At Mizell-Johnson State Park (formerly John U. Lloyd Beach State Park), the Barrier Island Nature Trail is a simple introduction to habitats along a barrier island just south of Fort Lauderdale.
An easy half-mile interpretive nature trail, it’s a nice introduction to beach plants versus invasive species and to barrier island habitats, a break from being out in the sun all day.
Whiskey Creek separates the trail from the oceanfrontResources
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Overview
Location: Dania Beach
Length: 0.5 mile loop
Trailhead: 26.068617, -80.112433
Address: 6503 N Ocean Dr, Dania Beach
Fees: $6 per vehicle
Restroom: At the parking area
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 954-923-2833
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs permitted but not on beach.
During turtle nesting and hatching season, volunteers offer nighttime walks on the beach, call the park for details.
Directions
From Interstate 95 exit 21 drive east on Sheridan St to North A1A. Turn left and continue 1.5 miles to the park entrance.
Hike
The Barrier Island Trail is a natural footpath through a coastal hammock altered by invasive species such as Australian pines, Brazilian pepper, and melaleuca.
A large strangler figIn the spots where the original hammock of strangler fig, wild coffee, myrsine, and sea grapes still shades the trail, the vegetation crowds in close.
Native tropical trees have an understory of a fern not usually found in FloridaAt 0.1 mile there is a shortcut across the loop to provide a shorter walk. Stay on the outer loop for the full walk or do a figure-8.
Sparse sea grapes over the footpathTurn right and duck under the sea grapes to reach a mangrove-lined canal, or turn left to walk north along the marsh.
Interpretive marker along the mangrove-lined canalThe trail turns back to the south to complete the loop. Along the marsh, you can hear the sound of the surf breaking behind the mangroves.
Cross the bridge over Whiskey Creek out to the beach for a stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean.
The beach was once part of the route of the Barefoot Mailman, who walked from Lake Worth to Miami in the 1880s to deliver the mail, and makes a nice beach walk itself. It is 2.5 miles long.
Trail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Mizell-Johnson State Park
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park With its shores dwarfed at times by the giant cruise ships steaming in and out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park is well-known as a great nearshore dive spot.Slideshow
See our photos from Mizell-Johnson State Park
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Anne Kolb Nature Center Whether a five-level observation tower or at ground level with the land crabs, Anne Kolb Nature Center focuses on the urban mangrove forest that it protects and interprets.
Secret Woods Nature Center Designated the first “urban wilderness area” in Florida in 1978, Secret Woods protects a 56-acre floodplain of cypress strand and mangroves with uplands of tropical hammock.
Snake Warriors Island Natural Area Walk a gentle accessible half-mile loop while learning about the oldest documented settlement in the eastern Everglades at Snake Warrior's Island in Miramar.
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