Boca Raton

Exploring Boca Raton

Located halfway between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton provides a surprising number of natural areas to explore.

The community stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Everglades, offering a variety of habitats in these urban preserves.

Trails and Parks near Boca Raton

Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge At the edge of Boynton Beach, where historic farmlands have given way to subdivisions, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is a 145,000 acre buffer between suburbia and the Everglades.

Blazing Star Nature Preserve Traverse a scrub forest amid remnants of the ancient dunes of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge at Blazing Star Preserve, a Boca Raton natural land with a 1 mile loop trail.

Daggerwing Nature Center Behind Daggerwing Nature Center in busy South County Regional Park, an accessible boardwalk trail leads you into a remnant of tropical habitat with ancient trees.

Delray Oaks Natural Area A tiny urban preserve protecting a beautiful oak hammock in the city of Delray Beach combines a sidewalk and a blazed footpath for a scenic 0.8 mile hike.

Doris Davis Foreman Wilderness A pretty patch of tropical hammock hides amid the bustle of suburbia in Parkland in Broward County on the half-mile loop through Doris Davis Foreman Wilderness Preserve.

Green Cay Wetlands Discover a bounty of bird life along the extensive boardwalks at Green Cay Wetlands, one of South Florida's best urban birding destinations

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center The sea meets tropical forests where twisting boardwalks lead out to a tall observation tower, and a variety of marine life is on display alongside a working science laboratory.

Helene Klein Pineland Preserve In just 13 acres, Helene Klein Pineland Preserve packs in a nice walk through a variety of habitats within an urban forest along busy Hillsboro Blvd.

Kristin Jacobs Natural Area Discover an oasis of natural habitats in the heart of suburbia within the 57 acre Hillsborough Pineland on 1.8 miles of largely accessible trails in Coconut Creek.

Loxahatchee NWR Cypress Trail Following the boardwalk behind the Visitor Center at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, you'll enter a jungle-like wonderland along the Cypress Trail into a habitat lush with ferns and bromeliads.

Loxahatchee NWR Marsh Trail At Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, the Marsh Trail provides a marked trail to follow on the extensive dike system. It is one of the region's best birding sites, where you'll see dozens of species.

Pondhawk Natural Area A 79-acre expanse of pine flatwoods and scrub near the Spanish River in Boca Raton, Pondhawk Natural Area spans the Atlantic Coastal Ridge.

Serenoa Glade Preserve Atop one of the higher elevations in Boca Raton, Serenoa Glade Preserve is a rare undeveloped piece of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge with both scrub and pine flatwoods habitats.

Sugar Sand Park In Boca Raton, the trails at Sugar Sand Park radiate from a nature center and playground surrounded by the remains of a coastal scrub and pine flatwoods in this urbanized area.

Tall Cypress Natural Area Hover above an outstanding gradient of lush habitats on a gentle half mile boardwalk in a 66-acre wild corner of Coral Springs.

Wakodatahatchee Wetlands A seasonally rotating array of wading birds roost and nest among the pond apple islands of these purpose-built Palm Beach County water filtration wetlands.

Yamato Scrub Natural Area Meander a mazy route through a scrub forest fronting Interstate 95 in Boca Raton for colorful wildflowers and a wetland area for birding.

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