I love finding hidden little spots. This was an unexpected surprise for me. It was unexpected…read morebecause I was not expecting to find this little piece of history in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Snuggle right between the houses. It made my day. The fort is surrounded by big trees. You know the kind of trees that have been aloud to grow all over. The branches are huge. They are beautiful. It was a nice to visit. I had a great time taking pictures. It's a historical site. The area has signs all around telling the history. I found it interesting to be there. There is plenty of parking around and a cool place to visit.

Almost drove by this small park that is located across the street from the Indian River Lagoon…read more This is the site of the Old Fort Pierce but has a lot of historical significance other than having been the site of F Peirce. It is located on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is also a burial ground for the Ais - a tribe of Indians who lived here about 1,000 years ago. This is a very peaceful, restful site that allows you to relax while watching the sites and the river.

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.

I love this place but recently an employee decided to take the closed at sunset very seriously…read more Don't be a minute late from the time Google says the sun will set or she will lock you in the park. Ask me how I know...lol. You have been warned.

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.

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.

Nice neighborhood park with a pond, playground and swings. Nice to have an outdoor picnic under a…read morecovered shelter on a sunny winter day.

Indrio Savannahs Preserve is a 297 acre natural area that was purchased to protect the savannahs…read morewetland system. It was originally supposed to be a subdivision but plants have grown over the grid of what was once roads. In the preserve you will find 35 acre Lake Indrio, created out of a former Stewart Sand Mine. Fishing in the lake is catch and release. There are three miles of trails throughout the preserve along with an observation tower and fishing pier. Habitats include a freshwater wetland system that was formed west of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge. You can hike through pine flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, and scrub and depression marsh. Commonly seen wildlife here includes osprey, heron, ibis, egret, spoonbill, sandhill crane, and the protected Florida Scrub Jay. The site is a part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, one of the longest running programs of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It consists of more than 500 wildlife viewing sites across the state. A restoration project was recently completed in the preserve to reconnect the historic marsh system and restore the freshwater marsh habitat inside the preserve. Boardwalks were then constructed to allow hikers to connect through the Indrio Savannahs trail system. Indrio Savannahs Preserve is a hidden nature gem on the Treasure Coast. It offers a peaceful retreat away from developed areas providing the ideal natural spot for birdwatchers, bikers, and hikers who want to get away from the urban sprawl. The preserve is open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs and bikes are allowed.

I'm happy to find a running trail in the area! There's miles of trails amidst local fauna, pastures…read moreand marshes. It's a peaceful haven in the city, very lightly trafficked; in fact, I saw only two other hikers. I would give it five stars except there are no restrooms and a lot of the trail has been uprooted, seemingly from four-wheelers. I don't mind muddy trails but they had a bit too many ruts and grooves. There are benches to stop and rest but bring plenty of water as much of the trails are exposed to the sun!

I was taking an afternoon scenic drive down A1A when I spotted Golden Sands Park and pulled off to…read morecheck it out. This picturesque 6.23 acre oceanfront park is located in northern Indian River County. The park amenities at Golden Sands include beach access with daytime lifeguards, a playground, restroom facilities, showers, picnic pavilions with grills, and always my favorite beach find, free parking. This park is the northern gateway to the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, a key area for sea turtle nesting. During nesting season, May-October, you may even see sea turtles coming ashore or hatchlings making their way to the Atlantic Ocean. This park is well known for its tranquility, family‑friendly amenities, and natural beauty perfect for nature lovers like me.

I love the beach and nature here. It is beautiful. It is nice that they have free parking too…read more Bathrooms are mostly dirty and uncared for well. Nice that they have good showers here. They have a lot of rules here, but the police and lifeguards do not enforce most of the rules here, you always see people smoking, with dogs, fishing, alcohol, surfing in swimming areas, they have a lot of rules here, but do not enforce them at all. There are many signs all over saying no dogs, but people bring them anyway. Today a selfish lawbreaker lady was bringing her dog right on the public beach and it was going to the bathroom, she just covers it with sand. How sanitary is this? Will the next person who lays down there know that their is dog pee and poop there? Be careful where you sit here. We wish the lifeguards would enforce the rules here. The lifeguards are pretty lame about enforcement. Down in Palm Beach, they would blow their whistles and not allow any law breaking, absolutely no dogs are allowed, this county is too lax and allows a lot of lawlessness. Some people are very selfish here too. We just wish the lifeguards who are paid with our tax dollars would stay until 5pm. Often times they leave at 4pm, 4:30pm, 4:45pm, they almost never stay until 5pm like they are paid to, seems unfair showing no work ethic from the lifeguards here, we never saw this happen down in Palm Beach, they stay until the top of the hour as they were paid for the 8 hours. They take advantage and leave early a lot here at this beach and county beaches. The beach is wonderful, it is the people who ruin it for others with their selfishness.

This is a place of peace especially if you get there early-early. It's a beautiful way to catch a…read moresunrise too.

Great waterfront park with a nice sandy beach, with plenty of areas for fishing and viewing boat…read moretravel in and out of the channel. There is a lot of wildlife -- pelicans and other sea birds - to watch. There is a long, paved walkway that runs along the channel - quite a ways out into the ocean. This is an area were you can spend a 1/2 hour or the better part of a day. There are picnic areas plus a number of restaurants within walking distance.