Along the Treasure Coast around Vero Beach, there are many more hikes on the coastal strands than inland, thanks to agricultural lands in the interior. But being on the barrier islands immerses you in tropical habitats creeping close to the northernmost part of their range.
D.J. Wilcox Natural Area
Hidden behind a screen of mangroves along the Indian River Lagoon, D.J. Wilcox Natural Area is an offbeat place to find a hike. You wouldn’t expect it as you drive down the entrance road, which is lined with canals edged with mangroves on both sides. You still wouldn’t expect it as you walk along the [...]
Fort Drum Marsh
It’s the birthplace of the St. Johns River, a mosaic of wet prairies, cypress swamps, and hardwood hammocks in the wide open spaces between Yeehaw Junction and Vero Beach—waiting for you to explore. Zipping along SR 60 between Florida’s Turnpike and Vero Beach, you just don’t think about hiking. Orange groves, perhaps, or prairies or [...]
Indrio Savannahs
Call it arrested development. Sitting between Fort Pierce and Vero Beach, Indrio Savannas was a gleam in a developer’s eye more than a decade ago, but thankfully this particular subdivision never came to fruition. Only a mile from the Indian River Lagoon as the heron flies, the savannas of Indrio are expansive freshwater wetlands where [...]
Indrio Scrub
All along Florida’s east coast, the Atlantic Coastal Ridge is a special place. Atop these limestone bluffs – which dramatically outcrop along the Atlantic Ocean in places like House of Refuge, Blowing Rocks, Coral Cove, and Coconut Grove – are ancient sands upon which you’ll find ancient scrub forests – in the places that haven’t [...]
Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area
Resources Overview Location: Vero Beach Length: 3 miles or more Lat-Long: 27.587051, -80.375452 Type: balloons Fees / Permits: none Difficulty: moderate Bug factor: moderate to annoying Restroom: none Open sunrise to sunset. Mosquitoes can be fierce at times; use plenty of protection. There are now two trails at Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area – this hike [...]
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 – offshore from where the refuge access is today – was documented as a brown pelican breeding ground. On March [...]
