Castellow Hammock tops a relict piece of the Dade Archipelago, a series of rocky islands once found amid the Everglades River of Grass much like the Florida Keys protrude from the sea.
A lush tropical forest with surface karst features, it is now surrounded by the farming community of The Redland, protected as one of Miami-Dade’s earliest natural lands.
Tropical hammockAncient gumbo limbo, West Indian mahogany, paradise trees, and Jamaican dogwood knit a dense canopy overhead. Wild coffee and giant sword ferns carpet the forest floor.
Uneven terrain with rocks, roots, and solution holes make this an extraordinarily rugged hike, but it’s one not to be missed.
Solution holeA canopied island of wild in a vast tamed plain, it is home to rare butterflies and not-so-rare mammals and birds seeking shelter, water, and shade.
Peer closely at the smooth-barked Jamacian dogwood and other large trees, and you may just spy a rare liguus snail climbing the bark.
Liguus snail, native to South FloridaA nature center anchors the entrance, with exhibits and interpretation of species on site. It includes a breezeway with restrooms open even when the center is closed.
Surrounding the nature center is a butterfly garden rich in native species, both those planted and those attracted to the bright blossoms.
Nature center and butterfly gardenResources
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Overview
Location: Redland
Length: 1.1 miles
Trailhead: 25.558771, -80.451649
Address: 22301 SW 162nd Ave, Miami
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the nature center
Land manager: Miami-Dade County Parks
Phone: 305-242-7688
Open daily 9 AM to 5 PM. No pets or bicycles. Mosquitoes can be fierce: use insect repellant. The interpretive guide corresponds to numbered posts along the trail.
Directions
From US 1 in Goulds, take Hainlin Mill Dr west. Pass Monkey Jungle and continue 1.5 miles to 162nd Ave (Farmlife Rd). Turn left and drive 0.5 mile to the preserve entrance on the left. If approaching from Homestead or US 41 at Dade Corners, use Hainlin Mill Dr to head east off SR 997 (Krome Ave) to Farmlife Rd.
Hike
From the parking area, walk up the broad entrance walkway through the butterfly garden to the nature center. If it’s open, grab an interpretive guide.
Go through the breezeway with the restrooms and around the back of the building to reach the well-marked start of the trail.
TrailheadForests are generally cooler thanks to their shade, but this one can be sweltering. Thank the humidity and the densely packed trees blocking any breeze.
Yellow blazes mark the path, which is well-worn in some spots and indistinguishable in others, depending on the density of leaf litter and sticks on the forest floor.
Tropical hammockZigzagging through the heart of the hammock, pass microscopic mushrooms clinging to rotting logs and roots as sinuous as snakes across the path.
At Marker 4, a ficus tree lifts most of its base off the forest floor on a scaffolding of roots, creating a natural pavilion underneath for animals to shelter inside.
Levitating ficusGraze the edge of this forested island, close enough to see bright sunlight on the farmland beyond, before turning back inward.
Tropical trees grow thickly. Tamarind pods dangle from delicate stems. Paradise trees have distinctive rounded sprays of leaves.
Light on the far horizon marks the edge of the hammockA quarter mile since you left the parking area, pass a massive gumbo-limbo with an odd protrusion like a cartoon head.
After a few more curves through the dense forest, walk beneath the base of a towering mahogany tree, its high limbs punching a hole through the forest canopy.
Tropical trees at Marker 11Clusters of ferns edge the footpath as roots and rocks become more pronounced. Take care with footing. Emerge into a small clearing at Marker 18.
Tree roots entangle above a large natural pit, a solution hole cleaving deep into the limestone bedrock.
Solution holeCurving left, continue through the dense tropical forest, the understory much greener. Reach a small opening in the canopy where ferns are thriving
Turn to face an enormous gumbo-limbo tree and beyond it, a strangler fig of incredible size. Multiple roots support it from high above.
Strangler figBecoming even rockier as it ascends a small ridge, the footpath narrows to a mere trace, scarcely the width of two feet.
If not for occasional yellow blazes, you wouldn’t assume the trail keeps going when the understory crowds in close.
Confidence blazeA little under a half mile, reach a split in the trail. It’s not easy to recognize from this direction, but bear right. Simply staying with the obvious path starts a counterclockwise loop.
Immerse in a forest of tiny tropical trees on this windy, rooty path. When rocks protrude underfoot, look around carefully.
Rooty pathThere are more solution holes in this part of the forest, some small, some large. The trail curves around them, slipping through more tight spots.
Close the loop at a little over a half mile. The spot may look familiar. Turn right to retrace your steps through the narrow forest of ferns.
Tunneling through young tropical growthReturn to the large solution hole at Marker 18 at three quarters of a mile. Follow the meandering footpath towards the exit, enjoying a different perspective on the big trees.
Emerge from the forest behind the nature center and continue through the breezeway to the butterfly garden, reaching the parking area to finish a 1.1 mile hike.
Mahogany punching through the forest canopyTrail Map
Explore More!
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Hiking Castellow Hammock
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See our photos of Castellow Hammock
Nearby Adventures
Fruit and Spice Park From its humble beginnings in 1944, Fruit and Spice Park has blossomed into a showcase of tropical fruits, flowers, and spices grown commercially in the Redland.
Biscayne National Park Florida's largest offshore park, Biscayne National Park protects living coral reefs and islands that are the northernmost part of the Florida Keys
The Deering Estate The Deering Estate at Cutler, a Miami-Dade county park, preserves both the historic buildings and a remnant of the Addison Hammock, a pine rockland along the old road following Cutler Ridge.
Matheson Hammock Park A tropical retreat along the coast of Coral Gables, Matheson Hammock Park has two distinct sides: a wild slice of the ancient Miami Hammock and a waterfront with a man-made atoll on Biscayne Bay.
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