Great nature preserve and education center. The signs provide education on native animals and…read moreplants. You can take kayak or canoes out in the preserve. If you don't have your own, you can rent one.

We went on an educational canoe trip here to see the Full Supwr Moon and the Full Beaver Moon. I…read morewent with several friends and it was fabulous. The guides were knowledgeable and very helpful. They were enjoyable to be around. The birds were gorgeous and the temperature was perfect- meaning the weather. I can't wait to come back for other trips and even just walk the boardwalk! The only issue is that it is dark near the outdoor bathroom- because my friend tripped there. So perhaps they should rethink the lighting there!

This is a large natural area of more than 2,000 acres spanning both sides of Indiantown Road. From…read morethe back of Riverbend Park I came upon the historic Jupiter-Indiantown Trail which runs for 2 miles northwest. I took the trail until it reached an observation pavilion overlooking wetlands. If I had a bike I would have taken the trail further down but that was all about I could hike in the heat that day. The main part of this natural area is located on the north side of Indiantown Road, east and west of Gulfstream Citrus Road. There you will find a parking lot, observation platforms, and educational displays. The land in this area is part of the Northeast Everglades Natural Area and it acts as a buffer for the Loxahatchee River. The mesic flatwoods, wet flatwoods, hydric hammock, wet prairie, depression marsh, dome swamp, and blackwater stream provide a home for over 500 species of plants and 200 species of animals. At the area where the Loxahatchee River battle took place historical artifacts have been found. This area can be explored by foot, bicycle, horse, or boats that can be paddled. The north portion of the natural area contains the historic Jupiter-Indiantown Trail which I partially hiked. It was a road used from the 1900's to the 1950's to travel from Jupiter to Indiantown. Here you will also find the Jesup Trail which is 6 miles that will eventually lead into Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Also in this area is the trailhead, covered observation platforms, 2 acres of restored wetlands, and other hiking trails. The south portion of the natural area contains a fishing pier, observation tower, kayak/ canoe launch, the historic Jupiter Indiantown trail and other hiking trails. This is a wonderful area to explore and I hope I get back to see more of it in the cooler months. It is historical land that is providing a safe haven to Florida's endangered animals and plants.

We came from the Jupiter entrance off of West Indiantown Road. We originally thought it would be a…read morenice walk to the nearby lake, although this area is nowhere nearly advertised like in the pictures. This doesn't have a any lakes which was pretty disappointing. It's a nice bike trail and horse walking path. Other than that, its not a very good walking path. 1 path leads you through back of a neighborhood and straight to another neighborhood. There is another path but that one leads you in the middle of nowhere.

This is a great park located in Royal Palm Beach, especially when they have festivals and events…read more We generally come here when they have the Christmas festival but this year's Rock and Roll Halloween Festival was phenomenal. The kids had a blast, the Linkin Park cover band was amazing, great performance. Great variety of food trucks and a few carnival rides to keep the kids busy. Looking forward to the Christmas festival. Happy Halloween everyone

One of my favorite parks to walk around! They have a nice little trail with markers to let you know…read morehow many miles you've walked. There is also an outside gym area to utilize if you're following the trail. The commons park also has free events every month from concerts to festivals. Recently, I went to the seafood festival and that was great! Many vendors + food trucks with fish dips, deep fried seafoods, lobster rolls, etc! Tons of activities for the kids as well! Carnival rides, playgrounds, face painting, bounce houses, and etc. really great day for the family!

This tiny park is great to know about. It is designed for kayaking or canoeing. It has a giant…read moreparking space for a bus, with a huge rack for kayak/canoe holding, and special dock appendage for kayak/canoes. It is a little difficult to spot, as the sign is tiny, and you basically pull into a parking lot shared by an office building. It is right off Indiantown Road. There is a little shaded picnic table, but it is right in front of the parking spaces. However, it does look out on a tiny preserved area. Just for the sake of exploring every single park, I brought my kids here to check it out. We were the only ones here. It had rained recently and a flock of ibis were eating in the flooded park area between the parking spaces and the dock, which is a pretty short little path. However, that path goes over a tiny swampy area which is shallow enough to note that there were not alligators. We could sit on the elevated pavement to look over the swamp and observe. Incredibly enough, I was able to spot a mass of frog eggs floating in this water. We then collected some of the eggs and brought them home; now we are parenting baby tree frogs to release one day. We tried to look for fish from the small dock but did not have any luck. From the dock you can see other docks along the canal.

This is a 2.71 acre park that opened in 2014 in the Jones Creek Preserve. The Jones Creek flows…read moreinto the Loxahatchee River and to a large shallow basin along its southern property line. One third of the preserve is mangrove wetlands which are very important to the health of the Loxahatchee River. Mangroves protect shorelines from storm and hurricane damage, prevent erosion, maintain water quality and clarity by filtering pollutants and trapping sediments, and they provide nesting and breeding habitat for fish and shellfish, migratory birds, and sea turtles. The land for the Jones Creek Preserve was purchased along with several other parcels in 2005 as part of the seventeen million dollar Jupiter Open Space Program. Non native plants were removed and replaced with native species and fences were added. Other park amenities include benches, a water fountain, and picnic table. A public kayak launch was added that allows paddlers to go through the mangroves and behind neighborhoods as they explore the Loxahatchee River. If you live locally and have your own kayak this is a handy place to launch it.

This is a very nice park in Royal Palm Beach located in the Crestwood neighborhood of Royal Palm…read moreBeach which is made up of 660 single family homes. Park amenities include a parking lot, picnic pavilions, tables and grills, basketball court, open play space, paved exercise path, and the Bark Dog Park. In the back of the park is a hiking trail into the Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area. The 773 acres of the preserve contain a wet prairie and a pine forest. This natural area is part of the Great Florida Bird and Wildlife Trail and Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Palm Beach county purchased most of the land in 1992 and 1993 and the rest was deeded to them in a mitigation settlement. Unfortunately the trail entrance in the park was flooded due to recent rain but there is another entrance in the back of the Saratoga Pines subdivision.

Royal Palm Beach Commons Park have acres and acres of land for the outdoors person. 2 playgrounds…read morefor the children with plenty of play areas. Commons Park also have a beautiful New Years Eve and 4th of July celebration. There is a driving range for the golfers. Miles of jogging and walking trails. I've seen the fishermen pull some big bass out the lake there. There is an Amphitheater in which they sponsor free concerts and pavilions and banquet hall you can rent for special events.

One of my favorite parks in RPB. The trails, the events, the dog park, the golf course,…read moreplaygrounds, and etc make it a treasure in RPB. I've voted here before as well, and that was a breeze. This place also has an event hall that I have not seen but I've heard is pretty nice. I've seen all sorts of events weddings, birthday parties, and etc. We've had birthday parties at the commons (outside under pavilion) for years! Not bad either since there is fountain where the kids can play and run around in!

This is a huge district/county park -- about 70 acres. It was easy to find with clear signage just…read morenorth of the Costco. There's lots of open land, lots of trees, and a wealth of activity areas including a water park. When we stopped by on a rainy afternoon, there weren't many people in the park at all. Some of the many activity areas include: Half a dozen baseball fields, a couple softball fields, a few multi purpose fields, and a playground for the little ones with various structures. None of the fields were occupied when we were there. And then there are the picnic areas -- some tables with grills. And even a picnic pavilion that is good for groups. It can be rented. Plus on top of all this -- a water park.The Calypso Bay Waterpark even has its own entrance. There's an entrance fee for this seasonal park. There's a lap pool, river ride, water slide, and a water "playground". Prices to enter depend on one's age. It was closed when we dropped by. I think it reopens in March, but call for dates before you come. This water park would be perfect for swimming lessons and/or kids birthday parties. This big park must really be busy in spring/summer. And when the ball games are being played. There are a plethora of parking spaces! It seemed a bit eerie to drive by all the empty spaces the day we came.

This is a massive 70.14 acre sports park in Royal Palm Beach. The name of the park was inspired by…read morethe fact that Royal Palm Beach was once the hunting ground of the Seminole people. This park is open every day from sunrise until sunset. Seminole Palms Park amenities include 6 lighted baseball fields, 2 lighted softball fields, 3 multipurpose fields, picnic pavilions and picnic tables with grills, restrooms, and playground. The park is also home to the Calypso Bay Waterpark which has an interactive water playground, lap pool, lazy river, 2 water slides, and food concession. Sports field parks are not my personal favorite kind of park but Seminole Palms is beautifully maintained and provides a great recreations resource for the many sports teams in the area. The water park looks very family friendly for anyone looking to cool down on a hot day. Come out this park to enjoy the athletic fields, picnic areas, playground, and the seasonal water park.

This is the nature center at the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. Originally…read morenamed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, this preserve was established September 30, 1969. Nathaniel P. Reed's parents helped to create the preserve by donating swaths of land to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service near the Indian River Lagoon in the 1960s and early 1970s. On April 17, 2019, the name of the preserve was changed to honor their son environmentalist Nathaniel Pryor Reed who was the environmental advisor to Florida governor Claude R. Kirk Jr. in the 1960's. He also served as environmental advisor to Assistant Secretary of the Interior to presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford from 1971 to 1977. Reed was instrumental in drafting the Endangered Species Act and saving Big Cypress Swamp. The Clean Water Act is also part of his legacy. He was known for fighting for the environment before it was cool to do so. Reed was a long time Jupiter Island resident. He passed away in July of 2018 after falling and hitting his head after hooking a 16 pound salmon while fishing in Quebec. The refuge is located on the coast of Martin County and it is divided by the Indian River Lagoon into two separate tracts of land totaling over 1000 acres. The Jupiter land tract is 735 acres and is important to the environment because it contains the largest complete section (3.5 miles of Atlantic Ocean Beach) of undeveloped beach in Southeastern Florida. As a result of the uninterrupted beach it is one of the most productive sea turtle nesting areas in the Southeastern United States. The Refuge protects 40 species of sea turtles listed as either threatened, endangered, or of special concern. Florida is the only state where endangered Leatherback Sea Turtles nest. The 300 acre sand pine scrub area is rare because the high, dry land was ideal for building on, so more than 90 percent of this ecosystem in Florida has been lost to development. You only find sand pine scrub in Florida and Alabama. The preserve also contains 10 miles of mangrove communities along the Indian River Lagoon. This National Wildlife Refuge has a large biodiversity of plants and animals. The last time I visited this refuge in 2021, the visitors center was closed for renovations so I was interested in visiting this trip. The nature center is run by a private, non-profit organization, that is dedicated to promoting an environmental awareness in people of all ages. The nature center building is made up of a exhibit hall, classroom/ lab, and a gift shop. Exhibits in the nature center include the sand pine scrub, Indian River Lagoon, The Atlantic Ocean, Jupiter Island, protecting biodiversity, adaptions for survival, and information about the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Preserve. There are tanks with fish and reptiles to view. The nature center hosts turtle walks, summer camps, evening forums, scrub tours and more. It is free to visit the nature center but some of the events may have an additional charge. Check out their website for a complete list of upcoming events. On Earth Day April 22nd they will be offering free family activities, games and crafts. Before you leave be sure and check out the cute gift shop with an assortment of nature themed items. Next to the parking lot is a stairway that takes you down to a beautiful beach where you can swim. You can also hike the scrub surrounding the nature center. There is so much to enjoy at the refuge and I always enjoy my visits.

Nice trail heading to the beach and the nature center has lots of animals including fish, a snake,…read moreowl, salamander and hawk.