Peck Lake Park is located south of the St. Lucie Inlet. When you drive in to the park there is a…read morepaved loop road lined with picnic pavilions and grills. There is also a restroom. At the back of the loop is a hiking trail that leads you through mangroves to the intracoastal waterway which runs between the park and the Hobe Sound Wildlife Refuge. The walk is about 15 minutes each way. Part of the path is gravel and part of it is an elevated wooden boardwalk that takes you over the wetlands. The 1/2 mile trail takes you through mesic flat woods, hard woods, mangrove swamps., and brackish slough. You cross over a spoil island that was created from the dredging of the intracoastal. There are interpretive signs along the way providing information on the Ais who were the Native people in this area thousands of years ago, and the plants and animals in the park. The park is a good place to spot birds during the spring and fall migration. You can find American Redstarts and Common Yellowthroats and Spotted Sandpipers along the shore in the winter.

Nice place to walk and take in the fresh air. Might get lucky and spot dolphins out by the…read moreintracoastal. Bug spray recommend.

North trail offers straight and firm opportunity to get a sweat via walk/run/bike…read more South trail offers scenic and partly rugged areas to stroll and leisurely pace through if desired. Plus, Indian burial mounds and pioneer cemetery adds to the enjoyment

Spruce Bluff Preserve is 97 acres. In the 1990's a community of more than 60 homes was planned for…read morethe area but in 1995 the St. Lucie County saved the historic spot by buying the land and making it into one of the county's first preserves, The hiking trail is on the marsh and scrub land in between the houses off Southbend Boulevard along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. This is one of the more interesting hiking trips I have taken because there is so much history here. If you take the trail from the parking lot about half a mile down you will come to the site that was a pioneer settlement and cemetery along the banks of the St. Lucie River. The trail itself was the roadway for the development that never happened. The area was settled in 1891 after the Second Seminole War ended in 1842. Spruce Bluff founder John Enos Fultz Jr. came from South Carolina to farm pineapples which did well in the sandy soil. Spruce Bluff was a community of several families with a school, post office and sawmill. To make $10 a month Fultz rowed the St. Lucie River to Stuart to deliver the mail to Stuart. In 1894 and 1895 a winter freeze killed the crops and the families moved out of the area. Fultz moved to Ft. Pierce where he became the first Clerk of the Circuit Court for St. Lucie County when it was created in 1905. To find the cemetery look for the two wooden posts on the side of the right hand trail that leads to a sandy trail that takes you to it. The cemetery is surrounded by a fence with a monument. It is owned privately but you are welcome to visit. The seven headstones of the Spruce Bluff pioneers buried inside the fence were vandalized so one monument was put up instead. If you take the trail behind the parking lot it leads to an Ais midden which was their trash dump. Middens are important because they can tell you a lot about the people who lived in the area. This midden has yielded fish bones during excavations. To get to the site you travel along a one mile trail. As you make your way down you come to two boardwalks that cross over the wetlands. The Ais were a tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the Atlantic Coast of Florida from present day Cape Canaveral to the St. Lucie Inlet. They became extinct in the 1760's when they were sold off for slaves or succumbed to disease. The best knowledge we have of these people came from Jonathan Dickinson's journal when he was taken prisoner by them. There is no sign for the mound. It's 20 feet high and 180 feet wide and may be hundred of thousands of years old. If you didn't know it was back there it would just look like a hill. In addition to the hiking trails which can also be biked there is canoe access. A saw a lot of birds on the trail as well as many adorable rabbits. It's an easy hike and the history of this area makes it a very special place to visit.

The Maggy of Maggy's Hammock was environmentalist and long time county Martin County commissioner,…read moreMaggy Hurchalla. Before being renamed in Maggy's honor this was known as Rocky Point Hammock. This is a 22 acre natural conservation area consisting of scrub and maritime hammock communities. Scrub habitats are particularly endangered in Florida. They used to cover many miles but have been reduced to small patches since they occur at higher elevations which is exactly where developers like to build. This park is like walking back in time to before Florida was turned into strip malls and subdivisions. There is a paved trail that is ADA accessible and leads to a picnic area and playground. Along the presenter of the hammock is a one mile natural earth loop trail. As you walk along the trails you will see gumbo limbo trees nicknamed the tourist tree because the peeling bark looks like sunburn. Also look for white stopper known for its skunk like smell, the thorny acacia, oak and paradise trees, slash pines, strangler fig, wild coffee, beauty berry, resurrection ferns, hickory, the white blooming marlberry, Florida and scrub rosemary, wild lime, and saw palmetto. The large number of berry producing plants attracts an assortment songbirds. Look for them in the trees. This park is part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail. On the ground you may be able to spot the state protected gopher tortoises. The destruction of their habitat has dealt a blow to their population. I was excited to see two tortoises walking around the preserve. Although I can form easily spot their burrows I rarely see them walking around as they spend up to 80 percent of their time burrowed under dry sandy ground. I loved my walk through this natural area. Martin County has 93,000 acres parks and preserves to explore and it is always fun to discover a new one. A visit to Twin Rivers Park a half a mile away is also well worth your time. There is a gorgeous view of the St. Lucie River and the chance to spot even more gopher tortoises.

Haney Creek Trail is actually two trails. The trails are primarily used by dog walkers, people…read morelooking to exercise, bird watchers, and nature photographers. Some of the wildlife that had been seen along the trail include foxes, turtles, black indigo snakes, and butterflies. Some of th plants you will find here are sweetbay magnolias, dahoon hollies with red berries, white water lily, and tarflowers. Amenities at the trail include restrooms, pavilions with picnic tables, water fountains, and trail maps. The north track is a 1.1 mile loop trail that goes through scrub habitat around wetlands and through sandy pine trails. This is the trail that takes you to the dog park. In 2017 Stuart completed a water restoration project involving 153 acres of wetlands that created a fresh water and tidal wetland that cleans storm water run off and improves water quality in the St. Lucie estuary. It improves the health of the ecosystem. The water in the ponds remove pollutants and provide a habitat for wildlife. The project also added 1/3 of a mile to the nature trails. The southern trail requires you to cross over roads and is not very clearly marked. This trail goes through a pine woods habitat. I only had time to visit the north trail and had a pleasant walk. If I lived nearby I would be a regular visitor. I applaud Stuart for working to preserve the wetlands to ensure the health of the nearby St. Lucie River.

I'm determined to try every walking/hiking trail around Martin County. I had to ask around to find…read morethis one. There are two trails, the North Trail and the South Trail. The North Trail, in my opinion is better. There isn't a lot of shade and most of it is sugar sand, but the sand isn't super soft so it's not that bad to walk on. It's impossible to get lost here. There are numbered markers everywhere along the walking path. There's also a small dog park near the parking lot with different sections for large and small dogs. Now, the South Trail is just bizarre. The first part of it runs along a busy road. Then you have to cross a busy street. Kinda strange, no? Then it loops around and you're in back of someone's house. There's also a lot of glass bottles people have thrown so be careful if you bring your dog here. Guess what? After that there's a SECOND busy road you have to cross. Well now I was just annoyed but the trail got better after that. If that section was longer, I would have enjoyed this trail more but it was wasn't long at all. All in all, I think the North Trail is a lot better, it's quieter and you don't have to cross any streets during your walk.

Cool park! We drive by often and it's always something we've wanted to stop and check out. I had no…read moreidea this park is so huge! You could drive for 30 minutes and still not see everything! We stopped by on a weekday and the park was pretty and relaxing. Not too many people on the couple of trails we did. The observation tower is closed but they still have a nice boardwalk up to that area that makes for a great walk! It's pretty highly elevated for Florida - kind of impressive in person! Entry is $6 per car, and the lady provided a map and recommended her favorite trail. We checked that trail out as well (the white trail), but the height of the observation tower trail was really the star! We decided to drive around after doing both trails, and we saw their campgrounds. So surprising at how busy this place was! It seemed there was hardly an empty spot! Must be a happening place to camp! We'd definitely return for more adventures, as this is a cool park!

This place is great for those into the outdoors or nature in general. Kayaking, camping, fishing,…read moreand plenty of wildlife you might run into. There's overlooks and and an endless supply of trails to choose. I will definitely be back with some chairs and hoping for some quiet time to myself. The environment is so unique here you feel like you're in a different country at times.

Pretty area but a bit muddy with high puddles when we went and look out towers were closed. We…read morewill have to check it out again after good weather.

Fantastic place to walk the trails. You get to see different environments & topography. If you are…read morelucky, you see lots of birds & tortoises & and an armadillo or two. The nature center is great as well. They have a nice exhibit and resident ambassador animals. Tip: they recycle plastic bags and styrofoam here so I always save and bring to drop off. Thank you Oxbow!!!!!

The Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge is part of the U.S. National Wildlife…read moreRefuge System. It is located in the Town of Jupiter Island in Florida. This is the perfect spot to learn about the local animal habitats. This great for the kids to enjoy and explore nature at its natural beauty. The Staff and Rangers are very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The trails are nice and lead to an amazing white sandy beach.

Nathaniel Reed Hobe sound National refuge is not far from Johnathan Dickenson state park. We decide…read morethat we would take a hike to discover more about nature. The center is closed but you can walk on the trail and get a sense of what old Florida was like. On our walk, we saw a pretty turtle that I named Anastasia she was a sport when it came to taking pictures with her. This trail led us to the beach with its beautiful pristine white sand that looked like snow. Many turtles come to nest at this beach I am told. About this Refuge. The National Wildlife Refuge, a part of the United StatesNational Wildlife Refuge System, is a refuge on Jupiter Island in Florida. Its official name as of 2019 is the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. Part of the refuge is inside the town of Jupiter Island, while the rest is in the unincorporated areas of Martin County. The 1,035-acre refuge was established in 1969, to protect the loggerhead and green sea turtles. It is administered as part of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Within the refuge is the 173-acre Reed Wilderness Seashore Sanctuary, designated a National Natural Landmark in November 1967. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, a significant amount of coastal erosion in Florida is directly attributable to the construction and maintenance of navigation inlets. In July 2013, approximately 200,000 cubic yards (150,000 m3) of beach-quality material was dredged from the St. Lucie Inlet Federal channel and impoundment basin and placed on the downdrift beaches of Jupiter Island in the vicinity of the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, with funding provided to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from the U.S. Congress. Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge was established on September 30, 1969. It is a coastal refuge bisected by the Indian River Lagoon into two separate tracts of land totaling over 1000 acres. The 735-acre Jupiter Island track provides some of the most productive sea turtle nesting habitats in the United States, and the 300-acre sand pine scrub mainland tract is valued because more than 90 percent of this community type has been lost to development in Florida. Sand pine scrub habitat is restricted only to Florida and an adjacent county in Alabama. Hobe Sound Nature Center The Hobe Sound Nature Center is a private non-profit nature center that cooperates with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct environmental education and awareness programs about the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. The center was founded in 1973 by and continues to receive major support from the Jupiter Island Garden Club.