Located halfway between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton provides a surprising number of natural areas to explore, including quite a few that are managed by the city of Boca Raton itself. The community stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the former Everglades, offering a variety of habitats in these urban preserves.
Nearby: Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach
Trails and Parks in 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
Butterfly World - Butterflies are the main attraction at this complex of natural wonders inside Tradewinds Park, but the flowers also put on a show at Butterfly World, with a maze of passionflower vines said to be the world's largest collection of its kind. 
Crystal Lake Natural Area - Winding through a diminutive forest of sand live oak, tallow-wood, gopher apple, and sand pines, the 0.4-mile hike through Crystal Lake Natural Area celebrates scrub
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. 
Doris Davis Foreman Wilderness - A pretty patch of tropical hammock hides amid the bustle of suburbia in Parkland in Broward County on the 0.5 mile loop through Doris Davis Foreman Wilderness Preserve.
Fern Forest Nature Center - A bounty of ferns await at Fern Forest Nature Center, an urban wilderness area established in 1979, spanning 247 acres that surround the original floodplain of Cypress Creek
Green Cay Wetlands - At Green Cay Wetlands, boardwalks meander through 100 acres of re-created wetlands that bring a touch of the Everglades back to its original home in Boynton Beach.
Helene Klein Pineland Preserve - In just 13 acres, Helene Klein Pineland Preserve packs in a nice walk through a variety of habitats within that small space near West Boca Raton and Coconut Creek
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area - A 56-acre remnant of forest that once spanned between the Atlantic Coastal Ridge and the Everglades, Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area offers gentle nature trails less than a mile long.
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 - Pondhawk Natural Area protects 79 acres of scrub habitats and wetlands, including a relict pond apple slough with some of the tallest pond apple trees in Florida.
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 - Botanical diversity abounds in the 66-acre Tall Cypress Natural Area. Along the boardwalks, you'll wander through a cypress slough that is a wonderland of ferns.
Wakodatahatchee Wetlands - Wading birds everywhere: that's the delight of a walk along the boardwalks of Wakodahatchee Wetlands. The first wetlands park in the region, it continues to draw a regular crowd for morning stolls, photography, and serious birdwatching.
Yamato Scrub Natural Area - A 217-acre natural area atop the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Boca Raton, Yamato Scrub protects the largest chunk of native scrub habitat found this far south in Florida.
Related Articles
Tegus establish a foothold in Florida (7/31/2014) - It's big. It's colorful. And it's the newest non-native species to establish breeding populations in Florida. Meet the black and white tegu.