
In the wet prairies and tropical hammocks of Apoxee Park, the first urban wilderness area in Palm Beach County, you’ll walk over and through the water supply of West Palm Beach. A fascinating 4.7-mile day hike showcasing the sheet flow of water through habitats that thrive in humidity and dampness, the Apoxee Wilderness Trail features a mix of boardwalks, crushed limestone, and natural surfaces underfoot on a loop that includes a section of the Owahee Trail, a lengthy berm that runs through all of Grassy Waters Preserve.
Resources

Overview
Location: West Palm Beach
Length: 4.7 miles
Lat-Long: 26.727542,-80.151119
Type: balloon
Fees / Permits: free
Difficulty: moderate to difficult, depending on water levels
Bug factor: moderate to high
Restroom: portable toilets
Open 7 AM – 6 PM. Pets are not permitted. Except in winter, expect to get your feet wet. A shorter accessible trail, the Butterfly Orchid Trail, is also a part of this hike and can be walked directly from the trailhead for a brief loop through the tropical hammock. We used a portion of the Owahee Trail of Grassy Waters Preserve to turn the trails of Apoxee Wilderness into a loop.
Apoxee Wilderness Park website
Directions
From I-95 at Okeechobee Blvd, West Palm Beach, drive west for 4.6 miles to Jog Road. From Florida’s Turnpike, exit at Okeechobee Blvd and drive west 0.9 mile to Jog Road. Turn north off Okeechobee Blvd and watch for the park entrance on the left, just as the road starts a curve to the right, at 3125 N Jog Road.
Hike
Starting out on the paved Butterfly Orchid Trail into a tropical hammock, you soon come to the turnoff at a kiosk for the Apoxee (Ah-PO-EE) Trail. Turn right and follow the trail along boardwalks and between (and sometimes in) large prairie ponds beneath power lines to reach the beginning of the large loop at a kiosk with a chickee top. We walked it counterclockwise, ensuring that the bulk of the wading we’d do would be along our return trip. Highlights include tunneling through tropical hammocks, a lengthy boardwalk across a large wet prairie, and plenty of wildlife sightings – particularly wading birds – along both the Apoxee Trail and the Owahee (Oh-WHA-Hee) Trail. Both trails are well marked.
Atop a dike, the Owahee Trail lets you look across prairies and a broad canal lined with cypress; it is multiuse, but provides a connector between the two sections of the Apoxee Trail. Returning along the Apoxee Trail, you’ll walk across several boardwalks and through lush palm hammocks before encountering a fork in the trail. To the right is the shorter route; the left side follows a prairie rim. After they come together, expect more wading where prairies slosh into each other in the wet season. There is a chickee on a small hill, usable as a rain shelter. When you reach the kiosk again, you’ve completed the big loop. Turn right to exit, crossing under the power lines again. Back at the paved trail, turn right to walk the remainder of the Butterfly Orchid Loop, which ends a little farther down along the parking area. Turn left to complete the loop.
When will you be opened
Hi, we’re not the park. We just provide information about the park. Grassy Waters Preserve, which Apoxee is part of, says on their Facebook page they plan to be closed through Apr 30. After that perhaps they will open.
Just confirmed they will open no earlier than May 11
The park web site say May 11 but that may change check for updates at
wpb.org/grasswaters
This trail seems like it is always closed and never open
Locals agree with you. It’s a real shame, since we enjoyed swamp tromping there. Is the paved path still open, or have they barred the gates?
I arrived today but it clearly said no dogs, yet on your site it said dogs can go in the Winter.
Can they or can they not?
Our site says very clearly that pets are not permitted.
That sentence Except in winter.. was about the feet getting wet. I can see how a person could read it expecting it to be about dogs.
I’m interested in day hikes in Florida as i approach retirement.
We would like to have more information about the trail please. Ines Delgado
The information we provide here is from our personal experience on the trail. If you need to speak with someone about the trail, we suggest contacting the land manager, Grassy Waters Preserve, at 561-804-4985. The hike leaders of the Florida Trail Association’s Loxahatchee Chapter can be helpful as well: http://www.loxfltrail.org
What shoes did you wear? My boots are squishy and we only went 3/4 of a mile lol
New Balance trail runners! We always wear shoes that will drain water. You just have to figure on getting your feet wet in there.
??
I don’t mind getting my feet wet but is it totally safe there?!? I’m a single older woman and I’ve walked the loop twice but felt a little nervous because I never saw one other soul, not even in the parking lot. It just seemed a little dangerous because I was so isolated! I was mostly afraid of a bad person coming along, but also of alligators! I’m usually not paranoid, but …
I don’t think we can say that anywhere is “totally safe” but we’ve never had trouble hiking there. Remember, WPB is an urban area so you need to be aware of your surroundings generally. We definitely recommend hiking with a friend, no matter where you go.