Peace, tranquility, nature and wildlife, dirt roads, sweat, and amazing sunsets! One stop shop with…read moreSawgrass Trailhead at Atlantic Blvd. Mainly known likely for the best sunsets in Broward as it gets jammed packed for sunset lovers. Love the upgraded parking and road to accommodate more cars compared to the past. But you must come for the sunset, and stay for the peaceful long walks and all that nature has to offer. Great spot to also go for a hike/walk, bike the dirt roads, and enjoy nature with occasional croc sitings and evens Everglades deers. Enjoy a boat passing by or even an airboat. Nice outdoor trail that you must experience and hike at least once. Easily assessable, peaceful, picturesque views, amazing sunsets, and an abundance of nature all sure won't disappoint.

The Sawgrass Trail off Atlantic Blvd is where you go to view some of the most beautiful…read moremesmerizing sunsets in the area. People bring their chairs and wait to view the sky and watch the sunset in silence. This Trail is quiet and also perfect for bikers and runners. People also bring their dogs for a nice walk. Trail is home to many species of birds and you can spot alligators and snakes if you get lucky. Wide open area where fishing is allowed. You can see people fishing from their boats as well as near the canal. I enjoy coming here whenever I want to enjoy nature and do my meditation walk. It provides me with a sense of calmness and tranquility. There is parking but try to get there early before Sunset time as it can get crowded and parking is limited. Bring bug spray as there may be mosquitos in the area.

It was a nice park and everything. It had beautiful trails. The thunder and rain came before we…read morewere able to enjoy more. The only disappointment was the little free library was empty. We put 2 books in.

I revisited this park today and it deserves an upgrade to 5 stars. I was out exploring the Hilton…read moreRoad Greenway and saw that it connected to the Winston Park Nature Trail. The old nature trail in the Winston Park Nature Center was blocked off in 2018 because the decrepit boardwalk had become dangerous. Gone is the ratty old boardwalk and it was been replaced with a beautiful paved nature trail that connects the Hilton Road Greenway to the Winston Park Nature Center. The path goes through trees and along a canal filled with ducks and wading birds before exiting at the park. The trail is a fantastic improvement over what used to be here. Another upgrade to the park is a new NASA shuttle themed playground. Kids can pretend to be astronauts as they slide through the shuttle. The new playground is so cute and who knows, it just may inspire a kid to go to space. Other park amenities include a basketball court, pavilion, picnic area, racquetball court, tennis and volleyball courts, and a restroom. This park is so much better than the last time I was here. Well done Coconut Creek!

Loved walking this path and looking over Coral Springs. The views were gorgeous. Never knew this…read moreexisted.

In this park you will find what or must be the only hill in Coral Springs! Tucked in off of Coral…read moreRidge dr and 82nd st. Pets aren't allowed. It is a nice park to come for a peaceful walk that will give you more of an incline workout than just a flat walk. Very beautiful and tranquil. It feels isolated even though it's in the middle of the city. There are waterways about and also places to sit. I am not sure if picnics are allowed, but it would be a really nice spot! From the side I came in from, there isn't very much parking, I am not sure if this is the only entrance or if there are others with more parking. Great park though.

I really enjoyed my nature walk in this spot. It is very clean, they have a fun activity with a…read morekid's book along the way, and I saw a turtle!

Heyyyy, we got a new park to visit! And its not far from home…read more Its actually close for most people in the area as its right off the 95 exit onto Spanish River. We stopped over the other day, as my daughter found it on a basic search for places to take a walk or jog in the area. a little embarrassing that I didn't even know it was right there. I scouted it a little so I knew the right move was to park at the Spanish River library. After getting ready where we parked we headed out on a nice jog. The Pondhawk nature trail felt like about a mile around. it meandered left and right and plenty of things to distract as we jogged by. After that loop we too the other route which was around the lake there. that was closer to a half mile so we went around that 3 times. there were plenty o other people walking and jogging but the positive vibes were every where as people would say hi as we passed by. it was a nice Sunday morning jog, and I think we have a new spot to get some cardio in, Pondhawk.

To start off I dont like the name of the nature park. Plenty of parking near the entrance with a…read morecovered pavilion, benches and even a double mouth water fountain but sadly could not locate a bathroom. There was a Little Free Library kiosk with a bunch of books at the beginning of the trail. Took a hike on the cement winding trail and found a posted map of the area including the different types of wildlife that may be hiding. I did see movement in the brush along side the trail but unsure what type of animal it was. It was brutal hot so took a break on a wooden bench and just listened to the sounds of the crickets and birds. Due to the heat, never made it to the observation tower at the end.

This is a 11.71 acre of natural land located in Coconut Creek. It is very close to the Helene Klein…read morePineland Preserve. The vegetation consists of slash pine and saw palmetto. Over 59 species of animals have been documented here. They include birds, squirrels, butterflies, and reptiles. A paved loop takes you through the area and leads to an observation platform. Amenities include a bike rack, water fountain, benches, and informative signs. Different events are held here and you can find a list on the board next to the parking lot.

There are so many great parks in Coconut Creek where you can play, exercise, and enjoy nature but…read moredid you know there is another way to enjoy the outdoors in town? In addition to the parks, Coconut Creek also has greenways. The greenways are closed to vehicles and make safe travel possible. The city has made many improvements to the greenways through grants from Broward Beautiful, Kodak American Greenways, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The paths are often short, most are only a quarter of a mile, but they are still a nice place to walk around. The Long Pine Greenway is broken into north and south sections joined by a bridge. The north section at 5551 W. Hillsboro Boulevard is .18 of a mile and the south section at 6901 Lyons Road is .68 of a mile. The Long Pine Greenway runs through the West Creek Pineland Natural Area. It doesn't have a parking lot but you can access the greenway by parking in the lot on the side of the Dunkin Donuts. The Long Pine Greenway has a six foot wide paved path that leads across a very pretty 100 foot pedestrian bridge and on into a gazebo. Other amenities include benches, a bike rack, and informational signs. The preserve is a 7.43 acre tract that is important for migrating birds as well as providing a home for the birds that stay here year round. The vegetation consists of pine flatwoods, saw palmetto, and pineland grasses. Many kinds of birds, fish, and butterflies make their home here. I never fail to see tons of butterflies and birds. I also saw a lot of people out walking and biking this morning. There clearly is a demand for safe places to exercise outside. Across the street is the Helene Klein Preserve and Saw Palmetto Natural Area for more nature fun.

We've all seen those unique types of bicycle racks that are more than just a curved piece of metal…read morefor you to lock your bicycle up to (as long as you bring along your own bike lock/cable). Sometimes though people see what may appear as an artistic piece of outdoor, street art such as a green bicycle (made out of 2" tubular metal) or my favorite being those yellow pineapples (also constructed out of 2" tubular metal). What people should know is typically these are actually art BUT they are also bicycle racks. I too, mistaken those artistic bicycle racks when I was driving along Lyons road and kept seeing one of those bicycle. I must've seen it at least 50 times without a thought but then I noticed out the corner of my eye that adjacent to it was a bicycle path leading away from all roadway traffic. After work that same day, I jumped on my bike to check it out. The trail begins as asphalt pavement and runs west from Lyons Road (at NW 69 Court) along a lovely nature preserve (West Creek Pineland Natural Area) made up mostly of pine trees, palm trees and includes a couple of park benches to have a seat and take in the scenery until the trail meets a waterway with a pedestrian bridge and gazebo with more seating. Looking in the water from the bridge you can find catfish, largemouth bass and tilapia. Continuing to the west the trail becomes a concrete path, still away from all vehicular traffic (residential apartments to the north side of the trail and some warehouse buildings but the trail is fully landscaped (although there is a lack of trees). Eventually the trails appears to end when it meets the back side of a Havarty's Furniture warehouse/retail store (to the south side of the path), but the trail actually continues along the lake to north side and yes, it's less attractive than the trail through the nature preserve but it's still a nice ride. The first time I rode this trail (greenway), it ended at here but since then the City of Coconut has continued the path to turn north thru Caligo Crossing retail plaza to actually end the trail at West Hillsboro Boulevard. And if you are up to it, the City has added a new trail (Greenway) on the other side of West Hillsboro Boulevard. It's vey short... then again, the Long Pine South Greenway trail is only 0.7 miles.

This natural area is located on Military Trail which was built as an access road for soldiers…read moreduring the Second Seminole War. In 1897 the land was sold to the East Coast Railway owned by Henry Flagler. In 1989 Broward County was able to purchase the land through the Environmentally Sensitive Land Bonds Program which was created to preserve ecologically sensitive land from being used for commercial development. The nature preserve is 19.9 acres of scrubby habitat. This habitat is found on the highest and driest land so very little of it is left since it was the first to be used for development. In this natural area you can find scrubby flatwoods, oak scrub, and sand pine scrub. On the north border of the preserve you can find the remnants of a dome swamp with a few cypress trees left. Animals that have been spotted here include ospreys, black and white warblers, mocking birds, cardinals, and blue jays. Plants found in the preserve include tarflowers, rabbit bells, blue mist, love vine, scrub oak, sand pine, saw palmetto, and red tassel flowers. When visiting this preserve parking is a problem since there is no dedicated lot. It is sandwiched between two condominium complex's. You have to get permission from the complex to leave your car.Also there aren't any restrooms or water available. There isn't anything to attract your notice the presence of this nature area except a sign on a metal chain link fence. The paths are sand so they are not wheelchair accessible like some of the paved paths at other nature preserves in the area. Unless you have a burning desire see this place you can skip it as this preserve is not very visitor friendly. It is best left to the wild.

Checked this trail out after driving past it a few times. Rather disappointing as parking is…read morenonexistent, along with the trail not having any sort of majestic things to offer. Everything seems very dry and sandy. There are a few park benches throughout but again I wouldn't go out of my way to stop by here.

It took me a few tries to figure out how to access this nature preserve. It is across the street…read morefrom Helene Klein Preserve and Saw Palmetto Natural Area but unlike those natural areas it does not have it's own dedicated parking lot. However you can clearly see it's sign from Hillsboro Blvd. I ended up going past the sign and making the first right I could into the parking lot that runs behind Duffy's. By following the preserve fence down the lot I was finally able to find the path that runs into the preserve. It was worth the search because the six foot wide path led across a very pretty 100 foot pedestrian bridge into a gazebo. Other amenities include benches, a bike rack, and informational signs. The preserve is a 7.43 acre tract that is important for migrating birds as well as providing a home for the birds that stay here year round. The vegetation consists of pine flatwoods, saw palmetto, and pineland grasses. Many kinds of birds, fish, and birds make their home here. On my visit I saw a beautiful bright red cardinal and a raccoon that was busy emptying Duffy"s dumpster. Neither was amicable to being photographed.

Blazing Star is 26 acres of scrub pine with a mile loop running on top of sugar sand. It is…read moreadjacent to the much larger Sugar Sand Park. This area was once part of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, ancient dunes that lined the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the trail runs along I-95 and in addition to the cars you may hear the occasional train racing past. Plants you might encounter include sand live oaks, myrtle oak, Chapman oak, saw palmetto, slash pine, sand pine, bromeliad, prickly pear cactus, marsh ferns and cinnamon ferns and the invasive Brazilian pepper. When I came upon the pink and yellow lantana growing in the back of the preserve it was covered in zebra longwing butterflies. If you want to see the blazing star (Liatris), with it's stalks of purple flowers that the area takes it's name from you will have to plan your visit for late summer and early fall. If you are lucky you will see protected gopher tortoises. All I came upon however was a burrow. As you make your way through the preserve you will be serenaded by cicadas and crickets. This is a pretty isolate spot, especially when you get to the back of the preserve. Unlike a lot of other preserves I have visited this one is not paved so it is not wheelchair accessible. It was actually quite hard to even walk in the back but when I came upon a hundred butterflies floating around the plants it made the muddy sneakers and trek worth it. You have to be slow and quiet to fully appreciate this area but once you focus in a lot of surprises await you.

I'd be lying if I said Blazing Star Nature Preserve is a bundle of fun…read more.. It's located adjacent to the east side of Sugar Sand Park separated by the Tri-Rail road road tracks. The entrance/parking area is small but there is always a spot to park; actually, it's rare to see any cars here at all. Theres a bench to sit and watch nothing... There is a bike rack... There is an informational board mounted on a tiny building; perhaps a storage shed or sorts)... And there is the entrance to the trails.... That's basically what the park offers... trails that meander through a protected 12 acre parcel of land... lots of cabbage palms and pine trees... And there is a bit of wildlife to ooh and ahh at (if you find them)... the wildlife includes all the typical South Florida wildlife but have heard fox are present but Ive never seen (and I'd imagine they'd leave the park and put themselves at risk with vehicular traffic and residential communities). One of the reasons I don't love the park (and it's not because they don't offer more amenities), is the lack of accessible paths. The trails through the park are sugar sand (just like the namesake of our neighboring park, Sugar Sand Park)... they get a sprinkle of pine needles that gives the trail a bit of stabilization but for the most part they are exposed sugar sand... just white, soft, unforgiving sugar sand that makes walking a bit of a challenge (like trying to take a jog on the dry part of the beach). It'd be great if the City of Boca Raton would add or mix some shell rock to the paths... it'd make the park considerably more user friendly... or maybe even covering the paths with mulch.