This trail was suggested as a place to ride a bike or walk from the Disney Vero Beach property. I…read morewas staying there with friends and decided to rent a bike for an afternoon and get some riding in. The rental window gave me a map and directed me to the Jungle Trail. It was easy to get to and to find from the hotel property. Lovely flora, lovely fauna along the way. And it takes you to the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, for more nature and exploring. I wish I hadn't waited until my last day in the area to explore the trail and the refuge, because I would have gone back another time....or more times! It was a lovely nature escape among golf courses and developed neighborhoods. Definitely worth a ride or a drive through if you are close by!

The Jungle Trail is a 7.8 mile sand, scenic public road that acts as a buffer between the housing…read moredevelopments and the refuge waters of Pelican Island. The road traverses through the hammock habitat of Florida's barrier islands north of Vero Beach as it passes between gated communities and the shores of the Indian River Lagoon. The trail was created in the 1920's so citrus growers could haul their crop through the barrier islands. The people who lived along the trail were pioneers. They traveled by foot, horse, and the occasional buggy. Today you can drive the road but it is used mainly by hikers and bike riders. At it's north end the trail begins at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was created to protect the birds that were being wiped out by hunters who were killing the birds for hat plumes at the turn of the century. Today you can see the descendants of those birds all along the trail. During the 1980's developers wanted water front lots but the local citizens rallied and were able to save the road. The road is now a designated Florida Greenway and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places through the efforts of Dr. Ryan Wheeler and county historian, Ruth Stanbridge.

The trails to view the island are beautiful! There are binoculars located at some stations to see…read morethe wild life from afar. I am so greatful to have found this place. There are real restrooms near the entrance not just which is great because there are a lot of trails.

A very nice hike and view inside Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge…read morePelican Island National WIldlife Refuge is located south of Sebastian inlet on the river, not ocean, side of the island. It has the distinction of being America's first National Wildlife Refuge. It may be a little island in the Indian River Lagoon but it is 5400+ acres of protected waters and lands. There is no fee. The roads to drive to the various places are hard dirt. There are several trails located within the refuge. One of the is Pete's trail. Joe's Overlook is off of that trail and is accessed by a short drive off Jungle trail and parking in the Viewing area and then hiking about 0.8 miles to the overlook. Bicycles are not allowed on Pete's trail but the hike is level and flat and typical Florida grass path through the mangroves until you come to the overlook. It is a very nice walk but I would suggest bringing a hat, water and possible bug spray depending on the time of year. Joe's overlook is a wooden walkway to a shaded viewing platform overlooking a pretty wetland area. It is a very pleasant trail, walk and view that I would recommend for the nature lovers in the crowd.

This huge preserve is 35 square miles. Admission is free. The preserve was created when the state…read moreof Florida bought up large tracts of land in 1995 to preserve the watershed to the St. Sebastian River and the Indian River Lagoon. In addition to protecting the water the land also protects rare and endangered species of plants and animals. The preserve is made up of grassy forests and the long leaf pine that was common before the development of Florida. Here you will find the biological communities of cypress dome, scrubby flat woods, sand hills, and strand swamp. The preserve contains one of Florida's largest populations of scrub jays, a species listed as vulnerable. Many native plants and animals make their home here including over 50 protected species. Animals that can be found here include the red-cockaded woodpecker, Bachman's sparrow, Eastern indigo snakes, bald eagles, wild turkeys, river otters, bobcats, and tortoises. This preserve is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Travel in the preserve is along unpaved roads. There is a buffer road that runs along the C-54 canal. In November through March you can find manatees in the canal. There is a platform to view them at the end of the buffer road. The preserve is divided into quadrants by the Fellsmere Canal and by I-95. Each quadrant has long hiking trails. There are over 60 miles of hiking trails through 22,000 acres of wilderness. There is a visitor's center at the entrance that is staffed Friday through Sunday. You can hike, bike, or horseback ride the preserve. From this preserve you can canoe, boat, and fish the St. John's River. There are six primitive camp sites which can only be reached by hiking. Hiking trails include red, yellow, and blue and can be rough because they are also used by horses. Along some of the trails you can see the remains of homesteads from when the land was used for growing citrus, ranching, turpentining, and logging. The preserve contains a portion of the rails to trails path, a hiking and biking trail along the abandoned Trans Florida Central Rail incorporated in 1924. The surface of the trail hasn't been decided on yet and there are few signs marking it. As a sign in the park says this is the real Florida. Photographers, nature lovers, hikers, and equestrians will love exploring this vast open wilderness. Come see Florida the way Mother Nature intended.

This place was very interesting and the preserve itself is massife! With more than four nearly ten…read moremile trails available this park has enough hiking experiences for almost anybody. I love the scrub forest and natural beauty of this place. The river in warmer times is a prime place to see manatees on their journeys around the area. Unfortunately for me my visit was not one of those days. This park is free to visit and they've got a visitor center that's open on Friday Saturday and Sunday. I believe they also have a number of different hikes and activities during the year as well. There are a number of different birds and other animals making their homes here and the whole place provides a wonderful natural escape. Highly recommended!

I love a stormwater park. They help the environment by capturing and retaining stormwater runoff…read morepreventing flooding in the surrounding areas. The pond plants removes pollutants from the water leaving it clean. This particular Stormwater Treatment Area removes an estimated 80% of the total nitrogen and 56% of total phosphorous, along with 79% of sediments and suspended solids. Left untreated stormwater leads to algal blooms, muck deposits, fish kills, and other environmental problems. This retention area protects the Indian River Lagoon. These ponds also attract a variety of wildlife including Florida's beautiful wading birds. There are two parking areas on the south side of Englar Drive, located between Barber Street and Schumann Drive. The first parking lot has a path through the woods before emerging at the stormwater retention ponds. If you choose to go through the woods you will go through oak hammocks, pine flatwoods, scrub and herbaceous wetlands. This area of the park is a refuge to three threatened species. In this area of the park I encountered the largest pileated woodpecker I have ever seen taking out huge pieces of a tree. The other parking lot leads right to the pond for those who would prefer not to go through the woods. Here you will find a natural earth trail that goes over a bridge and winds around the retention ponds. Expect to see herons, egrets, and ibis. This is a very beautiful place to walk around. I saw a lot of people enjoying the trails with their leashed dogs. This was such a wonderful discovery. Shout out to my friend Jim B. who is an amazing photographer and who added it to Yelp so I could find it.

Interesting park in Sebastian…read more The nature trails have many different types of habitats. Look for water birds in the wetlands. Saw several egrets and a few cranes. The park also has oak trees and pines as well. Great an unexpected find in Sebastian.

This place is great for everyone. Great place to fish,swim,play in the sand, catch crabs and bait…read morefish. There is a beach side and another side that has less waves for the smaller kids likings but super fun for everyone. Also a long pier for fishing. They have a bait shop and bathrooms and showers on the board walk to the beach. Nice clear water and lots of fun. I really enjoy coming here on the weekends for fun in the sun.

Sebastian inlet has an awesome tidal pool that is clear water and only goes up to about chest deep…read moreon me (6'4"). Great place to cool off in the ocean waters and be semi-safe from any predators as the tidal pool is only open about 50' at the end and you can anything that comes in. Almost every time we are here manatees come in to play. There's also a fishing pier off the jetty and front side beach access to the actual ocean beach as well. $8 to get in per car, we'll worth it. Always a great time here. PS if going to enjoy the tidal pool...don't go during low tide...no water

Garden Club Park is a passive parks at the corner of Barber Street and Rose Arbor Drive. You can…read moretake in the scenic view of the lake where you will see Florida's wading birds, relax in the gazebo, or a walk around the park and enjoy the native plantings. There are a couple of benches and a fountain in the lake. This is the perfect place to walk your dog or just enjoy the outdoors.

Place is clean. Dogs love it. Shade and sun. Places to sit. Poop bags available Plenty of fresh…read morewater. Large running area. Places for owners to sit.

We love this dog park! There's a big gazebo with a few picnic tables inside the dog park enclosure…read more Plenty of space for people and dogs to hang around under the shade of the gazebo. There's a few benches to sit around and plenty of water stations, too. There's even a couple of plastic swimming pools available for the dogs to splash around in. We also like the separate enclosure for the small dogs, but they can still sniff and say hello to the bigger dogs behind the fence. Our first visit with our 6-month old pitbull puppy at the Sebastian Bark Park was a fun and enjoyable experience!