I had no idea this park existed until one of my kids asked about the government sign on Indiantown…read moreRoad, pointing North. I had never noticed it before: 'Jupiter Inlet District.' What a nice surprise. Growing up, both sides of Indiantown was wild lands, and now barely any is left. Like most scrub parks, there is a gate to keep gopher tortoises in. Most of these parks look the same in the beginning: scrub habitat. I was shocked when my kids pulled open the maps in the entrance kiosk to find a picture of a manatee. Yes, apparently manatees have been spotted here in cooler weather. The scrub didn't last long before our paved pathway became a wooden boardwalk across one of the more beautiful swampy areas I have ever seen. Beautiful, as in: it looked healthy. Back on the paved path again, we came to a fork without any signs and no indication on our map of what the fork was for. To the left is a short path to a bench overlooking the swamp. To the right is a slightly longer path leading to a wooden overlook with 2 benches on it, overlooking an offshoot of the Loxahatchee River (Jones Creek). The view is beautiful and peaceful, but we definitely did not see any water creatures. We did see a bunny. The non-paved trail was seriously overgrown and neglected. Without the wooden trail markers with the yellow paint circles, we would have been lost. Despite the park abutting such a major road as Indiantown, it was easy to feel engulfed in the wildness. I did observe A LOT of human-sized non-paved paths going off into the forest that were not official trails, and this is pretty unusual. It is normal to see gopher tortoise paths, but human-made paths are pretty rare - as they should be! My son kept begging me to follow them; no way! I felt extremely weary being alone in the woods amongst multiple signs of human habitation, including t-shirts littering the ground in a couple of places (including the scrub in the parking lot). I hope the the District will read this review and respond with some follow up, as I don't feel comfortable returning here for this reason alone, as much as it was beautiful. PARKING: A bike rack, a bus spot, a handicapped spot, and 3 regular spots.

This was a peaceful way to start the new year. The weather was perfect and I had an enjoyable…read morestroll through the 16 acre natural area. The parking lot is small but since I was the only person there it wasn't problem. Jupiter acquired this land in 2005. The preserve is gated to protect the endangered gopher tortoises who reside inside. Most of the preserve is paved before meeting with a 300 foot wooden boardwalk. There is also a sandy trail that goes through the scrub. The trail takes you to an observation platform over Jones Creek which runs off the Loxahatchhe River. You could see wading birds in the mangroves lining the creek bank. Besides the gopher tortoises other animals that have been recorded here are the little blue heron, eastern diamond-backed rattlesnake, wood stork, and bald eagle. Plants that have been found are the common wild pine, giant wild pine, butterfly orchid, and large flowered rosemary. Five acres of invasive plants have been removed. In addition to the scrub ecosystem there are six other ecosystems present including a tidal marsh and mangrove swamp. Delaware Scrub is just one of eight natural areas in close proximity. If you happen to be in the area this is a easy way to get in some fresh air and exercise without too much exertion. It is especially worth paying a visit when the weather is colder as manatees have been spotted in Jones Creek.

This trail area is a great spot to enjoy some nature right outside the city. All the pictures in…read morethis review were taken on a single 2-3 hour hike one morning/afternoon but on the Owahee canal trail, not Apoxee. I live right behind this trail, walking distance from my apartment (a rarity in this part of WPB) so I care about it quite a bit. There are certainly plenty of improvements that could be made. If you're not walking the Owahee canal trails on the outskirts, and trying to walk the actual Apoxee trail, it's almost always too flooded by rainfall to make it very far. There has been word of more elevated boardwalks for the trail, but no progress has been visible for a while. Still a great place for a nature hike in WPB.

Really nice LONG trail and worth the walk. Beautiful and well preserved. Not much wildlife when I…read morewent but tons of beautiful picture opportunities. We went to shoot some videos for fun of nature and we got a lot of really good pictures and videos.

John D. MacArthur Beach State Park seemed like such a hidden gem from everything I had read and…read moreseen online. I loved that it offers so many activities in one place--kayaking, paddleboarding, the beach, picnic areas, a gift shop, and educational exhibits--all at very reasonable prices. Parking was only $5, and the kayak and paddleboard rentals were affordable too. Unfortunately, I happened to visit on a day with an extremely low tide. Paddleboard rentals were suspended, but kayak rentals were still available. The staff did warn us about the low tide and advised us to stay near the edges to avoid getting stuck. However, as someone new to kayaking, I didn't realize just how much the tide would impact the experience. For a large portion of our trip, the water was so shallow that our kayaks constantly got stuck. We had to repeatedly get out and drag them through the water. At times, the water wasn't even ankle deep. I completely understand that the staff can't control the tides, but I honestly wish kayak rentals had also been paused that day because the conditions made it difficult to really enjoy the experience. By the time we finished kayaking, we were exhausted and felt pretty gross from walking through the murky water, so we ended up skipping the beach altogether. Outside of that, the park itself looked lovely. There was a nice picnic area, a cute gift shop, and they even had a rescued sea turtle with a volunteer sharing information about sea turtle conservation, which was a really nice touch. There also appeared to be several educational exhibits throughout the park, although they happened to be closed during our visit. One downside was a pretty unpleasant smell near the gift shop, but I'm guessing that may have also been related to the unusually low tide. Despite my experience, I haven't written the park off. The photos I've seen online make it look absolutely beautiful, and I think we were just unlucky with the timing. I'd definitely consider coming back on a day with higher water levels to give it another chance. It sounds like a great park overall--I just recommend checking the tide conditions before planning to kayak or paddleboard so you can enjoy it at its best.

This was a nude beach when I was a kid. That ended in 1982 when it became a beloved state park…read more They have done a lot to preserve native plants. You can rent kayaks here or swim. It's usually not too crowded. This is where we would go to see sea turtles laying eggs. And that continues to this day. It's a great location and a beautiful park.

Still the most lovely park, especially the Intracoastal side. Ample parking right along the shore,…read moreand a large shallow are ripe for snorkeling, far from boats which might pass by. We arrived early and staked our spot in the shade under mangroves. My kids take their kayaks out to explore the mangrove islands and paddle around. It's so protected without currents pulling them out or speeding boats close by, which is such wonderful freedom for them. This is a popular spot on the weekends, and some folks bring out tents and equipment for the whole day. This is a perfect first-time snorkeling spot for beginners, because the water is so shallow. We swam with a sea turtle this time. Even not at high tide, it's still a lovely way to be on saltwater without waves or seaweed. It seems that dogs and fires are welcome.

Traveled to "Jupiter" looking for a nice beach as I heard their beaches are clear and clean…read more. stumbled across this beach park. There was plenty of parking, which we liked. The boardwalk was closed for repairs so we had to walk thru the sand with our stuff (coolers etc). Part of the beach was on a small like hill, you had to jump down to get towards the water which was annoying. The beach was filled with seaweed. I did like there was a lifeguard on duty. It wasn't crowded for a Sunday. Probably won't be back to this one.

Great nature preserve and education center. The signs provide education on native animals and…read moreplants. You can take kayak or canoes out in the preserve. If you don't have your own, you can rent one.

We went on an educational canoe trip here to see the Full Supwr Moon and the Full Beaver Moon. I…read morewent with several friends and it was fabulous. The guides were knowledgeable and very helpful. They were enjoyable to be around. The birds were gorgeous and the temperature was perfect- meaning the weather. I can't wait to come back for other trips and even just walk the boardwalk! The only issue is that it is dark near the outdoor bathroom- because my friend tripped there. So perhaps they should rethink the lighting there!

This tiny park is great to know about. It is designed for kayaking or canoeing. It has a giant…read moreparking space for a bus, with a huge rack for kayak/canoe holding, and special dock appendage for kayak/canoes. It is a little difficult to spot, as the sign is tiny, and you basically pull into a parking lot shared by an office building. It is right off Indiantown Road. There is a little shaded picnic table, but it is right in front of the parking spaces. However, it does look out on a tiny preserved area. Just for the sake of exploring every single park, I brought my kids here to check it out. We were the only ones here. It had rained recently and a flock of ibis were eating in the flooded park area between the parking spaces and the dock, which is a pretty short little path. However, that path goes over a tiny swampy area which is shallow enough to note that there were not alligators. We could sit on the elevated pavement to look over the swamp and observe. Incredibly enough, I was able to spot a mass of frog eggs floating in this water. We then collected some of the eggs and brought them home; now we are parenting baby tree frogs to release one day. We tried to look for fish from the small dock but did not have any luck. From the dock you can see other docks along the canal.

This is a 2.71 acre park that opened in 2014 in the Jones Creek Preserve. The Jones Creek flows…read moreinto the Loxahatchee River and to a large shallow basin along its southern property line. One third of the preserve is mangrove wetlands which are very important to the health of the Loxahatchee River. Mangroves protect shorelines from storm and hurricane damage, prevent erosion, maintain water quality and clarity by filtering pollutants and trapping sediments, and they provide nesting and breeding habitat for fish and shellfish, migratory birds, and sea turtles. The land for the Jones Creek Preserve was purchased along with several other parcels in 2005 as part of the seventeen million dollar Jupiter Open Space Program. Non native plants were removed and replaced with native species and fences were added. Other park amenities include benches, a water fountain, and picnic table. A public kayak launch was added that allows paddlers to go through the mangroves and behind neighborhoods as they explore the Loxahatchee River. If you live locally and have your own kayak this is a handy place to launch it.

This is a new to me park! It is located at Northernmost part of Jupiter Community Park- you have to…read moredrive through this park to find it. 160 acres with wooded areas and trails, but also the park begins with water!Enter by crossing a bridge over part of the Loxahatchee River. This leads to a short path along the water to get to a fishing pier with a pavilion. My kids fished on the pier, bridge, and along the shore. We parked in the plentiful Community Park parking lot, in front of the Flatwoods sign. I dropped off my kids here for the Fishing Camp from Building Up Sports Academy, which hosts the camp at various municipalities across Palm Beach County, this one offered by the Town of Jupiter. What a great spot to hang out in all day, especially for a camp.! My kids caught fish here successfully. I'm excited to revisit and walk the trails.

This is a 160 acre natural area preserve. Entrance to the preserve is in Jupiter Community Park…read more This natural area was identified has having environmentally important land and it was preserved as part of the county's 1999 Bond Referendum for Land Acquisitionfor Conservation Purposes. The county purchased this land in 2000 from Watermark Communities. There are two trails, a .55 paved trail and a 1.44 mile sandy trail. The trails go through mesic flatwoods, wet flatwoods, depression marsh, and dome swamp ecosystems. The trail has boardwalks, a swing, benches, a fishing pier and an observation platform. The preserve has several populations of rare plants including Atlantic St. John's-wort, trumpet creeper, and yellow jessamine. Other plants you will include saw palmetto, slash pine, gallberry, beautyberry, cypress, ferns, gopher apple, tarflower, and pinebarren goldenrod. During my hike I saw eastern cotton tail rabbits, blue jay's, butterflies, squirrels, and lizards. Other animals that have been recorded here include raccoon, bob cat, red shoulder hawk, osprey, and gopher tortoises. This natural area is part of the Florida's Greenways and Trails System, a system of linked conservation lands creating a wildlife corridor adjacent to the Loxahatchee River. Something really unique about this trail that I love and have never seen before is it has been certified as autism friendly in April 2019 by the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. The Learning Academy, a group of professionals that includes speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, teachers, behavior analysts and representatives from Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management developed improvements to the Flatwoods Natural Area to make the trail more inviting to people with sensory issues. Added were the half mile of ADA paved trails, visual signage, benches to allow people to take a break, a swing, physical barriers, a nature trail scavenger hunt, and sensory stations. I have been on a lot of trails that do not take people with disabilities into consideration so I was so impressed to see the accommodations that have been made to make this trail user friendly for all members of the community. This is the first trail in the Florida to be certified as autism friendly and hopefully it is the start of more to come. The county has designed this area to be enjoyed passively while still protecting it. It is ideal for hiking, photography, and bird watching. Smoking, hunting, feeding wildlife, biking, and taking anything are all prohibited activities. Flatwoods is open every day of the year from sunrise to sunset.

Such good vibes in this park. There are people but it's expansive enough where you'll be completely…read morealone for large sections depending on the trail. You can rent bikes for a date day or even paddleboard the river. This is real florida!

Great place to relax and get some nice biking in or walks on the trails . Wide hard gravel bike or…read morewalking trails . At least 10-12 miles on the east side of the park and more by the lake and west side . Very clean , safe an