The 7.5 mile Bluegill Trail runs on top of a levee along the east side of the C-18 Canal levee from…read moreGrassy Waters Preserve, passing through the Sandhill Crane Access Park, and ending at Riverbend Park in Jupiter which has restrooms and picnic tables. If you just travel from Riverbend Park south to Sandhill Crane Park, that section of trail is 5 miles long and is made of crushed stone so it is only good for mountain bikes. The Sandhill Crane Park portion of the trail south to the Grassy Water Preserve is paved. Sandhill Crane Park has restrooms, picnic tables, an overlook, a boat dock, and parking. Bluegill trail is one of many levee bike trails in South Florida. The pros of this kind of trail is that there is no vehicle traffic and few people. The cons include scenery doesn't change much so they can be a bit boring but on this trail you may see wildlife including sandhill cranes, swallow-tail kites, wading birds, and alligators. Bluegill Trail is used by hikers, bikers, and equestrian riders. Along the trail are four educational kiosks and near the north end of the trail is a wetland overlook. With the crowded roads of South Florida this a much safer place for people to exercise and it is a great place to experience the plants and animals that call the Everglades Natural Area home.

My favorite trail to go to. There's 2 trails to take and both were equally amazing! One was a lot…read moreshorter but more of a natural pathway and the other is paved but beautifully built I hope you enjoy this place as much as I do

Great nature hike in winter time but in the summer there are probably a ton of mosquitoes.read more

Beautiful nature trail near the beach. It leads off to an over look not much of an overlook to…read moreGrassy to see anything. Another part of the trail leads to the beach pretty cool. No way to get lost in there and it's not long at all to do the whole thing. Lots of signs around to inform you about the trees and nature. Parking it free in this lot and there was lot of it.

I've driven by this place before but never stopped. I walked for about 20 minutes along one of the…read moretrails, there's a lot of scrub in this nature area. There were signs for land turtles however I didn't see any.

Jewell Cove Natural Area is located across the street from the Lake Worth Municipal Park. It is…read morejust South of the Lake Ave. Bridge along Ocean Ave. on the east side of the Lake Worth Lagoon. This natural area is a maritime hammock which is a natural band of forest that grows on the stabilized back dunes of barrier islands. This natural area is 11.4 acres with 1,200 feet of shoreline on the Lake Worth Lagoon. In February 1967 this land was leased for 99 years to the Milton Steinhardt family. In 2012, Judge Raphael Steinhardt, grandson of Milton Steinhardt relinquished the lease so that the land could be donated to the City of Lake Worth to be enjoyed by the public. This parcel has now been turned into a nature preserve, nine acres of which are submerged so that mangroves and sea grasses can grow. A maritime hammock community makes up another 2 and 1/2 acres. In 2015 and 2016 volunteers removed exotic plants. Fifteen truckloads were removed along with concrete material that had been dumped to prevent erosion. Three thousands tons of limestone were then installed to create a breakwater that prevents erosion and creates a habitat for oysters which filter the water. Clean sand was added and sea grass and mangroves were planted. The mangroves also filter out pollutants and acts as a marine life nursery. The marsh grass breaks up wave energy and provides a wildlife habitat. The Jewell Cove Natural Area serves as a refuge to the animals of the Lake Worth lagoon. This includes osprey, tricolored heron. snowy egret, little blue heron, and white ibis. Plants found here include coralbean, cabbage palm, sea grape, strangler fig, sand cordgrass, green buttonwood, and mangroves. There is a hiking trail through the preserve and you can launch a kayak on the Lake Worth Lagoon but the main benefit of this preserve is to improve the health of the Lake Worth Lagoon ecosystem. In 2019, the commission voted to put on the ballot a 99-year lease on Jewel Cove's 11.4 acres submerged along the Intracoastal and to keep the land on the southeast side of the bridge a natural area. This ensures that the area stays a natural living shoreline, protected by Palm Beach County. The county will not be able to build on the land and it will be maintained as a sanctuary.

I arrived here just as a biking group arrived. They told me that the ride out and back along the…read moreBluegill Trail was beautiful and refreshing. They looked sweaty. I opted not to unpack my own bike and take the ride, instead climbing the flight of stairs to the observation deck to enjoy the view. The 1.5 acre park was officially renamed in 2012 to the Karen T. Marcus Sandhill Crane Access Park. Commissioner Marcus championed environmental preservation during her nearly three decades in office. The park includes a decent sized parking lot and a building with public restrooms. Be on the lookout for wildlife. [Review 468 of 2025 - 2111 in Florida - 24030 overall]

Sandhill Crane Access Park started off as a gravel parking lot owned by Florida Power & Light. FPL…read morehad to give the land to the city as a concession having their Ryder substation east of the property approved. FPL removed the invasive plants and provided drainage and landscaping. Palm Beach Gardens spent $550,000, including $200,000 from Florida Department of Environmental Protection on improvements. In 2006, the city opened it as a park that serves as a point of entrance to the Bluegill Trail that runs along the C-18 Canal. The trail allows hikers, equestrian riders, and bikers to travel the North Everglades Natural Area. To Riverbend Park in Jupiter. In November 2012 the 1.5 acre Sandhill Crane Access Park was renamed Karen T. Marcus Sandhill Crane Access Park to honor commissioner Karen Marcus. Marcus was first elected to the Palm Beach commission in 1984. The park was named in her honor because the commission felt he helped control the development in northern Palm Beach to keep it from becoming overcrowded. In addition to the trail, the park has restrooms, an observation deck, fishing pier, picnic tables and a boat launch onto the C-18 Canal. Sadly I did not see any of my beloved sandhill cranes this trip although there were other birds willing to show off. Whether you are horse back riding, hiking, boating, or just stopping to enjoy nature, this park will allow you to access the best that Florida's Mother Nature has to offer.

This was a very fun random find in Hypoluxo. Just westbound off Hypoluxo Rd from a Dollar General…read moreand a Winn Dixie, we spotted a park which triggered our curiosity after hitting up the beach. The main portion has a boardwalk with two lookout towers. Behind the boardwalk is a fenced in walking trail with a gazebo at the halfwayish point. This was a nice hike in exploring preserved land.

I'm on the fence about this place. The tower to walk up was spacious , however not stroller…read morefriendly after the first level, which was a huge bummer! We went mid November and the scenery wasn't the best considering it's been dry and hot outside. We did see a few gopher turtles and a ton of spiders ‍ I couldn't find the trail until after coming home and going back through the photos to configure the direction to go down. Not too many parking spaces, but I don't think that is a dealbreaker considering it's more of an observation area. My son walked to the top to grab a few photos since I couldn't get his sleeping sister up there in the stroller.

Everytime we're in West Palm Beach, we make a stop at this place also. A nice escape from the…read morehustle and bustle of the city. The view of the Lake Worth Lagoon is beautiful especially once you walk across the 556-foot boardwalk. The city skyline is beautiful from the lagoon; I love that pink building especially during sunset. There are three man-made mangrove islands. Due to over development, many wildlife habitats were forced out; the county created these islands in effort to bring them back. The restoration brought many local wildlife such as sea turtles, manatees, fish, and birds back. We usually find on-street metered parking and explore the city and we never miss this spot. It's definitely a quiet retreat once you get to the other side of the boardwalk. I've seen many walkers and bikers on it. They did a great job with this area.

The seeds for this natural area were sewn in 1998 when Palm Beach county county and others agencies…read morepledged to bring back wildlife habitats to the 20 mile long Lake Worth Lagoon with money from local, state, and the federal government. South Cove is located just north of the Royal Palm Bridge along North Flagler. At a cost of 3.4 million dollars it was built in 2012 by Palm Beach County with the help of other agencies to restore the estuary's natural features and habitats that have been lost through years of development. Dredging had left a 7 acre hole in the lagoon floor that was devoid of oxygen and could not sustain a habitat. Environmental Resource Management capped the muck on the bottom with sand and built three intertidal mangrove and salt marsh islands. They added 3.5 acres of sea grass and one acre of oyster reef habitat to clean and filter the brackish water in the lagoon. This natural area now cover six acres. When you visit you can stroll down a 356 boardwalk that travels over the water to the largest of the man made islands where it ends in a 16-foot-by-16-foot deck. Along the way you get a stunning view of the downtown Palm Beach skyline including Henry Flagler's mansion Whitehall. All of the islands are covered by red, white, and black mangroves that are home to fiddler crabs and provide a safe place for sea life to be born. The restored wetlands offers support to fish, wading birds, manatees, and sea turtles. After polluting the Lake Worth Lagoon for so many years it is nice to see something finally being done about it. This is one of three natural areas that have been created along the lagoon so that people can enjoy the wildlife that is returning to the area. Although there is no dedicated parking lot you can find parking on the street next to Trinity Park. Everyone should come out here and see why it is so important to preserve the health of the Lake Worth Lagoon.

Lake Clarke Shores is a small residential town in Palm Beach County. It was founded by John Newton…read moreClarke who arrived in Lake Worth in 1889. He worked various jobs before establishing a homestead and fishing camp. Lake Clarke bears his name. The land was developed into a town when West Palm Beach attorney William Travers purchased land that became exposed when the waters of Lake Clarke fell. He developed the land and sold lots and by 1956 there were 150 registered voters living in the area. The town was fearful of being annexed into West Palm Beach so in 1957 they voted to incorporate themselves as the town of Lake Clarke Shores. Pine Tree Park is one of five parks in Lake Clarke Shores. You can find it directly across from Memorial Park at the head of Lake Clarke. In 1978, the Town purchased the old Town Hall and Water Company site on Pine Tree Lane. The building there was razed despite requests by both Garden Clubs to use it as their headquarters. Today, the Town has developed the area as Pine Tree Park and built a heart trail with a landscaped 1/8 mile walking path and 5 exercise stations. There are also picnic tables and open space for play. Improvements may soon be coming to Pine Tree Park. In September the town met to discuss a $200,000 grant application for the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program to help finance improvements at Pine Tree Park.