Moving from the Pacific Northwest, Scott and I are spoiled coming from an area that is surrounded by nature parks. Our goal was to find some local nature parks that we could enjoy long walks.
The first nature park that we found was the Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. It’s located about 10 minutes from our home, towards Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Hugh Taylor Birch Park
The walking trail in Hugh Taylor Birch Park is about 2 miles long. While you can’t actually “hike” anywhere, we did enjoy the scenery. There is a park fee of $6 per vehicle and plenty of parking lots to choose from. At the gate, they also give you a map of the park so you can navigate easily.
Hugh Taylor Birch moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1893 in search of ocean front property. Eventually, he found an 180 acre parcel with a3.5 mile ocean front that he bought for $1 an acre. In 1940 he built his art stucco home and passed away the following year at the age of 91. He wanted other generations to enjoy his estate, so he donated the park to the city. Learn more about this great park here.
The park doesn’t have actual “walking trails”, but the road that loops the park is a one way road. Walkers and bikers seem to share the bike lane with no issues. Scott and I decided to walk clockwise heading to the river first.
Once we got to the river, we realized this is also a water taxi stop. There is also a fairly long dinghy dock for boaters to raft up to.
The trail hugs the river for most of the way on the west side of the park.
Bugs in the Park
As we left the river side, we headed deep into the park. The scenery was beautiful, but be prepared. I had sprayed my legs and arms with bug spray and I was wearing a tank top. I forgot to spray my back and I got eaten alive resulting in GIANT welts. These had to be no see ums, because we didn’t really see any mosquitoes.
Kayak Rentals
The park also offers kayak rentals. You can rent them at the gift shop at the Park & Ocean restaurant, but you can’t go outside of the lagoon.
Park & Ocean Restaurant
Scott and I were starving by the time we reached the Park & Ocean Restaurant. They had indoor and outdoor seating with live music outside. We sat at the bar and ordered some sandwiches, which were delicious! The restaurant also offers moonlit kayak tours, but I don’t know that I want to get into a lagoon in the dark.
Our plan after lunch was to walk through their patio out to the ocean, but unfortunately a huge squall moved in with lightning. Time to head home.
Anne Kolb Nature Center
The following weekend we decided to try out another park. Located in Hollywood, the Anne Kolb Nature Center had great reviews and it looked interesting.
This 1501 acre park opened in 1996 and is the largest in the park system. It features a coastal mangrove wetland rich in plant and animal life, including some threatened and endangered species.
The park is known for having a large variety of butterflies. I tried to capture them on camera, but they were flying everywhere.
Park Trails
There are basically three trails you can take in the Anne Kolb Nature Park. First, we took the Lake Observation Trail, which brings you out to a lookout point. This trail is about a quarter of a mile each way.
Next we headed down the Mud Flat Trail. Part of the trail is gravel and this is where you will find blue land crabs. They dig holes along the trail and you will see them pop in and out of the holes. This trail is about a third of a mile each way.
We saw all kinds of wildlife along this trail.
Fishing Pier Trail
The Mud Flat Trail brings you back to the entrance of the nature center. From there we walked across the parking lot towards the ICW, where we found another couple of lookouts. This seemed like a great fishing spot, as there were quite a few people fishing. This is a very short walk at only 263 feet.
These are both great parks for walking and we plan on going back to explore more.
As always, thank you for following our journey! Next week we’re headed to “gater land” where we explore the Everglades on a jet boat. Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and our vlog (link below). You can also find us on social media @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney
Cheers, Scott and Ally
