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Linear Park Brevard Zoo boardwalk

Brevard Zoo Linear Park

An engaging connector trail to Viera, Brevard Zoo Linear Park educates while providing a long boardwalk for exercise and birding

Viera      ( 28.222057, -80.714117 )      2.6 miles

184 shares

Atop a segment of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Brevard Zoo Linear Park centers on a recycled plastic boardwalk along a narrow strip of land fronting Interstate 95 north of the zoo.

While this makes for traffic noise and occasional glimpses of passing cars, this trail connects the zoo complex and the Pineda Causeway with a way for hikers and cyclists to enjoy the wetlands.

The trail follows a portion of the Hernandez-Capron Trail built along the coast while Florida was a colony of Spain.

Interpretive signs along the route range from cultural history to facts about specific wetland creatures, making this an educational walk as well.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park Mileage sign half-hidden in vegetation


A partnership between the Brevard Zoo and county parks, the boardwalk is maintained by the zoo and was built on land donated by the Duda family.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park Junction in the pine forest


Resources

Orlando & Central Florida: An Explorer's Guide

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Overview

Location: Melbourne
Length: 5.2 miles round-trip.
Trailhead: 28.222057, -80.714117
Address: End of Murrell Rd inside the zoo gates
Fees: none
Restroom: none
Land manager: Brevard County
Phone: 321-633-2046

Open 7 AM to 7 PM. When the gates are closed at both ends, the trail is closed.

Bicycles are permitted but please use caution when passing hikers, and when the boardwalk is wet.

The trail is mostly in the open so plan for sun exposure and carry enough water for your walk. It makes a good out-and-back hike and serves local residents as a place to exercise.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park


Directions

 
From Interstate 95 in Viera, take exit 191 for N Wickham Rd and drive east one block to Murrell Rd, where large signs announce the entrance to the Brevard Zoo. Follow this road all the way past the zoo parking areas to where the road ends at a circle. The parking for Linear Park is on the right just before the circle.
 
Trail parking is no longer permitted along Pineda Causeway Ext. Only local residents may access the walk-through entrance at the south end of the trail.

Hike

Follow the sidewalk around past the big Brevard Zoo Linear Park sign past the park benches to the start of the boardwalk under the pines.

The first section of trail is close enough to the enclosures at the south end of the zoo to hear it. Peacocks wail and other random noises rise from beyond the trees along the perimeter fence.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park Signage at the start of the trail


Leaving the first boardwalk, the trail becomes a broad sidewalk curving by a maintenance gate for the zoo. Come to the first grouping of benches in the shade. There will be more rest stops like this.

At the “Walk an Ancient Trail” sign, the longest boardwalk starts in earnest. Look down into the wetlands to see herons and egrets picking through the grasses.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park Wetlands with Interstate 95 in background


Interstate 95 makes its noisy debut here, clearly visible beyond the marsh. The boardwalk runs down the middle of a strip of marsh to meet an island of pines.

As marsh yields to pines, pass another rest stop. Once it is among the pines and oaks, the boardwalk makes a sharp turn.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park Approaching the pine island


There is a gap in it briefly at a spot labeled Truck Crossing before it resumes again, curving away from the interstate and climbing.

It reaches an overlook on Richard M. Gramling Pond, an excellent place to linger for birding. Look for alligators, too.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park Richard M. Gramling Pond


Along the straightaway, the boardwalk suspends you over pine flatwoods with a dense and damp understory. Traffic noise dampens thanks to the thick vegetation.

Ferns and grapevines dominate the forest floor, and there is an unfortunate amount of Brazilian pepper, a real scourge in Brevard County.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park Trees of the swamp forest


A marker gives you a heads-up that you’ve walked a half mile. As the forest floor gets wetter, sweetgum and red maple begin to dominate, casting a little bit of shade.

We turned around at 3/4 mile for a 1.5-mile round-trip walk. But the trail keeps going, reaching a side path at Pineda Causeway after 2.6 miles.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park Dense vegetation on both sides


For the sake of local residents, the boardwalk continues under the highway and heads south to reach a cul-de-sac at the north end of Turtle Mound Rd.

If you add that 0.6 mile linear piece to your hike, you can tackle a 6.4 mile round-trip from the trailhead at the Brevard Zoo, or a 5.2 mile round-trip turning around at the overpass.

Brevard Zoo Linear Park Giant leather fern


There is no trailhead parking at the south end of Linear Park. However, we encountered more cyclists than walkers along the route, as this makes for a nice ride connecting to the Viera side paths.

Linear Park Brevard Zoo boardwalk
Cyclists returning from the north end of the trail

Trail Map

Linear Park Trail Map


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Brevard Zoo Linear Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Erna Nixon boardwalk

Erna Nixon Park

Although Erna Nixon Park is just down the street from one of the busiest shopping malls on the Space Coast, it transports you out of suburbia and into the wilds of Florida’s past

Viera Wetlands Park

Viera Wetlands

A prime Space Coast destination for birding and wildlife photography, Viera Wetlands is a man-made habitat perched on the edge of the St. Johns River floodplain

Creek with palms and dense vegetation

Turkey Creek Sanctuary

Protecting more than 117 acres along Turkey Creek in Palm Bay, Turkey Creek Sanctuary has both boardwalks and footpaths to explore natural habitats along the creek basin.

Turkey Creek paddle Palm Bay

Paddling Turkey Creek

A chance meeting of old friends leads to my first paddling trip down Turkey Creek and the opportunity to connect with our local paddling club, the Space Coast Paddlers, by talking about our most recent guidebook.


Official Website

Category: Biking, Central Florida, County Parks, Day Hikes, Hikes, TrailsTag: Accessible, Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Birding, Boardwalks, Cocoa Beach, Family-Friendly, Florida's Space Coast, Melbourne, Viera

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