Walton County moved its Beach Park and Ride trams to an off-season schedule on Oct. 1. Its paid parking lots don't get the off-season rate until November. So October sits between two calendars. Trams run less often than they did all summer, and a full day of parking still costs the summer price.
The gap matters more this year because of how much of the 2026 beach day on 30A now depends on the shuttle. The tram system grew in March, got a new name in June, and was built out around a new Grayton Beach access that has no parking spaces at all. If you own a home here and stay through fall and winter, the routes that kept their summer frequency and the ones that didn't now shape how your beach day goes.
Two Calendars, One Month Apart
The county's tram page says plainly that the schedule "begins on Oct. 1 for the off season." Park Walton County, which runs the three paid lots at Van Ness Butler, 393 Municipal and Grayton Beach Municipal, prices by month. Peak season runs March through October at $5 an hour or $15 for the full day. Winter, November through February, is $5 a day. Payment is required from 5 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. all year, and each daily payment carries an extra $0.45 fee plus state and county taxes.
| Period | Tram schedule | Daily parking without a permit |
|---|---|---|
| Through September | Expanded service, locals every 30 minutes | $5/hour or $15/day |
| October | Off-season, locals every 60 minutes | $5/hour or $15/day |
| November–February | Off-season, locals every 60 minutes | $5/day |
The county doesn't print Nov. 1 as a date. It follows from the month ranges on the fee schedule. In practice, a full beach day from the Grayton or 393 lot costs three times as much on Oct. 31 as on Nov. 1, and the tram service is the same on both days.
The Access With No Parking Gets the Best Service
The Bets "Beachmama" Haynes Regional Beach Access at 44 Hotz Avenue opened June 9, 2026. It has 1,600 square feet of beachfront amenities: restrooms, a 360-degree observation deck, rinse showers, a boardwalk, and an information station on the founding and history of Grayton Beach. On the county's beach-access chart, it is a tram pickup and drop-off point with zero parking spaces.
The county kept this access's service at full strength. The Grayton Express runs straight from the Grayton Beach Park and Ride at 1505 County Highway 283 South to Hotz Avenue every 10 minutes, daily from 6 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. The last departure is 9:40 p.m. That's the same frequency and the same hours as the summer route. The Grayton lot has 204 spaces, including nine ADA-accessible spaces, seven for low-speed vehicles and four with EV charging. It also has an air-conditioned lobby and restrooms.
The 393 Beach Park and Ride at 1668 South County Highway 393 has 74 spaces, four of them ADA-accessible. Its Ed Walline Express also kept a 10-minute frequency, but only from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the last departure at 6:50 p.m. For an early walk or an evening on the sand, Grayton is the only park-and-ride that runs before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m.
Between the Expresses, the Locals Went Hourly
The routes that connect the smaller regional accesses are where the off-season cuts show. In the expanded schedule the county published May 22, 2026, the locals left every 30 minutes. The current schedule runs them every 60.
- Blue Mountain Local, from Grayton Beach Park and Ride: Blue Mountain, Gulfview Heights, Dune Allen and Fort Panic regional accesses, then the 393 lot. Every 60 minutes, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., last departure 6 p.m.
- Dune Allen Local, from 393 Beach Park and Ride: Dune Allen, Fort Panic, Gulfview Heights and Blue Mountain regional accesses, then the Grayton lot. Every 60 minutes, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., last departure 6:30 p.m.
The Grayton Beach State Park Express ran every 30 minutes on the May schedule and isn't on the current one. The 30A.com guide to the service described the state park route as Memorial Day through Labor Day service, as it did the Topsail Hill Preserve State Park stop.
So if you're headed to Blue Mountain or Dune Allen this fall, check the departure time before you leave. With 60 minutes between trams, missing the last afternoon departure can leave you without a ride back to your car.
The Permit Question for Part-Time Owners
For residents, the cheapest way around the meters is the County Resident Annual Parking Permit. It costs $5 per vehicle per year plus a $3.50 transaction fee, and a household can register up to four vehicles. It's virtual and checked by license plate. Applicants submit proof of residency and vehicle registration.
Here is the county's definition of who qualifies:
"A resident of Walton County is someone who lives in Walton County and either owns residential property or rents or leases a residence within the County for a minimum of a six-month timeframe."
The definition starts with living in the county. Owning a 30A home you visit a few months a year may not qualify on its own. If that describes you, check your eligibility with Park Walton County before you count on the $5 permit. The non-resident options are an annual permit at $205 or a weekly permit at $90 per vehicle. At peak pricing, $205 equals about 14 full days at $15. At the winter rate, it equals 41 days at $5. The best choice for a non-resident owner depends on which months you're here.
Gulfview Heights, a Stop on Both Locals
Both hourly locals stop at Gulfview Heights Regional Beach Access, and this fall it's missing a familiar neighbor. On Aug. 12, South Walton Fire District crews responded to a fire at Goatfeathers Seafood Market, near the intersection of Gulfview Heights Street and County Highway 30A in the 3800 block. They found heavy fire on the second floor. There were no injuries, and investigators' initial findings pointed to an accidental kitchen fire. In a statement after the fire, the owner said the market could be closed "at least six months, and even that may be optimistic." The owner also said they were committed to rebuilding and reopening.
The beach access itself is in design for its next phase. After an Aug. 24 public meeting picked Design B, the Gulfview Heights right-of-way project went to the Board of County Commissioners for approval. Plans include more parking, more accessible parking, low-speed vehicle parking, resurfacing of Gulfview Heights Street, a realigned multi-use path and a tram stop shelter. Construction is expected to start in fall 2027. The county gives the same timeline for the Blue Mountain Beach right-of-way project, with its 225 linear feet of on-street parking, and for the CR 30A segment from east of Hilltop Lane to west of Allen Loop, where a public workshop was held Sept. 21. None of that work affects this fall.
To the east, the Seagrove Regional Beach Access, which the county lists as opened April 7, has 23 parking spaces, a 1,011-square-foot restroom building, an accessible dune walkover with rinse showers and a link to the multi-use path. It isn't on a tram route. It's a drive-up access, close to the new Beach Happy Cafe + Cocktails and the 30A Store at 5311 E County Highway 30A, which opened after a July 1 ribbon-cutting.
The Fall Dates Where the Schedule Matters
Several fall events land on dates when the parking calendar or the tram hours affect your plans:
- Saturday, Oct. 10: The Market Shops' 11th Annual Bloody Mary Festival in Miramar Beach, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with 16 cocktail competitors. Peak parking rates are still in effect.
- Friday, Nov. 6: Two events on one night. The 30A BBQ Festival runs 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Grand Boulevard's North Lawn, with 18 barbecue competitors and proceeds going to The Sonder Project. Mountainfilm on Tour opens the same evening at WaterColor Marina Park Amphitheater, 238 WaterColor Blvd. W., and continues Saturday, Nov. 7. Gates open at 5:45 p.m. and films start at 7 p.m.
- Nov. 11–15: Alys Beach Crafted at venues around Alys Beach. The Holiday Makers Market is free and open to the public, and several other events are ticketed.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: The 15th Annual 30A 10K Thanksgiving Day Races in Rosemary Beach. The 10K starts at 7:30 a.m., the one-mile run at 7:35 a.m. and the 5K at 9:30 a.m.
- Late fall: Walton County expects to finish Kellogg Park Nature Center at 855 E. Nursery Road in Santa Rosa Beach. It's on 9.75 acres donated by the Kellogg family and will have an 1,800-square-foot building, picnic pavilions along the trail network and a connection to Kellogg Bayside Park.
The 30A.com guide to the service notes that routes, operating hours and departure times can change. Check the current schedule on the Walton County Tourism transportation page and the rates at Park Walton County before a planned beach day, especially in late October, right before the parking rate changes.
If you're spending more of the year on 30A, or wondering whether a second home there fits how your family actually uses the coast, the team at Selling Southlake can help you look at the practical details, from beach access to how often you'll be in town. Request a Concierge Consultation and we'll go through it with you.