Ran here with some friends from their apartment and it has beautiful nature and views. The sky is beautiful here, especially the sunsets. Would love to explore more of the preserve but I think one of the viewpoints was closed off. Would come back here for a run or walk again with friends! read more

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Nice paved trail the whole time. Peaceful. Not too much scenery but still nice. Pretty clean. 2nd time here. read more

Castaway Island Preserve - From one of the decks - Hiking Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

4.25- Gorgeous views Easy to get there Easy parking Nicely marked trails with animal tracks to follow Lots of crabs- babies as well Benches for rest if needed Paddle boards for immediate online rental Informational animal signs along the way definitely need to be replaced- cracked or faded and some we just couldn't read Tips: Bring your bug spray! Shaded cover also protects a lot of you want to take a picnic- just no tables closer to the water. read more

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Small park with lots of picnic tables, a short trail, canoe/kayak launch and paddle board rentals. read more

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This a quick loop very easy, kid friendly & dog friendly... Heavy on the bugs come prepared! As you walk the little trail there are different animals paws leading the way. The boardwalk takes you to a little overlook of the saltwater marsh & the intercostal. Great views to catch a sunset, some people come here and fish off the floating dock next to the trail. read more

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Beautiful place to visit. I love this place over the Intercoastal Waterways. The trails, slots for camping with picnic tables & overlook gazebos. I am not sure if the camping is for day camping only or overnight camping. I highly recommend that everyone in Jacksonville and visitors to the area, stop in and enjoy the fresh air and nature. read more

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Enjoyed a walk here today. Unfortunately a few of the interpretive signs have been vandalized. read more

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For an area trail this is nice. Has overlooks of the marsh and intracoastal waterways. It was something different for us and it was enjoyable!! read more

Castaway Island Preserve - Overview - Hiking Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Castaway Island Preserve is a lovely place to explore nature. It backs up to the Intercoastal Waterway and even has concrete trails. If you stop and read the placements along the trail you will learn about the species that live in the preserve. I was not too thrilled to see the alligator as one of the inhabitants, but thankfully we did not see one! There's also a long wooden bridge that takes you over the marshes and close to the Intercoastal Waterway. When you get to the end there's a bonus, a bench so you can sit and relax and take in the beautiful scenery and take a break from your walk. The preserve is dog friendly which is great! Simba and I made a few new people and dog friends along our journey. I loved it so much I invited a friend and her dog to meet up with me and Simba this weekend at the preserve for another exploration. Can't wait! read more

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Fantastic park for kids and adults! The main trail is paved throughout and very easy. There are many overlooks over the intracoastal to get some beautiful shots of the water and wildlife. We saw a mom and baby raccoon in a tree that made our trip. They have signs describing different animals along with painted tracks of each animal that lead to the signs describing them. While we didn't use them, there were also plenty of grills and picnic tables as well as restrooms. read more

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One of our favorite spots to walk, bike, or scoot. :). This park is maintained well and is always clean. They have benches spread out in case you need to stop and take a break, lots of fun info for kids to read while on the paved trail, and picnic tables as well. Pretty place to take pictures as well. read more

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This is a great place to take kids. The trail has painted paw prints and kids can guess what animal it matches to the sign with information on each animal... raccoons, egrets, rattlesnakes, alligators, etc...The trails are not long and very easy to walk. There is a little dock where kids can fish from and perfect to launch your paddle board or kayaks. Great panoramic views of the inter coastal and bridge. We looked for birds and found egrets, jumping fish, and mud crabs. Bring your pups, water, SPF and bug spray! read more

Love this park. Lots of trails to walk, run, or bike. My girls love coming here and I love that they have fun and get a lot of exercise. Plenty of benches along the path in case you need to rest and there are a lot of plaques along the trail that give you information about species in the area. It's very educational. read more

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Great activity to do with kids. I suggest wearing long pants because there are bugs. I do not take the baby here, because of the bugs. But the older kids enjoy it. read more

Free to the public, sun up to sun down. Really cool place for a little hike, picnic, and some fun educational facts on your hike! You can bring your canoe, or kayak, there is a little ramp to do so!! Remember not to liter! read more

Castaway Island Preserve - Path to the out look! - Hiking Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Open 7 days a week sunrise to sunset. Once you enter the park you'll see a big building on your right. It's some educational meeting area that provides information about the park. Take the walking trail down to the water and just enjoy the view of the marshes, the bridge on your right, and try to figure out what's making all those bubbles. I heard talks of gators but have never seen one appear. So no gators but a few people walking their dogs, and I spotted a turtle. Go to the Island Trail and take a self guided tour of the area and animals. Peak over the bridges and see the large amount of fiddler crabs moving around below your feet. There are some benches placed throughout the park - so if you're into journal-ing it makes an ideal spot. If you want to get closer to nature - this is the spot. read more

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This is a great little getaway. FREE and educational for the kids, but also a cute place for a low-key picnic date. I dare you to hike on the trail where they say snakes live. We did, and we survived. It's a great little hike that takes you on a little wooden bridge which leads all the way to the water so you can get a nicer view of the intracostal waterway. Along the hiking trail the kids will have fun trying to identify the animal footprints and there are information posts about the animals that live in the surrounding woods and water. There is a boat docking area, so if you want to cruise along the waters in your canoe or kayak, feel free. I don't have a boat, so I'm not sure how far out it goes, but being in Florida, I would imagine alligators live somewhere nearby. There are picnic tables and a few grills, but make sure you plan your outside luncheon on a good day when it's not too hot or the weather isn't raining -- there are no coverings over the picnic area. If you come during warmer months, you just might see a few fiddler crabs. The baby ones are tiny and sooo adorable! read more

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Since we are off we decided to take a little adventure and head to a trail walk today. Found this location on JAX Mom's blog. We picked this trail because it said it was easy to wheel around a stroller. The preserve was easy to find, there was plenty of parking for us as well. Since we went late morning we didn't except to need bug spray- don't forget the bug spray if you are planning a trip! : ) There were some areas which were nice break from the heat. We enjoyed the look out areas especially the one over the river where we saw people kayaking. There are educational signs along the trail to discuss the animals you may see along the trail. You will also need to watch your step when you go because we saw lots of dog poop along the trail and what appeared to be a possum Skelton! The most interesting thing we saw on the trail was a CRAB!!! This little guy was on the sidewalk and started making his way to the grass after we apparently got to close to him with the baby's stroller. read more

Castaway Island Preserve - Hiking Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

I love this place. Nice nature walk trail with beautiful views of the marsh. It's a nice place to visit and a hidden gem in Jacksonville. I drove past this place many times before I finally was curious enough to check it out. I highly recommended. It's off San Pablo and not far from Beach Blvd. read more

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Love this little hidden gem on San Pablo Road. Great nature nook that is dog friendly and usually not crowded. Usually see some birds & crabs. Great lookout for sunset. read more

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If there's any place in Jacksonville to clear your head and lower your blood pressure this is the place

This place is a nice place to just go for a relaxing walk. There isn't much foot traffic so it's a nice place to just get away. There's educational boards by the sidewalks, would be a nice place for families. The trail is paved so it's very easy to walk on. I'd recommend bug spray as there's tons of bugs which I'd really to be expected lol. I really liked this place and I'll definitely comeback. I'd imagine it'd be so nice in the cooler months (or month here in florida) it does getting pretty hot but there's a nice breeze once you get on the boardwalk read more

I wanted to get outdoors for a nature walk, so my boyfriend and I drove here to check it out. It is free to enter, and there is plenty of parking. If you have a trailer or need to unload a kayak or paddleboard, you can park near the ramp and dock at the end. The trail didn't take long to walk, about 20 minutes, and we ended up walking to the dock to view the Intercoastal and watch people fish and paddleboard. The only complaints I have are that there were some sketchy people hanging out and staring at me as I walked to the bathrooms, which was not taken care of and dirty. I made sure to make that bathroom visit short! I think kids would enjoy coming out here, since there are signs letting you know about the wildlife and plant life and small footprints painted on the sidewalks to identify different animals. read more

This was a fun little park. The paved trail has animal tracks along the way so that you can learn while out in nature. It was fun guessing the animals from sign to sign. The other parts of the trail were on a wooden bridge over the marsh. The wood needs to be replaced in several places leaving the hand rails dangerous if you needed to use them. read more

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This is a great park to walk your dog! Our little Boston Terrier Mix had so much fun and absolutely loved this place! The park also has great scenery and easy to walk paths. It's probably 1-3 miles in total. So not too big, but enough to get a good walk in. There wasn't a lot of parking, so be sure to get there early if it's a nice day out. There are also picnic spots with grills, if you desire to have a little cookout with friends/family. Great park for both dogs and kids! read more

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Beautiful natural preserve. Our family enjoyed the walking trails with our dogs. There is no leashless area. Some parts of the trails had children that were skipping school and just doing nothing. read more

This place is great if you're looking for some light outdoor activities. The grounds are nice and well maintained. Pet-friendly and picnic areas on site. From what I could see (or at least what I've seen, so far) most of the area was paved or board-walked. I was hoping for a more rustic experience but I managed to find some "roads less traveled". All in all, a nice place to relax, clear your mind, gather with friends/family, or explore with your canine companions. read more

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Nice little park with a dock out to the intracoastal waterway. There are picnic tables and grills, some educational signs. There is a large structure but I don't know what it's for. I think you could bring kayaks and launch them from the floating dock. read more

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This place is great! We went on a nice sunny day and enjoyed the paved and boardwalk trails. Great place for a picnic and birdwatching. Bring sunblock..... there is not really any shade. The trails are just long enough for littles and wide. read more

Castaway Island Preserve - Hiking Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

I love this park, great little hikes near the intercoastal waterway. I do recommend having bug spray available~ because it's on the water. Generally a quiet little escape, there are facilities for kids, picnicing, clean bathrooms, hiking paths, small watercraft launch, boardwalk trails too. read more

What a cute little park close to home. This would be perfect for a family with small children. You can walk the entire park in about 30 minutes if you don't stop to read all the signs. Throughout the trail there are informational signs talking about the wildlife which inhabit the park. Along with the signs there are foot prints on the path which correlate with the animal discussed. The view from the path of the water is great. Plenty of free parking and bathrooms on site! read more

Castaway Island Preserve - Salt marsh view - Hiking Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Awesome little park with phenomenal views, nice sidewalk trails, animal footprints, lookout points, picnic tables, restrooms. It's never been crowded. read more

I run in here early in the mornings. It's a great way to get off the roadway and watch the sunrise over the intracoastal. There are also nice nature trails with animal prints painted on the paved pathways. My kids like to follow the trails and guess the animals. Great spot for family photos. One day I hope to have kayaks I can take up here and put in at castaway to cruise into the intracoastal. read more

Just a nice beautiful setting at sunset. I just naturally relax while walking around with so much natural beauty. read more

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I started visting this park a little over a year ago and it's a wonderful spot to walk around, look over the Intracoastal, have a picnic. On nice days there are usually quite a few people out doing just those things. During the warmer months, be sure to check out the butterfly garden in the front of the park. read more

Love this park. There is a hidden little path off the sidewalk that I always forget where but when I do find it, it leads me to this awesome tree! read more

We have a great time taking our kids here. They enjoy walking on the trail and learning about the animals. Easy hiking.

Strolled around my son today. We saw lots of birds and bunnies. The paved paths and decking made it a great place for a walk. The park was super clean and very well maintained. The marsh is beautiful! read more

Definitely a great spot to check out! If you're looking for a quiet, beautiful and educational place to go for a walk this is it. On the Island Trail with the paved paths and educational stops, my husband and I kept talking about how great this would be for kids. But it was also great for us and our dog! Our dog loved the change in scenery from our neighborhood, and loved watching the little crabs scurry across the paths. My husband saw a bunny too! I loved taking some shots of the beautiful scenery, I'm sure it's gorgeous at sunset. We'll definitely be back for some walks with our dog, and I'd recommend the same whether you have a dog, kids or are just looking for a place to walk alone. I've been to a small wedding here too by the educational building, it was a beautiful area. Like others have said there's also a canoe/kayak launch, grills, picnic tables and benches. A great park to check out whatever you're looking for! read more

Castaway Island Preserve - View from the end of the boarded walkway on the Island Trail. - Hiking Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Castaway Preserve Island is a perfect place to go for a picnic with the family, or if you just need to unwind from the hustle & bustle of the outside world. I'd gone with my grandkids & they'd enjoyed the little paths with the different animal paw/foot prints. Just a great place to reconnect with nature. read more