Clam Pass Park Shelling: Sand Dollar Sweet Spot

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Ever since I saw Clam Pass Park on Google Maps a few years ago, I’ve just felt like I need to go. Like, so bad.

I knew nothing about it, I didn’t know if it was good for shelling, I wasn’t even entirely sure if it had a beach.

But now I know, yes it is good for shelling, and yes it does have a beach. And today I’m going to tell you all about it.

My parents came to visit this winter and we all went down for a few days to visit my aunt and uncle who were in Bonita Springs for a month.

I decided this was it, this was my time to finally go shelling at Clam Pass Park.

I couldn’t find much info about shelling there but figured it can’t be that bad, it’s in southwest Florida, after all.

So our first morning down there we hit the beach. We didn’t want to get up at the crack of dawn but didn’t want to go too late and have it be too busy or parking full.

We settled on 8:30ish which ended up being perfect. There were almost no cars there yet which shocked all of us!

First up was the 3/4 mile boardwalk to get to the beach. This is a nice, wide, shaded boardwalk winding through mangroves.

There are spider webs stretching across the trees above you but they’re far enough away they shouldn’t be much of a concern.

Once you get to the end there is a snack bar and bathrooms, then the beach!

Just want to pop in for a quick PSA to remind you not to take any live shells or sand dollars! Make sure nothing is living in the shells you pick up.
If you do accidentally bring home something that’s alive, don’t sweat it. It’s probably happened to more people than you think. If it happens, bring it back to the beach if you can.

First we went to the right and we found some good shells but nothing super interesting.

This was a good spot to find wormies and I did find my first ever cone shell here! Although it was a little broken but I still love it.

I also found a sand dollar this way! It wasn’t huge but it was almost the size of my palm I’d say.

But wait, there’s more, another tiny little sand dollar! Then there were some more shells, kitten paws, turkey wings, olives, the usual.

We went down as far as we could before running into a flock of (possibly nesting?) birds before turning back.

We kept going past the snack bar area and this is where we hit the tiny sand dollar jackpot.

Almost everywhere I find broken pieces of them but until Clam Pass I had only found two whole ones (Lovers Key and Fort Clinch).

I didn’t find any broken pieces here but we found 17 whole ones! SEVENTEEN! I know that’s small potatoes for regular shellers but when you’ve only found two EVER, 17 is a lot.

There weren’t any spectacular shells over that way, more of the usual, but the sand dollars here really made it worth the visit.

Even without them I would have enjoyed it. When I say it was “the usual” shells and nothing spectacular, I don’t mean it was bad by any means.

We found lots of shells and I love them all. Plus, the beach is just beautiful. It was somewhat busy but it wasn’t packed but that could be the time of day.

We didn’t go super far to the left because the shells sort of died out not too far down so we headed back to meet up at the main area.

In total we probably spent less than two hours here but it’s not a super massive beach. It was a good amount of time though and it felt like enough for a good look around.

I didn’t go too far into the water, definitely not above my knees, and found a few things in there but not much.

I’m sure if you went further out you would have better luck but I usually do fine along the shore. If you want to find big shells though, the water is usually where you’ll find them.

In the end, that good feeling about Clam Pass Park was right and I’m SO GLAD that we went because SEVENTEEN SAND DOLLARS!

It was amazing. I loved it. I will absolutely go back next time I’m in the area.

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AllTrails – This is my favorite hike tracking app.
America the Beautiful – The national park pass is essential.
Booking.com – This is great for finding and booking hotels.
Get Your Guide – I recommend Get Your Guide for booking tours.
National Park Obsessed – This is the best national park planner.
Skyscanner – Skyscanner is great for finding and booking flights.
Enterprise – This is my rental car recommendation.
See all my resources here.

What kind of shells are at Clam Pass Park?

You can find the typical shells of southwest Florida at Clam Pass Park, I don’t think anything special can be found here. But some of those include:

Wormies
Sand dollars
Kitten paws
Fighting conchs
Augers
Turkey wings
Corals
Whelks
Olives
And so much more

What to bring shelling at Clam Pass Park

Sunscreen – If you plan on being outside, you’ll want sunscreen. I like the Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch a lot AND it’s reef safe! If you’re sensitive to fragrance though, it’s not a good choice. I also like the same one but specifically for your face.

Shell bag – I got these mesh shell bags over the summer and really like them so far. I do wish they were bigger but then I’ll just use two since it came with four. Buy my shell bags here!

Shark tooth sifter – The best and easiest way to find shark teeth is with a sifter. Scoop the sand into it with the sifter below, carefully shake the sand out of it on the water, and dig through whats left. We liked this one. You can use it alone but it’s easier with two people (one to scoop, one to sift). Buy our sifter here!

Big sand scooper – The best way to get the sand into the sifter is with one of these giant scoopers. We liked this one. Buy our scooper here!

Shell scoop (for standing) – A Sand Dipper shell scoop can help you get shells that are under water if you don’t want to snorkel/swim. They can also help just on the beach so you don’t have to bend over. You can scoop the shells right up. Buy a shell scoop here.

Sun hat – I got this giant sun hat and I love it! Mine doesn’t have the lining underneath but they do have some with UPF 50+ linings. Buy my hat here.

Water bottle – It’ll be hot and you’ll need to stay hydrated. Even if it’s not hot you need to stay hydrated. A Hydro Flask will keep your water ice cold all day long.

Headlamp – This is really only necessary if you’re going shelling at the crack of dawn so you can still use your hands to pick up shells and carry your bag.

Where is Clam Pass Park?

Clam Pass Park is almost right between North Naples and Naples. It’s 10-15 minutes from each.

Clam Pass Park boardwalk

There is a boardwalk at Clam Pass Park that you have to walk to get to the beach. It’s about 3/4 of a mile and takes you through a little mangrove forest.

It’s flat and easy and you can bring a wagon if you have beach supplies. It’s wide enough for that.

If you’re staying at the hotel or condo nearby some of them have golf cart shuttles that can take you there so you don’t have to walk but it’s a nice walk.

The main website says there is a free tram but I’m not sure if we saw that one.

Clam Pass Park facilities

There are bathrooms and a snack bar available at the beach, at the end of the boardwalk. They also have beach wheelchairs available!

Clam Pass Park parking

Like most beaches and shelling areas in southwest Florida, it gets busy and parking fills fast.

There is a parking lot at the boardwalk entrance that had plenty of space when we got there around 8:30 AM in early March but was pretty much full when we left no more than two hours later.

There are 171 spots and a $10 parking fee. It looked like there was also a parking area a couple of blocks away if the main one is full.

I would make sure to get there before 8:30 or 9, or later in the afternoon/early evening to get a spot but you never know.