Contact Information: Maritime Hammock Sanctuary, 6200 S Highway A1A, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951 (321-723-3556, brevardfl.gov)
Bordering and managed by Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge—the first wildlife refuge in America established to protect sea turtles—Maritime Hammock Sanctuary showcases maritime (coastal) hammock, marshlands, and mangroves along the Indian River Lagoon. It’s 150 acres preserved from the residential development that has otherwise spread up and down A1A. According to one interpretive marker, “This is the place where the North meets the South,” biologically speaking. Along this hike, you’ll discover plant species that are just as comfortable in Naples or Key West as they are here, while you follow a twisting, winding, sometimes soggy footpath. We consider it an excellent adventure, even if there’s wet feet in the bargain.
GETTING THERE
From I-95, take exit 180 for Melbourne. Follow US 192 east for 8 miles through downtown and continue over the causeway to Indialantic. When the highway ends at the beach, turn right and follow FL A1A for 10.3 miles, passing a variety of public beaches on the way south to the community of Melbourne Shores. Park at the north trailhead (you’ll have to pull across the bicycle path to do so, so watch for pedestrians and bicycles). There is a grassy parking area along the slope above the bike path.
THE HIKE
Stop at the kiosk to pick up a map. The preserve is shaped like a bridge, with an incursion of subdivision in the middle section, although the houses are mostly hidden from view. The trail skirts a large depression that was once filled by an artesian well to create a reservoir for the Exotica Nursery, which occupied this spot. You may notice some escaped nursery residents like snake plant and Norfolk Island pine growing in the hammocks, but most invasive species have been rounded up.
Snaking around and down, the trail enters a lush hammock. Look up into the high canopy for orchids, which bloom in the summer months. Even off-season, the leaves of greenfly orchid are showy. As the corridor narrows, tropical shrubs like marlberry appear in the understory. A natural archway rises over the trail, which winds through the dense forest beneath tree limbs outstretched in graceful windswept arcs like ballet dancers. Becoming mushy underfoot, the footpath crosses bog bridges surrounded by pennyroyal and giant leather ferns. After a sharp turn at a fence line, a short spur trail provides a shaded bench from which to see a creek hidden under a tunnel of tropical vegetation.
At the trail junction, the YOU ARE HERE marker provides a map to show where the trail system goes. Turn right to follow the stacked loops on the north end of the sanctuary. The trail is right behind the mangrove roots along the Indian River Lagoon, and can get wet at times. You encounter your first gumbo-limbo tree after 0.5 mile. The gumbo-limbo is also jokingly called the Tourist Tree due to its distinctive red, peeling bark. This is the northernmost preserve in which we’ve encountered this tropical tree.
Indian River Lagoon at dusk, Gibbs Point
Keep right at the next trail junction, where there is another map. Sprays of shoelace fern and goldfoot fern emerge from the tall cabbage palms. You emerge from the hammock into a beauty spot at the next trail junction, a panoramic view of open marshes along Gibbs Point, framed by cabbage palms and sprays of sand cordgrass. Turn right to circle the marsh. Mounds of coreopsis and aster bloom throughout the open areas. A little blue heron squawks and flies away at your approach. Cormorants crowd the branches of mangroves on a small island in the middle of the marsh.
The breeze off the lagoon across the marsh makes this part of the hike naturally air-conditioned. Pass the side trail to a residential neighborhood and loop around the marsh, crossing it on boards atop a concrete weir. Turn right. After a mile, the trail turns left, and you’re along the lapping shoreline of the Indian River Lagoon. Here, the mangroves grow taller. A boardwalk leads through a wet area. Seagrass and oyster shells fill open spots between the mangroves. Bog bridges carry you across damp spots. Complete the upper loop, returning to a junction with a map. Continue forward across the bridge to reach the initial junction at 1.4 miles.
The next part of the trail isn’t as interesting as what you’ve hiked so far. It’s a connector between the two preserved hammocks within this sanctuary, skirting the residential area, a long walk along a tall levee next to the mangroves that line the Indian River Lagoon. You may spot ibises in the mangrove limbs, and a massive alligator lives at the base of one sharply banked turn in the levee, so don’t hike this piece on autopilot. Reaching an interpretive sign about the impoundments, which were created for mosquito control many decades ago, watch for a bridge on the left that gets you off the long dike at 2 miles and back into the tropical hammock.
Boardwalk through the mangrove forest
You encounter benches more frequently as the trail passes through a forest of young gumbo-limbo. Passing an interpretive sign about the tropical plants, the trail is infused with a damp, skunky aroma. Young nakedwood trees are skinny, smooth-barked, and packed densely through this part of the forest, reminiscent of the tropical hammocks of Key Largo. A boardwalk tunnels through the mangroves. A spur trail leads right at 2.3 miles to an observation deck that opens onto a lagoon. If you can tolerate the mosquitoes—which are more intense here than along the rest of the loop—look for wading birds roosting in the mangroves.
Branches curl into bizarre inchworm shapes overhead as the high canopy fills in with red bay and live oak. More shells crunch underfoot as you continue walking in the shade past another bench. At 2.5 miles, the trail turns sharply down a corridor with a scrubby feel. It passes beneath arches of oaks, undulating branches providing shade and shelter for bromeliads and orchids. The footpath gets hilly as if you’re climbing up and over middens. Passing an old baffle in a fence, the trail pops out under a power line. A marker points right, where you emerge out on the paved bicycle trail at the South Trailhead. Turn left and walk up the paved trail past Mark’s Landing as traffic zips past at high speed along A1A. Reaching the North Trailhead, you complete a 2.8-mile loop.
OTHER HIKING OPTIONS
1.Barrier Island Sanctuary (27.903095, -80.471519). Drive 4 miles south on A1A to this lagoon-to-sea preserve with a nature center that welcomes you to learn more about Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. A mile-long interpretive loop starts at the beach next to the Center and leads to the lagoon and back.
2. Coconut Point Sanctuary (28.011787, -80.531173). Drive 4.2 miles north on A1A and park at Juan Ponce de León Landing to visit this coastal preserve. The habitat diversity is outstanding along a mile loop that takes you to an observation deck on the Indian River Lagoon.
3. Long Point Park. Seven miles south on the lagoon side of A1A, this is a popular county campground. Cross the bridge from the campground over to Scout Island (27.873172, -80.471262) to explore a mile of nature trails through the mangroves and uplands.
4. Sebastian Inlet State Park. Eight miles south along A1A, this state park spans its namesake inlet. On the north side of the inlet, the Hammock Nature Trail (27.875522, -80.456902) is a 0.5-mile loop through the tropical hammock and mangrove shoreline along the Indian River Lagoon.
CAMPING AND LODGING
Long Point Park, 700 Long Point Road, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951 (321-952-4532, brevardfl.gov)
Sebastian Inlet State Park, 9700 S Highway A1A, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951 (1-800-326-3521, floridastateparks.reserveamerica.com)
Turkey Creek Sanctuary
Total distance: 3.1-mile loop selected from a network of trails and boardwalks.
Hiking time: 1.5–2 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Free. Open dawn to sunset. No pets or bicycles permitted.
Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 28.0167, -80.6050
Contact Information: Turkey Creek Sanctuary, 1518 Port Malabar Boulevard NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905 (321-676-6690, brevardfl.gov or palmbayflorida.org)
An oasis in suburbia, Turkey Creek Sanctuary encompasses 133 acres, protecting the gentle bends of Turkey Creek as it carves a deep path through sa
ndy banks on its winding course to the Indian River Lagoon. Manatees graze in the clear tannic waters of the creek in spring and summer, delighting visitors as they swim in search of eelgrass and water lettuce.
Jointly managed by the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program and the city of Palm Bay, this preserve sees more visitors than most. As it lies directly behind the Palm Bay Library, it’s a popular destination for casual walkers and joggers, as well as families. At the entrance, you’ll find a butterfly garden outside the Margaret Hames Nature Center, a great place to take the kids. There are aquariums with turtles and fish, interpretive displays, research materials, and restrooms. Staffed by volunteers, the Nature Center is open most days from 9 AM–4 PM. Call ahead about ranger-led tours, workshops, and educational programs for kids.
GETTING THERE
From I-95 south of Melbourne, take exit 176 and turn left onto CR 516 (Palm Bay Road). Follow it 2.3 miles to Babcock St (CR 507). Turn right, driving 1 mile to Port Malabar Boulevard. Turn left. From I-95 northbound from Vero Beach, take exit 173. Turn right on Malabar Road (CR 514). Make a left onto Babcock Street. Follow it 1.4 miles to Port Malabar Boulevard. Turn right. Drive 1.1 miles down Port Malabar Boulevard to Santiago Dr, just before the park sign. Make a right. Parking is on the right, across from the park entrance and just before the library entrance.
THE HIKE
Your hike starts at the front entrance, with its small butterfly garden. Look for Gulf fritillary butterflies with wide orange wings with white spots below, and zebra longwing butterflies with wide black and yellow wings. Sand pines tower overhead; myrtle oaks and saw palmettos crowd the understory. A kiosk shows off a map of the sanctuary. Visit the Nature Center to pick up a copy of this map and interpretive information about the park. The trails are well marked, with a miniature version of the map posted at many locations to help you keep track of where you are.
A footpath leads between railings to the gated entrance into the sanctuary, where a list of rules are posted. The path winds behind the public library into the sand pine forest, passing a side trail to a picnic pavilion. At the T intersection with the JOGGING & EXERCISE TRAIL sign, make a left. You’re facing the entrance to the Sand Pine Trail. You’ll be back at this junction later in the hike. For now, start down the boardwalk, the Creek Overlook Trail. This boardwalk isn’t here to keep your feet dry—it keeps the footpath off the habitat, and also enables wheelchair access to the most scenic part of the preserve. It also memorializes residents and visitors who’ve helped with the construction effort, their names or messages permanently carved in the boards, an interesting distraction as you walk. There is plenty to read along this interpretive trail besides the boards. The boardwalk zigzags through the sand pine scrub. Towering sand pines are thick with ball moss. Greenbrier snakes across open patches of bright white sand. Turkey oaks add a splash of fall color in the lower canopy. Frequent benches make this an easy walk for all ages.
After you pass the first bench, the boardwalk swings left and comes to a gazebo. It’s here you reach the second trail intersection: a staircase adjoining the gazebo leads to the Sand Pine Trail, and two boardwalk choices lay ahead of you. Take the one to the right, the Hammock Loop Trail. As it heads downhill, keep left at the fork. You catch your first glimpse of water—Turkey Creek, bordered on the far shore by steep sand bluffs, the remnants of ancient sand dunes. As the boardwalk turns a bend, you enter a hardwood hammock dominated by live oaks, cabbage palms, red maple, and elms. Pignut hickory trees pepper their nuts across the boards. The boardwalk parallels the waterway, with two viewing platforms from which to watch for manatees and gawk at sunning turtles.
As the boardwalk curves along an elbow of the creek, it reaches a canoe landing at 0.5 mile. Visitors are welcome to enter the park by canoe or kayak, paddling up from the Indian River Lagoon or from launch points in Palm Bay, the city boat ramp at Bianca Drive or the hand launch in this park on the east side of Turkey Creek (see Other Hiking Options). The canoe landing straddles a side channel of the creek, a floodplain channel hosting wild coffee plants towering up to 7 feet tall. The boardwalk curves away from the creek.
Passing under a power line, you reach a staircase into the woods. Hop off the boardwalk to explore this southern corner of the park on a short loop, the Hackberry Trail. The footpath leads down the power line to a T intersection. Turn left, and stay left at the next junction. As you enter a lush palm hammock, the trail twists and curves across mounds of sand tossed into the woods by the creek overflowing its banks. You see watermarks on the trees. The spur trail ends at a bench on a bluff above the creek, with a view of a small island. Kayakers say there is often a very large alligator lazing in the sun at that spot. Follow the spur trail back to the loop and turn left. You pass another spur to the left with a NO ENTRY sign. Continue around the corner into a sunny, grassy corridor. There is a gopher tortoise burrow near where the trail meets a forest road coming in from the west. Turn right and follow the hiker-symbol sign to continue back into the shade, where wild coffee grows in the understory. Coming back around to the power line, make a left to walk to the Hammock Loop Trail, rejoining the boardwalk after 0.9 mile. Turn left.
Stay on the Hammock Loop Trail as it winds around a sugarberry tree, wandering deeper into the hardwood hammock, a dense canopy of red maples, sugarberry, laurel oak, and black tupelo. Rounding a bend, the boardwalk spans over a marshy area. Marsh ferns, pokeberry, and Spanish needles dominate the forest floor. Two leaning red maples create an arch over a curve in the boardwalk. Watch for tall American beautyberry bushes and dogwoods that bloom in early spring. As the boardwalk rises back into the sand pine scrub, it reaches the beginning of its loop. Continue straight. When you return to the boardwalk junction within sight of the gazebo in the sand pine forest, turn right to resume the Creek Overlook Trail.
Creek Overlook Trail along Turkey Creek, as seen from the Hammock Loop Trail
At the time we revisited this preserve, this next segment of the trail remained closed due to erosional damage along the bluffs from Hurricane Irma. Plans are for the boardwalk to be restored. If it isn’t, use the paralleling Sand Pine Trail behind the gazebo to reach the east end of it, which remained open. The Creek Overlook Trail parallels Turkey Creek downstream, providing numerous overlooks from which to watch for manatees. Take the time to stop and savor the views. Above you, sand pines rise to the sky. Deer moss grows in scattered clumps across the pine needles on the forest floor. Each overlook gives you a unique view of the creek. From the first overlook, look back down along the creek’s route you traced along the beginning of the Hammock Loop Trail. Set on a high sand bluff, the second overlook provides a sweeping vista of a lazy bend in Turkey Creek. Looking straight down, see that although the water is laced with tannins from oak leaves, the tea color doesn’t spoil its clarity. The boardwalk descends down the sand bluff, so the third overlook sits close to creek level, along a sharp bend. At 0.9 mile, a short side trail leads to a platform under a spreading live oak tree. Butterfly orchids decorate the tree, showing off in late spring with tall yellow-green flowers, each with a purple-striped white lip.
Returning to the main trail, turn right. This section of boardwalk is wider, continuing along the boundary between the sand pine scrub and the hardwood hammock nourished by Turkey Creek. Another overlook provides a vista on a floodplain channel of the creek, an oxbow lake nourished whenever Turkey Creek overflows its banks. Up in the surrounding trees, cardinal wild pine shows off its light green, needle-like foliage in preparation for spring flowers. After 1.4 miles, the boardwalk ends, but the trail continues. A sign warns that this part of the trail is not wheelchair-accessible—it’s a natural footpath defined by logs on the edges. You come to a FLOODPLAIN TRAIL sign. It’s worth taking this 0.25-mile spur trail. It switchbacks down the bluff to reach the edge of the Turkey Creek floodplain, where a long boardwalk—an excellent example of an Eagle Scout project—leads you into the marsh to the floodplain forest, ending on a small
rise just within sight of the creek. Return the way you came. At the T intersection near the boardwalk, turn right.
You’re now on the Sand Pine Trail, which curves through the oak hammock. A gopher tortoise ambles along the side of the trail. If there is one creature there are plenty of in this preserve, this is it. Their burrows, which can be up to 15 feet long, provide shelter for dozens of other species. As the dense oaks and soft sand pines yield to turkey oaks—with leaves that look like turkey tracks—you reach the TURKEY OAK TRAIL sign. Turn right. Sounds of traffic are nearby, muted wherever the forest is dense. Sand live oaks arch over wiregrass. There are many young, skinny sand pines along the footpath, so dense they almost look like bamboo. In spring, look for the showy blooms of skyblue lupine throughout this forest. Not long after you pass a bench, you cross a park road that serves as somewhat of a cross-trail between the Turkey Oak Trail and the Sand Pine Trail. A FIRE EXIT sign points towards Port Malabar Boulevard. Continue straight ahead. The sand pines are taller here and the trail much wider. Passing a bench adjoining a map marking your location, you see that you’ve looped around behind the Nature Center. You pass a sand live oak with a showy collection of bromeliads growing along its trunk. The trail makes another sharp curve and reaches a junction with the Sand Pine Trail. Turn right.
After 2.2 miles, you’re back at the four-way intersection with the Creek Overlook Trail boardwalk. The park exit is to the right, but there is another loop to do to enjoy more of the scrub forest. Continue straight ahead, past the JOGGING & EXERCISE TRAIL sign, and pass the picnic pavilion. Emerging from the sand pine forest into a clearing, you see several cabbage palms, one of which has a strangler fig growing out of its trunk. Cross a park road past a back gate and continue into a shaded corridor of oaks. Just past a trail junction, you come to a SCRUB TRAIL sign and another locator map. Turn right at the sign to follow this short loop clockwise, keeping left at the next junction. Sand pines tower overhead and laurel oaks are in the understory. As the trail gains a little elevation, you’re surrounded by a dense oak scrub with short myrtle oaks and Chapman oaks. Sand live oaks arch over this dense understory. There are gopher tortoises here too. On our hike, we encountered six of them rambling along the trail system.
50 Hikes in Central Florida Page 33