Fronted by Weldon B. Lewis Park, a community gathering place with a playground, picnic pavilion, and ballfields, Ancient Oaks Preserve is a showcase of the past.
A 51-acre natural area stretching towards the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, it does not offer river views.
Entry to Ancient Oaks PreserveHowever, it features an immersion in a showy hydric hammock with its namesake ancient marvels.
Spending most of its route in deep shade, its mile-long interpretive loop gets a little soggy in spots.
It’s a lush, green hikeResources
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Overview
Location: Fort Pierce
Length: 1.1 miles
Trailhead: 27.37848, -80.33203
Address: 4650 Oleander Ave, Fort Pierce
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the trailhead
Land Manager: St. Lucie County
Phone: 772-462-2526
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome; pick up after your pet. Use insect repellent for seasonal mosquitoes and ticks.
Directions
From Interstate 95 exit 126 between Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, take CR 712 (Midway Rd) east for 4.4 miles. Make a left onto Oleander Avenue. Continue 0.3 miles to the entrance to Weldon B. Lewis Park on the right.
Hike
From the parking area of Weldon B. Lewis Park, follow the sidewalk towards the kiosk between the playground and restrooms.
Peer past the picnic pavilion in the play area to see another kiosk at the treeline of the palm hammock. Head across the grassy open space on a worn path to reach it
The trail starts at treelineA short boardwalk begins the trail, the kiosk displaying a map of the loop within this lush hammock. Bear right at the fork to walk it counterclockwise.
Bounded by palm fronds, the corridor is a puzzle of textures, shadows and sun playing across shades of green. Sand live oaks dip low, forming a tunnel effect.
Tunneling through the hammockStraightening out, the pathway enters a more relaxed, younger forest. A trio of posts warns against continuing straight ahead.
If you do, this spur path at 0.2 miles ends at an overlook on a ditch on the property boundary. Nothing much to see there.
Make a left before the postsBear left to stay on the loop, the footpath edged by saw palmetto under larger live oaks. Slash pines rise tall above the oak canopy.
Wind between walls of saw palmetto, emerging at a bed of marsh ferns behind Marker 7.
Marker 7Crossing a broad boardwalk bridge at 0.4 miles, enter the hydric hammock. Mature cabbage palms rise in tall columns from a riotous understory of ferns.
The next bridge guides you into the heart of the ancient hammock.
Second bridgeArched forms of stalwart live oaks shade the wonderland of palms and ferns below them.
A slight rise of elevation is revealed as pine needles carpet the footpath, the pines rising through the canopy above.
Among the pinesCurving left, pass more thick live oak trunks before crossing another bridge over the central trickle of waterway.
Massive sword ferns put on a showy display amid the palms and oaks beyond.
Sword fernsBlanketed in a dense understory of grapevines swarming saw palmetto, this part of the hammock is a dense thicket under its shady canopy.
The sky opens up in a short stretch dominated by younger cabbage palms. Cross a bridge.
Diving back into the thicket, round a curve where the dark soil may dampen.
Thicket of hammockCurve through the saw palmetto to merge into the incoming path, reaching the kiosk for the preserve.
Exit across the grassy expanse towards the restrooms to reach the parking area, completing a 1.1 mile hike.
Finishing up the loopTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
A walk through Ancient Oaks Preserve
Slideshow
See our photos from Ancient Oaks Preserve
Nearby Adventures
Sweetwater Hammock Preserve Marvel at the botanical beauty of a mature live oak hammock on this short nature trail loop to a bluff along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.
George LeStrange Preserve A mix of restoration areas and natural habitats, George LeStrange Preserve has trails both easy and rugged surrounding its centerpiece of Lake Zobel.
Ten Mile Creek Preserve Explore a short but incredibly rugged nature trail teetering along bluffs above the source of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.
Sheraton Scrub Preserve Explore an easy loop in scrubby uplands in residential Fort Pierce to search for scrub-jays from ground level and from an observation tower.
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