Along Scenic A1A on one of the prettiest stretches of oceanfront on the Atlantic Coast, the historic seaside community of Flagler Beach is the anchor of an array of natural lands that offer hiking opportunities by the sea and along inland waterways. Historic sites, ancient forests, and excellent birding are all a part of the mix.
Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve
Nestled in an unexpected corner of Flagler Beach, Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve protects more than 200 acres of mangrove marsh, mud flats, and coastal uplands right on the edge of this downtown beach community. Established in 1995, an extensive network of boardwalks carries you along estuarine creeks and out to the Intracoastal Waterway, offering panoramic [...]
Bulow Creek Trail
The essence of primordial Florida still echoes through Bulow Hammock, a dark and mysterious place running like a ribbon of the “Land of the Lost” trapped between the flow of traffic on Interstate 95 and the sluggish quiet of Bulow Creek, a freshwater outlet just a mile or two from the Atlantic Ocean. The Bulow [...]
Faver-Dykes State Park
Near the mouth of the Matanzas River, Faver-Dykes State Park is a popular launch point for paddlers eager to explore the estuaries between the barrier islands and the coast. Nestled in oak hammocks along Pellicer Creek, this peaceful park also has an easy nature trail for landlubbers to trace the route of the creek through [...]
Fort Matanzas Nature Trail
If there is a place in Florida where ghosts walk the dunes, this would be it. In the early 1560s, France established a foothold in Florida, with Jean Ribault claiming the land for France. The settlement of Fort Caroline took hold along the St. Johns River. A few years later, Pedro Menendez de Aviles established [...]
Princess Place Preserve
At the confluence of Pellicer Creek and the Matanzas River, Princess Place Preserve is a Flagler County park protecting the oldest homestead in the county, Cherokee Grove. In 1791, this land grant from the King of Spain was quickly planted in orange groves. By 1886, it passed into the hands of Henry Cutting, who constructed [...]
Wadsworth Park
Along a cove on a tidal creek that flows out to the Intracoastal Waterway, Wadsworth Park near Flagler Beach provides a gentle introduction to the marshes. While it’s a 45-acre county park with the usual amentities – ballfields, tennis courts, and a “Paw Park” – it’s also a fabulous spot for birding on the edge [...]
Washington Oaks Gardens State Park – Bella Vista Trail
At lush Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, a treasure along the Atlantic coast, the Bella Vista Trail leads you along its white-blazed Timucuan Loop through a shady maritime hammock of red bay, southern magnolia, and cabbage palms. The patchwork of habitats along this sliver of barrier island are fully explored along this 1.8 mile loop, [...]
