At the south end of Volusia County, historic New Smyrna Beach – right on the Atlantic Ocean – is home to Canaveral National Seashore. While the hikes here are mostly short – except for the famed wilderness beach walk to Playlinda Beach – there are many public lands sweeping west of Interstate 95 through prairies and pine flatwoods, cypress domes and dark hardwood forests.
Hickory Bluff Preserve
As the St. Johns River snakes its way north from the Canaveral Marshes, it passes through a series of vast marshes and lakes well-known to Central Florida residents – Lake Harney, Lake Jesup, and Lake Monroe. What you rarely see, however – unless you’re a boater – are the connections between the lakes and marshes. [...]
Smyrna Dunes Park
As the wind whips across a broad, sweeping peninsula reaching out towards Ponce Inlet, you can hear the squawks of shorebirds and the rustle of gopher tortoises intermingle with engines gunning and dogs barking. At New Smyrna Beach, Smyrna Dunes Park is one of those rare places where most recreational users are accommodated. The 2-mile [...]
