This park is named in honor of the Phipps Family descended from Henry Phipps Jr. (1839-1930), a…read morebusinessman and philanthropist. Phipps grew up with Andrew Carnegie as a friend and neighbor. As an adult, he became Carnegie's business partner in the Carnegie Steel Company and as a result became very wealthy. The Phipps family donated to the town of Palm Beach one of the most significant gifts in county history, an ocean to lake property that is now known as Phipps Park. The Phipps family had established public parks in Palm Beach and in the New York area. Phipps Park on the St. Lucie Canal was made possible with a land trade involving Michael Phipps which resulted in the public recreation facility. Michael, born January 10, 1910, in England was also associated with the St. Lucie Training Track for thoroughbred horses on SR 76. He passed away on March 13, 1973. Phipps Park is part of the St. Lucie South Recreation Area which has a 55 acres of camping and conservation land on the Okeechobee Waterway. In 2006 FEMA installed 35 traditional primitive campsites, and 24, 20-amp electric sites during the 2006 hurricanes when the park was being used for FEMA housing. Campground renovations began in 2018 and continue to this day. There are now 99 RV sites and 19 adventure tent sites that come with canvas tents. In the park you will also find hiking trails, fishing pier, a new boat ramp and dock, showers, laundry facilities, picnic pavilions, and restrooms. This park is popular with anglers who enjoy fishing both fresh and salt water. Next to the camping area is the St. Lucie Lock and Dam built in 1941 and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers .The lock was built for flood control replacing the natural outflow of the St. Lucie River from Lake Okeechobee. This waterway is now part of a cross-Florida navigational route connecting the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Okeechobee and on to the Gulf. On the north side of the lock, the one mile St. Lucie Nature Trail traverses in a one mile loop through a subtropical forest next to a primitive group campsite. There is also a volunteer manned visitor's center which provides information on the history of the lock and the local ecosystem. With the historic lock, fishing options, and hiking trails, Phipps Park is worth exploration even if you don't plan on staying overnight to camp.

My in-laws come down from Ohio every year for 2 months. They stay at Phipps park and love it…read more They say it is relaxing, fishing is good. They were impressed with the new bathroom facilities. They would give it 5 stars.

Never answered my emails or phone calls. Wish I could give a review but since no one ever got back…read moreto me on my multiple inquiries, I cannot comment. Only that they clearly need a better system for responding to inquiries. Also, the website is a mess and goes in loops and doesn't give you the opportunity to sign up for anything.

We loved our peaceful ride along the beach. The people who run this business are sweet, helpful,…read moreaccommodating, and professional. We were able to squeeze our group of 5 in a last minute opening. Even though it was last minute, everything was ready to go when we arrived. The horses were calm and easy to ride. The weather was beautiful so we enjoyed the slow stroll and sounds of the waves. We all loved the experience. We had people in our group who'd never ridden and others experienced. It was a great time for all of us. Check it out!

A spa great place, my wife and I take a motorcycle ride out to the camp most every Sunday . There's…read morea taco truck that serves food which is great we had steak tacos last Sunday . A bucket of beer Basically you get one or two free . If you don't drink them all the beer turn them back in and they give you a poker chip for credit the next time you come back . Great service . The ambiance is old school Florida . Picnic tables , chairs , live bands Friday , Saturday, Sunday

Great little place...like the keys used to be! Band was enough and $2 beers is hard to beat! Worth…read morea stop

My family and I loved this eco-river cruise on the St. Lucie River!…read more It was such a beautiful 90 minute experience on a lovely and cool December day. We saw 9 alligators, 26 birds, 7? turtles, and even an iguana on our river adventure. I highly recommend taking some time out of your day to go on this cruise. Florida locals and tourists will both enjoy this opportunity, and have a chance to learn about the history of the area and the local ecological life. Call ahead to secure your seat. The boat owners, Steph & Eddie, are fabulous tour guides and really take the time to ensure all passengers have an opportunity to see all the creatures on the tour. Even their kids gave a mini report on how many creatures we saw :) Thank you for making our Florida trip so memorable! 5 stars!

We loved all the information that we got on the cruise and we saw plenty of alligators, birds and…read moreturtles. They also pointed out trees and plants so we knew what we were looking at.

North trail offers straight and firm opportunity to get a sweat via walk/run/bike…read more South trail offers scenic and partly rugged areas to stroll and leisurely pace through if desired. Plus, Indian burial mounds and pioneer cemetery adds to the enjoyment

Spruce Bluff Preserve is 97 acres. In the 1990's a community of more than 60 homes was planned for…read morethe area but in 1995 the St. Lucie County saved the historic spot by buying the land and making it into one of the county's first preserves, The hiking trail is on the marsh and scrub land in between the houses off Southbend Boulevard along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. This is one of the more interesting hiking trips I have taken because there is so much history here. If you take the trail from the parking lot about half a mile down you will come to the site that was a pioneer settlement and cemetery along the banks of the St. Lucie River. The trail itself was the roadway for the development that never happened. The area was settled in 1891 after the Second Seminole War ended in 1842. Spruce Bluff founder John Enos Fultz Jr. came from South Carolina to farm pineapples which did well in the sandy soil. Spruce Bluff was a community of several families with a school, post office and sawmill. To make $10 a month Fultz rowed the St. Lucie River to Stuart to deliver the mail to Stuart. In 1894 and 1895 a winter freeze killed the crops and the families moved out of the area. Fultz moved to Ft. Pierce where he became the first Clerk of the Circuit Court for St. Lucie County when it was created in 1905. To find the cemetery look for the two wooden posts on the side of the right hand trail that leads to a sandy trail that takes you to it. The cemetery is surrounded by a fence with a monument. It is owned privately but you are welcome to visit. The seven headstones of the Spruce Bluff pioneers buried inside the fence were vandalized so one monument was put up instead. If you take the trail behind the parking lot it leads to an Ais midden which was their trash dump. Middens are important because they can tell you a lot about the people who lived in the area. This midden has yielded fish bones during excavations. To get to the site you travel along a one mile trail. As you make your way down you come to two boardwalks that cross over the wetlands. The Ais were a tribe of Native Americans who inhabited the Atlantic Coast of Florida from present day Cape Canaveral to the St. Lucie Inlet. They became extinct in the 1760's when they were sold off for slaves or succumbed to disease. The best knowledge we have of these people came from Jonathan Dickinson's journal when he was taken prisoner by them. There is no sign for the mound. It's 20 feet high and 180 feet wide and may be hundred of thousands of years old. If you didn't know it was back there it would just look like a hill. In addition to the hiking trails which can also be biked there is canoe access. A saw a lot of birds on the trail as well as many adorable rabbits. It's an easy hike and the history of this area makes it a very special place to visit.

My husband and I stayed for two nights at the FAMILY Campground in the DuPuis Management Area in…read morelate March, 2025, and LOVED it. This is a free primitive campground (no hookups) managed by the South Florida Water Management District. While free, it does require a Special Use Application and License (which is also free). The Special Use License secures 1 of the 14 licenses available per day, and also gives you access to the gate code for entry; the camp host did check that we had one. The campground is far from traffic noise, and each site is large and picturesque. The family campground is for tent and pop-up camping only. No trailers, camper vans, truck campers, or RVs are permitted for camping. A maximum of two vehicles are allowed per campsite. While we have a Class B RV, we followed the rules and set up our tent for overnight camping. Each site offers a picnic table and fire ring. The Family Campground has clean composting toilets. A full-service bath house with hot showers and flushing toilets are available for use in the Equestrian Campground. The DuPuis Management area offers camping, picnicking, fishing, hiking, bicycling, geocaching, birdwatching, wildlife viewing, and hunting during specific seasons. We had only one issue -- and that was that our GPS took us to the wrong, locked entry gate but we figured it out.

Clean, quiet, horses/walking trails, feels remote, wonderful restrooms with hot showers and…read moreflushing toilets, amazingly free. Would stay again. Small town nearby.

Everything was amazing! Perfect customer service and a beautiful experience! My wife came in to do…read morepottery for our 8th wedding anniversary and ended up also making a cutting board! Dee and Marie were so kind. Can't wait to come back!

i went with a group of 10 women and spent a few fun hours creating various painted pottery pieces…read more They have a great selection, great customer service and a very pleasant environment. can't wait to go back!

The huge, sprawling trees with extensive aerial root systems often found near Green Turtle Cove and…read morealong NE Ocean Blvd in Jensen Beach are Banyan trees (Ficus benghalensis or similar species). Also in the surrounding area. Banyan trees are Known for their immense, wide-reaching canopies, these majestic, historic trees are iconic to the Treasure Coast's coastal landscape. Beautiful and amazing creation! I fully was in awwwww all the way thru! These trees can tell a story or two. Beautiful homes are lined up next to these majestic creation. I was amazed by the height and thickness of these beautiful canopies. If only they would talk? I stood beneath them and stared straight up for a long period of time (actually until my neck gave me a kick). They are just so unique it has a historical feeling to it! You definitely will enjoy a drive thru these tunnel of beautiful trees. Specially when is bright morning and the sun peeks thru these branches. Perfect for photography, or just for a Facebook and Yelp pic. If you are near please take a moment to appreciate them and connect, it will be worth the while! You're welcome wink ;)

Don't listen to the crude person - the trees and Stuart are the most amazing parts of our area…read more Take the drive. The trees will give you more insight than the comments before me.