Stuart is the southern anchor of the Treasure Coast, surrounded by natural lands and refuges that offer plenty of opportunities for hiking and backpacking, both near communities and off the beaten path.
Florida Trail, Henry Creek to Okeechobee
Arcing northward along the shoreline of Lake Okeechobee, this paved segment of the Florida Trail – known locally as the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail – offers spectacular sweeping views of the open water of one of America’s biggest lakes. It’s here you encounter an interesting array of bird life, from sandhill cranes to colonies of… [Continue Reading]
Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake: Corbett WMA
Seen on your GPS or a satellite photo, Corbett WMA appears to be wetlands, wetlands, and more wetlands. But this popular wildlife management area west of West Palm Beach is a place of superlatives: vast prairies, enormous trees, and landscapes that seem to go on forever. Painted with colorful wildflowers in every season, it echoes… [Continue Reading]
Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake: DuPuis Reserve
It took more than a decade of planning to get the project on the ground, but the Ocean-to-Lake Trail, a spur of the 1,400-mile Florida Trail leading from Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic Ocean at Hobe Sound, is now a reality. The easternmost segments provide some ongoing access challenges, but the western section – accessed… [Continue Reading]
Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake: DuPuis to Corbett
Deep in the heart of the Ocean-to-Lake Greenway, this 9.7 mile segment of the Florida Trail bridging DuPuis Reserve and Corbett WMA is one of the most wild and scenic treks in southeastern Florida. It’s necessary to backpack in from one end or the other of the Ocean-to-Lake western segment in order to experience the… [Continue Reading]
Florida Trail, Port Mayaca to Henry Creek
One of five segments of the Florida Trail that are paved around Lake Okeechobee, the 13.7-mile walk between Port Mayaca and Henry Creek offers unparalleled vistas of both open water and the marshes of Chauncey Bay, teeming with bird life. This is definitely a section that city folks who exercise on pavement will excel at,… [Continue Reading]
Jonathan Dickinson State Park – East Loop Trail
For backpackers headed to the urban southeastern part of the Florida, Jonathan Dickinson State Park provides more than 11,000 acres to roam on a series of three trails maintained by the Florida Trail Association. Although the East Loop took some severe battering during the hurricanes of 2005, losing the sand pine scrub canopy along the… [Continue Reading]
Jonathan Dickinson State Park – Hobe Mountain Trail
Catch a sweeping view from an observation tower atop the highest natural hill south of Lake Okeechobee, a vantage point that lets you survey a broad swath of landscape from the Atlantic Ocean to the wet flatwoods that march off to the west of the Loxahatchee River. This short boardwalk trail is one of the… [Continue Reading]
Jonathan Dickinson State Park – Kitching Creek Loop
Brilliant pink orchids. The clatter of sandhill cranes. Ferns rising from depression marshes. Cabbage palms shading your campsite. These are reasons to head into the woods on the second of two stacked loops for long distance roaming within Jonathan Dickinson State Park, the Kitching Creek Loop. It’s connected to the East Loop via a short… [Continue Reading]
Oak Hammock Park
Buried in a sea of development, Oak Hammock Park is one of those little gems that shouldn’t be missed. The canopy of centuries-old live oaks is a strong counterpoint to the surrounding manicured lawns and water management canals. In addition to the lush, fern-laden hammock, the park encompasses a patch of pine forest and an… [Continue Reading]
Rocky Point Hammock
An oasis of tropical hammock in a sea of suburbia, Rocky Point Hammock is perched along the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Port Salerno, south of Stuart. This unique location creates an appealing mix of scrub and tropical habitats, with diminutive plants atop the higher elevations and a dense ring of tropical forest and ancient trees… [Continue Reading]
Seabranch Preserve State Park
Seabranch Preserve State Park encompasses nearly 1,000 acres along the Intracoastal Waterway south of Stuart, and protects several critical habitats in an area overrun with coastal development. In addition to supporting populations of Florida scrub-jays and gopher tortoises across its many acres of diminutive scrub forest, Seabranch Preserve contains one of South Florida’s rare bayhead… [Continue Reading]
