 Municipal and Grayton Beach Municipal. Two of those three are the tram's park-and-rides. The county's tram page describes the service as connecting "pay parking facilities" with regional beach accesses.
Under Park Walton County's posted rates, payment at those lots is required from 5 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., 365 days a year. From November through February, daily parking is $5 for the whole day. From March through October, it's $5 an hour or $15 for the day. Payment is due on arrival, by card or phone only, and paying doesn't hold a space. Walton County residents can buy an annual permit for $5 per vehicle plus a $3.50 transaction fee. The county FAQ defines a resident as someone who lives in the county and either owns residential property or rents or leases a residence there for at least six months. Non-residents pay $205 a year or $90 a week. As WJHG reported when the program launched, tram rides from all the municipal lots stay free.
None of those three paid lots is in Miramar Beach. Miramar Park is listed as free. For a Miramar Beach household that heads to Grayton or Ed Walline now and then, the off-season matters. Through February, parking at those lots costs $5 a day before you even think about a permit. This is general information, not legal or financial advice, so check the county's current terms for your own address and vehicles before you buy a permit.
One More Project in the Queue
The third Miramar Beach item on the county's project list is Legion Park, at 119 Crest Drive. Planned improvements include a splash pad, new playground equipment, two launch piers, another pickleball court, a resurfaced basketball court, shade pavilions, and more parking for cars, trucks and trailers. The county lists the project as pending permit.
Together, the three projects all sit on the Miramar Beach end of the county's beach operations work: a tram hub on Driftwood Road, formalized parking on Scenic Gulf Drive, and a bigger launch-and-recreation park at Legion Park. If you want the 30A version of the same process, our look at the first off-season with 30A's new beach accesses open follows the tram from the other side. For the rule that splits Miramar Beach from Destin at the county line, see our dog beach explainer.
If you own along Scenic Gulf Drive or near Driftwood Road, a new tram hub and formalized parking can change how guests get to the beach and how rental listings describe it. The Marie Babin Team watches these county projects so our clients' plans keep up with the corridor. Connect with our Coastal Experts, or start with our Miramar Beach neighborhood page.
