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    Weldon B Lewis Park

    4.0 (1 review)

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    7 years ago

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    Pepper Park - Walkway

    Pepper Park

    4.4(7 reviews)
    8.3 mi

    Pepper Beach Park is a nice beachside park in Port St Lucie county. It is next to the Navy Seal…read moremuseum which is certainly worth a visit as well. You'll find lots of parking here. The times SCW and I have been through here it's never been full. You'll also find restrooms, a kids playground, tennis courts and a baseball field. Of course the expected beach access as well. They have outdoor showers as well. Pepper Beach Park is a great Park along the A1A.

    This is a 54 acre beach front park in Ft. Pierce. This park is named after long term democratic…read moreFlorida senator Claude Pepper who passed away in 1989. Pepper Park is located directly behind the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. The Fort Pierce Amphibious Training Base opened here on Jan. 26, 1943 to train soldiers for WWII. This base trained the soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Obstacles like the ones the Germans were placing to stop the Allied Forces during the war were put in the water off the shore of Ft. Pierce so boat drivers could practice eluding them and teams could practice blowing them up. At Omaha Beach one Fort Pierce based unit lost 33 men but were able to destroy 5 of the obstacles. More than 140,000 military personnel trained in St. Lucie County from 1943 to 1945, when at the time there were only 20,000 area residents. The objects remained in the water long after people started using the beach for recreation. Unfortunately some people were injured and in 1991 the government did a national cleanup of former military bases during which time the objects were removed and some were given to the SEAL Museum. This park is popular with snorkelers and divers because are several shallow nearshore reefs located less than 100 yards off the beach. Pepper park also the site of state's first underwater archaeological preserve, the Urca de Lima, which is located in about 20 feet of water. The shipwreck was discovered in 1928 by William J. Beach off of the coast of Ft. Pierce. Attempts to salvage the cargo yielded little except for one silver bar and cannons since the Spanish recovered most of the ships cargo in 1715. In 1985 and 1987 the wreck was mapped and in 1987 Florida's first archaeological underwater preserve opened. In 2001 the wreck was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Urca de Lima is featured in the Starz show Black Sails which was devised as a prequel to Treasure Island. Captain Flint buried the gold from the Urca de Lima on Treasure Island. Other park amenities include lifeguards on the beach, fishing, picnic pavilions with tables, grills, restrooms, and a playground shaped like a ship. There is so much history here and so much to enjoy and they don't even charge for parking. There is even overflow parking across the street. This is a great alternative if you don't want to pay the $6 entrance fee at the nearby Fort Pierce Inlet State Park.

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    Pepper Park - Walkway

    Walkway

    Pepper Park
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    Skyway

    Jack Island Preserve State Park

    Jack Island Preserve State Park

    4.0(3 reviews)
    8.6 mi

    Finding this state park was a very cool discovery. It is located about a mile north of the Fort…read morePierce Inlet. You go down a road and there is a small parking lot at the end. The cost to use the preserve is $2 cash on the honor system. From the parking lot you cross over a bridge that takes you over the Indian River lagoon on to the preserve. In the summer you can see manatees swimming but on the day I visited the waterway was being enjoyed by paddle boarders. This 1,342 acre preserve has been managed by the State of Florida since 1963. It has more than 4 miles of dirt and grass trails along mangrove lined canals. I saw so many mangrove crabs scuttling around. Little blue herons fly overhead and I also saw great blue herons, great egrets, snowy egrets, wood storks, and ibises. Osprey and roseate spoonbills have also been noted in the preserve, There are two trails to the the observation tower. A one mile direct trail or a two mile perimeter trail. I opted for the direct route to avoid an impending rain storm. The tower has stairs that take you 30 feet above the lagoon. From the top you can see the bird rookeries on surrounding islands. As you hike the island you will see culverts that are part of a system for flushing mosquitoes from their breeding areas. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in mud along the island and water is released through the big metal pipes to flood the areas normally used by the mosquitoes for breeding from April to October. Two other islands make up the preserve, Kings and Queens but they have to be explored from the water. Jack Island is the only one that offers hiking trails. Since Jack Island is located on the lagoon it gets fewer visitors than other state parks on the beach. I had the whole preserve to myself. I saw so many birds, it really is a paradise for bird watchers and photographers. The hike is an easy one and I would have stayed longer if it wasn't for the lightning. The island is also popular with anglers who fish for mullet, snook, and sheepshead and runners. You can walk for miles and never encounter any one else. Jack Island is the perfect place to enjoy Florida the way Mother Nature intended it to be.

    Good hiking spot, there's multiple length hikes to choose from. You can either take a direct one…read moremile (one way) walk to the observation tower or take the loop which is 2 miles either way. The tower provides a 360 lookout over the mangroves and the river. Saw herons, crabs, butterflies and large flying fish. Dogs are allowed on short leash. Path is sandy and currently muddy due to afternoon showers today. If you're coming from Ft Pierce Inlet SP or the Avalon State Park this is a 10 minute drive from either one and is worth a stop. We created a state parks map and this was not on it. We saw a state park sign (pictured) and whipped a U-ie to check it out. Glad we did. It is a $2 honor system admission fee payable at entrance. Entrance is where a residential street dead ends and you'll see a McMansion on your left. Park anywhere, pay the fee and walk toward the bridge. No amenities. No restrooms or water fountains. If you're an outdoor person consider getting the Florida state park pass. It's $120 per family and lasts 12 calendar months.

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    Jack Island Preserve State Park
    Jack Island Preserve State Park - I'm about to get a soaking.

    I'm about to get a soaking.

    Jack Island Preserve State Park - Map at Entrance

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    Map at Entrance

    Weldon B Lewis Park - playgrounds - Updated May 2026

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