The southern part of Brevard County around Melbourne is rich in natural lands and parks that invite exploration by day hikers, including habitats that are the northernmost point for many tropical species like gumbo-limbo. In addition to parks along the barrier islands, there are vast places to hike along the sand ridges and river floodplains on the western side of the county.
Coconut Point Sanctuary - Call it the Ocean-to-Lagoon Hike: this loop trail through one of Brevard County’s most diverse natural lands connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon in Melbourne Beach. Showcasing an array of habitats that [...]
Erna Nixon Park - Although Erna Nixon Park is just down the street from one of the busiest shopping malls on the Space Coast – Melbourne Square – it transports you right out of suburbia and back into the [...]
Florida Trail, Bull Creek WMA - Immerse in the pine savannas of Central Florida along the Florida Trail at Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area. With a 20.5 mile loop traversing these wide open spaces as well as the tributaries of Crabgrass [...]
Florida Trail, Three Lakes WMA - One of the largest expanses of open prairie remaining in the Southeast, the Kissimmee Prairie straddles the Kissimmee River between the southern fridge of suburbia in Kissimmee-St. Cloud and the north shore of Lake Okeechobee. [...]
Maritime Hammock Sanctuary - Bordering and managed by the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge – the first wildlife refuge in America established to protect sea turtles – Maritime Hammock Sanctuary showcases maritime, or coastal hammock, marshlands, and mangroves along [...]
Pelican Island NWR – Centennial Trail - Pelican Island isn’t just a National Wildlife Refuge, it’s the National Wildlife Refuge that started the whole concept going, back in 1903. Even further back, in 1858, the small island in the Indian River Lagoon [...]
Three Lakes WMA – Sunset Ranch Trail - Within the 64,000 acre expanse of Three Lakes WMA, the Sunset Ranch Trail at the Prairie Lakes Unit north of Kenansville provides an easy interpretive day hike to sample the habitats found in the preserve [...]
Triple N Ranch - With a rugged but well-marked loop trail traversing landscapes both panoramic and intimate, Triple N Ranch WMA protects more than 16,000 acres of wide open pine savanna, grassy prairies, cypress domes, and the cypress-lined floodplain [...]
Turkey Creek Sanctuary - Surrounded by suburbia in Palm Bay, Turkey Creek Sanctuary is a precious preserve of 117 acres, protecting the gentle bends of Turkey Creek as it carves a deep path through sandy banks on its winding [...]
Viera Wetlands - On the boundary between modern subdivisions and the floodplain of the St. Johns River, Viera Wetlands – modeled after Orlando Wetlands Park, to process wastewater naturally – has proven to be one of the best [...]
