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Wilderness Hiking Trails |
Space Coast South |
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This section
includes wilderness hikes in the Palm Bay /
Malabar Area, Three Forks, Blue Cypress and
Fort Drum Conservation Areas, and Beachside
hikes south to Pelican Island National
Wildlife Refuge.
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Turkey Creek Sanctuary
1518 Port Malabar Blvd. NE Palm Bay, FL
32905
Located behind the Community Center and next
to the Palm Bay Library at 1502 Port Malabar
Blvd. NE, Turkey Creek Sanctuary is over 100
acres of natural Florida along the banks of
Turkey Creek. There are jogging paths and a
boardwalk through the woods and overlooking
the creek with a canoe launch on site.
Trails Map
GPS N 28 01.016 W 80 36.289
Google Satellite Image
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Ais Trail Park
2804 Hickory Ave. NE Palm Bay, FL 32905
The property is 17.7 acres with about 1000
feet of frontage on Turkey Creek. There is a
short boardwalk with a creek overlook and
trails into the uplands.
GPS N 28 01.932 W 80 35.261
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Fred Poppe Palm Bay Regional Park
1951 Malabar Road NW, Palm Bay
FROM I-95 Exit-173 take SR-514-Malabar Road
west 6 miles and turn right into the park
road.
Open after 7:00 a.m. until dark, except for
scheduled use.
Four lakes for fishing, viewing wildlife,
some pine flatwood forest on property.
Sightings include deer, turkey, alligator,
snake, duck, sandhill crane, owl, migratory
songbirds, and others.
Park Map
GPS N 28 00.455 W 80 43.987
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Malabar Scrub Sanctuary
From I-95 take Exit-173 Malabar Rd
SR-514 and go east on Malabar Road about 3.1
miles. Turn left on Malabar Woods Boulevard.
Trailhead is located at the end of the road.
Kiosk and stabilized parking available.
From US Hwy 1 take Malabar Road west for 1
mile. Turn right on Malabar Woods Boulevard.
Trailhead is located at the end of the road.
Kiosk and stabilized parking available
This 395 acre sanctuary managed by the
Brevard County Environmentally Endangered
Lands Program boasts a variety of habitats
including xeric (dry) hammock, scrub,
scrubby flatwoods, pine flatwoods, sand pine
scrub, ponds, sloughs, and depression
marshes, and allow visitors to learn how the
habitats interact with each other and about
the crucial role that fire plays in health
of the ecosystem. This property has a
network of trails through the habitats and
the species on site include Florida scrub
jays, indigo snakes, gopher tortise, river
otter, great horned owl, pileated
woodpecker, sandhill crane, bobcat, and
migratory songbirds. An ADA trail runs
adjacient to the main entrance road to allow
access for the physically challenged.
Trails Map
GPS N 28 00.741 W 80 34.919
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Jordan Scrub Sanctuary
End of Marie Street, Malabar.
From I-95 take SR-514 Exit-173 east onto
Malabar Road. Go 3.6 miles and turn right on
Marie Street (3 miles past the fire station)
and go 0.9 miles. When the paved road ends,
continue to the Sanctuary gate and kiosk.
Bike rack provided. Parking is not
available.
From US-1 go west on Malabar Road for 0.5
miles and turn left onto Marie Street for
0.9 miles. When the paved road ends,
continue to the Sanctuary gate and kiosk.
A variety of habitat types are found in this
354-acre sanctuary. including scenic lakes,
seasonal marshes, and scrubby flatwoods.
While hiking through the diverse habitats,
bald eagles can be spotted fishing for meals
in the lake, and local scrub-jays seen
foraging in the scrubby flatwoods.
Recreational planning for the Jordan Scrub
Sanctuary recently commenced-additional
trails are planned for future development.
Trails Map
GPS 27 59.101 W 80 34.399
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Micco Scrub Sanctuary
North and south of Micco
Road between Babcock and I-95
500 Micco Road, Micco, FL 32976
From I-95 take the Malabar Road
Exit-(FL-514) east and turn right on Babcock
Street SE. Go south about 7 miles. Turn left
on Micco Road and go about .75 mile east.
Look for fenced, grassy parking area on the
left.
From US Hwy 1 go west on Micco Road 6.3
miles. Look for grassy parking area on the
right.
The Micco Scrub Sanctuary protects 1322
acres of Brevard’s remaining scrubby
flatwoods and mesic flatwoods habitat. This
mosaic of seasonal marshes and dry flatwoods
shelters many indigenous species of plants
and animals that cannot be found anywhere
else in the county. The long trails running
through the Micco Scrub Sanctuary give
hikers many chances to spot wildlife.
Trails Map
GPS N 27 52.461 W 80 36.860
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St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park;
At 21,748 acres most of this property is
jointly owned with the State of Florida and
is located in Brevard and Indian River
Counties.
Access:
From I-95, take exit 73 and go east on
Malabar Road (State Road 514). Turn south
onto Babcock Road (County Road 507), travel
11.5 miles and turn east onto Buffer
Preserve Drive. The south entrance is off
Fellsmere Road (CR 512), 1.8 miles east of
I-95.
This site preserves open grassy forests of
longleaf pine that were once commonplace
throughout Florida. The pine flatwoods form
a backdrop for other biological communities,
including cypress domes, scrubby flatwoods,
sandhills, and a beautiful strand swamp.
These habitats are home to many native
plants and animals, including over 50
protected species. Photographers,
bird-watchers, and nature enthusiasts can
explore miles of trails on foot, bicycle, or
horseback. Also in the preserve where the
C-54 Canal meets with the St. Sebastain
River, West Indian manatees can be see
congregating. The preserve is divided into
four sections with the north and south
sections divided by the C-54 Canal and east
and west bisected by I-95. They are known as
the Northwest Preserve, Northeast Preserve,
Southeast Preserve, and the Southwest
Preserve. The Northeast Preserve is home to
the Green Trail loop (9.0 miles) but has no
designated campsites. The Northeast Preserve
is home to the Yellow Trail (9.7 miles and
has two camps, the Storytelling Camp and the
Pine Camp. The Southeast Preserve is home to
the Blue Trail (10 miles) and has 3 camps,
the Deer Camp, the Tree Frog Camp, and the
Mullet Camp. The Southwest Preserve is home
to the Red Trail (14 miles) and has one
camp, the Eagle Camp.
For information about the Visitors Center or
Camping, please call 321.953.5004.
Brochure and Map
GPS N 27 49.479 W 80 36.401
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Three Forks Marsh Conservation Area
There are two primary trailheads for hiking
the three forks conservation area. The
northermost trail head is the Thomas O
Lawton Recreation Area and can be accessed
from the Malabar Road exit from I-95 and
following Malabar Road to it's west end.
Gates open at sunrise and close at sunset.
The southern trailhead is at the Fellsmere
Grade Recration Pad at the Sick Marsh / Farm
13 area. and can be accessed from I-95 by
taking the east exit for Malabar to Babcock
Street, turn south on Babcock until you
cross the C-54 Canal, turn west on the
Fellsmere Grade Road and follow this to the
end.
Three Forks Conservation Area is about
52,000 acres in size and it is within this
area that the first actual discernable
channels of the St. Johns River take shape
in the form of three forks that come
together to form the actual river. The
birdwatching here is done from hiking and
biking trails built upon the levees
constructed by the St. John's River Water
Management District in order to improve
water quality of the headwaters and restore
the river to its natural state after years
of draining the wetlands for agricultural
use. The water management impoundments
provide great opportunities for seeing
waterfowl, wading birds, raptors, deer,
alligators, river otters, and many other
species. The dike trail between the two
trailheads is about 16.9 miles in length.
There is a shelter about halfway between the
trailheads, and an observation tower about
2.5 mile north of the fellsmere grade
trailhead overlooking the T.M Goodwin
Waterfowl Management Area. Note; The
Fellsmere Grade Trailhead also serves as the
northernmost trailhead for the Blue Cypress
Conservation Area listed just below.
Property Map
Trails Map
Thomas O Lawton Trailhead
GPS N 27 59.002 W 80 45.277
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Fellsmere Grade Trailhead
GPS N 27 49.343 W 80 42.478
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Blue Cypress Conservation Area
Property Map
Location:
This conservation area is 54,458 acres in
size and extends from the Fellsmere Grade
along C-54 Canal at the top of the Stick
Marsh southward to State Road 60 west of
Vero Beach in Indian River County. The area
contains virtually all of the wetlands that
eventually feed the St. Johns River. Like
the Three Forks Conservation Area the
birdwatching here is done from hiking and
biking trails built upon the levees
constructed by the St. John's River Water
Management District in order to improve
water quality of the headwaters and restore
the river to its natural state after years
of draining the wetlands for agricultural
use. The water management impoundments
provide great opportunities for seeing
waterfowl, wading birds, raptors, deer,
alligators, river otters, and many other
species.
Fellsmere Grade Trailhead /
Stick Marsh
GPS N 27 49.343 W 80 42.478
Google Satellite Image
The northern trailhead for Blue Cypress
is at the Fellsmere Grade Recration Pad at
the Sick Marsh / Farm 13 area. and can be
accessed from I-95 by taking the east exit
for Malabar to Babcock Street, turn south on
Babcock until you cross the C-54 Canal, turn
west on the Fellsmere Grade Road and follow
this to the end. While heading north from
the recreation pad / trailhead on the levee
take you to Three forks Conservation Area,
heading south on Levee 75 (L-75) from this
point takes you along the eastern edge of
the Stick Marsh.
The Stick Marsh is an impoundment
designed to contain and treat water from the
C-54 Canal, prevent flooding, and reduce
freshwater inflow into the Indian River
Lagoon to the east. The name Stick Marsh
refers to the standing dead trees in the
water from when the area was impounded and
flooded. However, many of these standing
dead trees were blown down by Hurricane
Wilma in 2005. By continuing past the
stick marsh on L-75, you will eventually
come to a turn to the east and shortly come
to a levee intersection with L-77,
which takes you to an additional trailhead
on State Road 60. If you stay on L-77
east, you are now walking along the northern
edge of the Blue Cypress Restoration Area.
After about 1.5 miles, L-77 turns to the
south and passes a trailhead / boat launch
and parking area for access to the Blue
Cypress Restoration Area.
Blue Cypress Restoration Area
GPS N 27 39.762 W 80 38.667
Google Satellite Image
From the State Road 60 exit if I-95 in
Vero Beach, head west on SR-60 for 7.7
miles, and turn right on County Road 512.
Follow this for 1.5 miles, and the Blue
Cypress Recreation Area will be on your
left. The north south levee here is L-75
while the one heading due west is called the
Farm Levee and does not extend across the
impoundment to Levee 77, which forms the
western border of the impoundment. The levee
numbers are shown on the Property Map
above.
Blue Cypress Restoration area is an
impoundment adjacent to the Blue Cypress
Conservation Area designed to improve the
water quality of the Upper St. Johns River
and is a deepwater cypress wetland where a
paddling and small boat series of loop
trails has been marked by red and white
buoys, depending on which trail you are on.
From the parking lot of the Blue Cypress
Recreation Area on CR 512, you may walk in
several directions. One of the westbound
dikes will offer more remote, sometimes
higher quality birding. However these paths
are narrower with irregular surfaces. A
north-south dike offers a smoother walking
surface, although the path is more exposed
and birds are harder to spot. It
should be noted however that the dikes
heading east from the parking area are
Private Property and tresspassing is not
allowed. This area contains foraging and
nesting habitat for the endangered snail
kite and many other species can be seen here
as well including all of the egrets and
herons (including both night-herons), glossy
and white ibises, purple gallinules,
limpkins and wood storks. Wood ducks and
Florida mottled ducks are found year-round,
and the marshes are used extensively in fall
and winter by migratory waterfowl and
shorebirds. Bald eagles, hawks, vultures,
anhingas, ospreys and crested caracaras are
commonly seen. American and least bitterns,
king rails, soras and fulvous
whistling-ducks may be viewed here as well
as river otters and alligators.
State Road 60 Trailhead
GPS N 27 38.478 W 80 40.730
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Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area
This area contains a mosaic of wetland
and upland communities. The marsh area
represents the southernmost reach of the St.
Johns River’s headwaters. The area was
acquired as part of the Upper St. Johns
River Basin Project, undertaken jointly by
the District and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. The diversity of plant
communities has been shaped by both people
and nature. Natural communities include dry
prairie, pine flatwoods, hardwood swamp and
freshwater marsh. The diverse habitats
support Florida sandhill cranes, wood
storks, caracara, bald eagles, deer, turkey
and a large population of feral hogs.
Property Map
Trail Map
GPS N 27 38.444 W 80 46.016
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Coconut Point Sanctuary
4000 S Highway A1A, Melbourne Beach
From US-192 (Melbourne Cswy) go south 6.1
miles on A1A. The first trailhead is on the
west side of A1A, 0.25 mile south of the
Publix shopping plaza, a second trailhead is
a few hundred yards further south. Park in
the Publix shopping plaza. Or you can park
at
Juan Ponce de León Landing just to the
south on the beachside, cross A1A and walk north on the Bike
Path to the south trailhead. This is
actually a shorter walk. A bike rack is
located at the southern trailhead.
The 62-acre habitat of coastal strand, oak
scrub, coastal oak forest, and mangrove
forest at the Coconut Point Sanctuary rolls
over ancient sand dunes from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Indian River Lagoon. Early
Native Americans, known as the Ais Indians,
once lived along the shores of the Indian
River Lagoon in this area and ate native
plants, shellfish, birds, and fish. It was
also near this site that historians believe
Juan Ponce de Leon set foot in Florida in
1513. Along the hiking trail is an
observation platform over the Indian River
Lagoon--an ideal spot to view wading and
shorebirds, soaring osprey, and the
occasional pod of dolphin. Although they are
hard to see, juvenile sea turtles also swim
in the Indian River Lagoon and feed among
the sea grasses growing here.
GPS (South Trailhead) N 28 00.708 W
80 31.867
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Trailhead Marked) |
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Maritime Hammock Sanctuary
6200 S Highway A1A, Melbourne Beach
From US-192 (Melbourne Cswy) go south 10.3
miles on A1A. There are two trailheads on
the west side of A1A. One trailhead is north
of the Mark's Landing development, and the
other is a few hundred yards to the south.
Parking is available at the north trailhead.
The Maritime Hammock Sanctuary is in the
Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge west of
A1A on the barrier island. This 150-acre
sanctuary features a hiking trail with 2
bridges, boardwalk over wetland areas, and
an observation deck over a marsh pond.
Visitors experience a variety of protected
barrier island habitats: coastal strand,
maritime hammock, and mangrove forests. A
portion of this sanctuary was once the site
of an exotic plant nursery. Many of the
nonnative plants that were grown at the
nursery, such as Madagascar periwinkle and
asparagus fern have escaped into the
hammock. An intensive nonnative invasive
plant removal project is underway. Acquired
in partnership with the State of Florida.
GPS N 27 57.379 W 80 30.163
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Barrier Island Sanctuary;
8385 S Hwy A1A
Melbourne Beach, FL 32951
From I-95 take Melbourne
Exit-180/US-192 east across the
Melbourne Causeway to SR-A1A. Turn right
and go 14.5 miles south on Hwy-A1A. The
Center is on the left. From Sebastion
Inlet: Go to 1.5 miles north to the
Center.
This property managed by the Brevard
County Environmentally Endangered Lands
Program in partnership with the
Carribbean Conservation Corporation, the
Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge and
the Ocean Conservancy. The 34-acre
Barrier Island Sanctuary consists of the
Management and Education Center site
along with two adjacent parcels
stretching across the narrow barrier
island—from the Indian River Lagoon to
the Atlantic Ocean. The Sanctuary offers
visitors a unique interpretive hiking
trail that weaves through a cross
section of all the barrier island
habitats.
Possible sightings range from
shorebirds, gulls and pelagics from the
beach, to roseate spoonbills, wading
birds, ospreys, and alligators at the
lagoon. In between you may see bobcats,
screech owls, and one other way cool
little animal. Along the trail several
benches are provided. Sit and remain
still a few minutes and soon you will
notice giant land crabs emerging from
their holes in the dirt among the trees
of the Maritime Hammock.
Trail Map
GPS N 27 54.171 W 80 28.306
Google Satellite Image
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Long Point Park
700 Long Point Road, Melbourne Beach
FROM US-192 (Melbourne Cswy) go 16 miles
south on SR-A1A and turn right into the
park.
FROM Sebastian Inlet go 1 mile north on
SR-A1A.
This 84.5-acre conservation area and
urban district river park offers
shoreline fishing, waterfront full
service camping, a fishing dock, a pond
for wading birds, another pond for
swimming, a small bridge connecting to
Scout Island for over a mile of nature
trails.
GPS N 27 52.475 W 80 28.213
Google Satellite Image
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Sebastain Inlet State Park
One of Florida's most popular state parks,
Sebastain Inlet is a mecca for snook fishing
and is easily located on Highway A1A about
15 miles south of Melbourne Beach. When you
see the big bridge, you are there. Sebastain
Inlet State Park has something for just
about everyone. There are hiking trails,
biking trails, good snorkeling, diving,
great fishing, kayaking, boating, two
museums, and a great sand bottom shallow
swimming and wading lagoon. Don snorkeling
gear and swim along the rocks separating the
wading lagoon and the inlet and you will see
snapper, sheepshead, and many other small
fish species. (More info on Space Coast
Outdoors Snorkeling page.) A boat ramp can
be found on the south side on the lagoon.
There are two museums on site. The McLarty
Treasure Museum tells the story about the
Spanish Treasure Fleet of 1715,
that wrecked along the Florida southeast
coast in that year. The El Capitan was the
northernmost shipwreck of the 11 ship fleet
that was driven ashore by a massive
hurricane in July of 1715 and broke apart on
the shallow reefs within a mile of the south
jetty. All 11 ships were lost and over 1,000
sailers died. The museum is on the site of
the survivors of the El Capitan campground.
The Sebastian Fishing Museum tells the
history of the area's fishing industry.
Sebastian Inlet State Park Brocure with Map
Sebastian Inlet Trails Map
GPS N 27 51.683 W 80 26.931
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Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
From Melbourne Beach, take A1A south,
cross Sebastian Inlet and continue south.
Facilities are located on the west side of
A1A on the north end of historic Jungle
Trail, which is a great birding location
itself, especially during migration. From
Wabasso, head North on A1A and you will see
the entrance to the wildlife refugeand
jungle trail on the left before you get to
Sebastian Inlet.
Established by an executive order of
President Theodore Roosevelt on March 14,
1903, Pelican Island was the first national
wildlife refuge in the United States. It was
created to protect egrets and other birds
from extinction by plume hunters as hats
with plumes had become a fashion rage in the
country at the time. This was the first time
that the federal government put land on the
side for the sake of wildlife. In 2003, to
celebrate it's centennial, new public
facilities such as an observation tower and
boardwalk have been installed. These new
facilities are providing the public with the
first opportunity, in it's 100-year history,
to view the Pelican Island rookery from land
and without the use of a boat. Located 1/2
mile south on Jungle Trail, the viewing are
includes parking and two foot trials. Park
at the Viewing Area; Pete's Impoundment Foot
Trail is accessible from the Centennial
Trail. Bicycles, horse back riding, pets and
motorized vehicles are not permitted on the
trails.
GPS N 27 48.218 W 80 25.607
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