Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve

Apalachicola NERR Nature Trail [view slides]

A sweeping view of the Apalachicola River estuary waits like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on this don’t-miss nature trail in Apalachicola, which coaxes you through a succession of coastal habitats out to a panorama of watery wilderness.

It’s one of my favorite walks in Northwest Florida because of how it gently introduces you to so many different habitats – including hardwood forest, bayhead, freshwater wetland, overwash plain, and the estuary – within such a short span of trail. A splash of blue flag iris, my favorite wildflower, appears along a trickling freshwater creek beneath the cypresses. Most of the trail is a boardwalk, except the hard-packed shell and rock path at the very beginning. And it’s less than a mile from the heart of downtown.

Resources

Overview

Location: Apalachicola
Length: 0.6 mile
Lat-Long: 29.732009, -84.995673
Type: Round-trip
Fees / Permits: None
Difficulty: Easy
Bug factor: Moderate
Restroom: No

Wheelchair-accessible with assistance: wheelchair-bound visitors will need assistance to traverse the short shell rock portion of the trail leading to the boardwalk.

Directions

Follow Market Street through Apalachicola to its north end. The entrance to the former Apalachicola NERR nature center is on the left past the marina, and the trail starts across from it.

Hike Details

Starting in front of the shuttered nature center – the new nature center is now a much larger facility in Eastpoint – head down the shell-packed pathway into the forest.