Home to the Barrier Island Center, an oceanfront education center for Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, what was long Barrier Island Sanctuary was rededicated in 2025.
The preserve is now named for the researcher whose 50 years of sea turtle nesting data helped make this wildlife refuge happen. Guided sea turtle walks are offered seasonally.
Starting next to the coastal biology center, this mile hike crosses A1A twice to explore a gradient of coastal habitats on the barrier island.
It begins at the dunes along the Atlantic Ocean, reaching a mangrove forest along the Indian River Lagoon at the far point of the loop.
With habitats similar to nearby Maritime Hammock Sanctuary, it is both an easier walk for families and more immersive in restored natural habitats.
In fact, we think it’s Brevard’s best showcase of what natural habitats should look like on its barrier islands.
Restored coastal plain along the lagoonResources
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Overview
Location: Melbourne Beach
Length: 1 mile
Trailhead: 27.9030, -80.4714
Address: 8385 S Hwy A1A, Melbourne Beach
Fees: Free
Restroom: At both the Barrier Island Center and Bonsteel Beach
Land manager: Brevard County
Phone: 321-723-3556
Trail open 7 AM to dusk, Barrier Island Center Tue-Sun 9-5. No pets, smoking, or bicycles.
Parking also available at adjoining Bonsteel Beach. A boardwalk, bike path, and the beach connect the two parks.
Directions
Starts adjacent to the Barrier Island Center
From Melbourne, cross the Intracoastal Waterway on US 192 to Indialantic and follow A1A south, passing through Melbourne Beach and Floridana Beach. The Barrier Island Center sits 4.5 miles south of Maritime Hammock Sanctuary, on the ocean side of A1A.
Hike
Before you start the walk, visit the Barrier Island Center if it’s open. It serves as a hub for local natural lands and for the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge is made up of many small parcels of land along the Atlantic Ocean between Melbourne and Vero Beach, oceanfront crucial to nesting sea turtles.
Exhibit hallAlong with interactive displays, interpretive displays with colorful, detailed art walk you through the habitats you’ll see along the trail.
There is also a film, sea turtle exhibits, and a gift shop, with beach access and picnic tables out back.
Oceanfront deckThe trail begins at the gate off the back porch, leading towards the edge of the parking lot.
Walk to the kiosk by the sea grapes, facing the ocean, and look for the arrows to guide you into the sea grape tunnel.
The Barrier Island Trail starts hereThe footpath turns away from the ocean and follows the northern property boundary of the preserve, winding beneath the tree canopy.
When it emerges at A1A, you can see a kiosk across the road. Cross the road carefully to continue the hike.
Kiosk on west side of A1AThe kiosk has a trail map and a sliding scale showing how buggy and soggy the loop might be.
Entering the woods, the trail turns into a boardwalk through the sometimes-soggy palm hammock and into the mangroves.
Palm boardwalkCrossing a bridge, the trail meets a berm that parallels the mangrove shoreline along the Indian River Lagoon.
Benches provide a view of the lagoon. Watch for alligators along this stretch.
Looking out across the Indian River LagoonThe trail turns back towards the east at Pepper Point, which was once a nasty tangle of Brazilian pepper and Australian pines.
It is now a restored coastal plain with native grasses and wildflowers under scattered cabbage palms.
Restored coastal plainWe wish all of the places where Brevard is overrun with Brazilian pepper could be restored back to nature like this.
A kiosk explains the massive effort taken to make this happen.
Peeking out into a paddler’s playgroundRounding a corner, the trail provides views of a mangrove-lined waterway. Around the next corner, an outdoor classroom is set up in the shade of a palm hammock.
Gaining a little elevation, the trail re-enters the tropical hammock, twisting and winding beneath gumbo-limbo and the draping limbs of the red bay trees.
Deep shade in the tropical hammockEmerging from the forest, pass a trail kiosk as the trail reaches A1A at a different crossing point, this one at the entrance to Bonsteel Beach.
Cross the highway and head up the entrance road into the parking area. Continue past the restroom up to the boardwalk.
Beach overlook boardwalkUp ahead is a great view of the Atlantic Ocean. The boardwalk to the north leads back to the Barrier Island Center.
You can follow it, or walk up the beach. When you reach the center, you’ve completed the loop.
“Bonsteel BeachTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge
Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge Stretching from Melbourne Beach to Sebastian, this refuge protects sea turtle nesting grounds along the Atlantic Ocean Slideshow
See our photos from this hike
Nearby Adventures
Maritime Hammock Sanctuary Protecting a strip of waterfront and maritime hammock along the Indian River Lagoon, Maritime Hammock Sanctuary showcases a parade of coastal habitats along its trails.
Coconut Point Sanctuary Call it the Ocean-to-Lagoon Hike: this 1 mile loop through one of Brevard County's most diverse natural lands connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon in Melbourne Beach
Sebastian Inlet State Park One of few places where the Indian River Lagoon mingles with the Atlantic Ocean, Sebastian Inlet is the central feature of a state park protecting the tips of both barrier islands.
Pelican Island NWR The birthplace of the National Wildlife Refuge system, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge protects more than 5,400 acres along and in the Indian River Lagoon off Sebastian.
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