There’s always a breeze at Castle Windy, a trail that burrows deep into the coastal hammock to reach its namesake midden along the Indian River Lagoon.
Deeply shaded and linear, it’s the only trail at this national seashore connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the lagoon, crossing the width of the barrier island.
Tunnel effect hiking Castle WindyResources
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Overview
Location: Apollo Beach, Canaveral National Seashore
Length: 0.8 mile round-trip
Trailhead: 28.89844, -80.80344
Address: 7611 S. Atlantic Ave, New Smyrna Beach
Fees: $25 per vehicle, receipt good for 7 days
Restrooms: At the visitor center
Land manager: National Park Service
Phone: 386-428-3384
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs permitted on the hiking trail but not on the beach. Mosquitos can be fierce at certain times of year.
Directions
From Interstate 95 exit 249A for SR 44, follow SR 44 east into New Smyrna Beach for 5.2 miles to cross the causeway to the barrier island. The road will arc to the right, becoming A1A. Drive another 7 miles south to Canaveral National Seashore. Continue down Apollo Beach Rd about 6 miles to Castle Windy Beach, and park on the left at Parking Area 3.
Hike
Use the crosswalk across Apollo Beach Rd to reach the trailhead. Mind the signs, as motorists do whip past this crossing without paying attention.
Pick up an interpretive brochure at the trailhead if any are available. It corresponds to numbered markers along the trail route.
Start of the trail on the west side of the roadA white sand path beckons, quickly dappled with shade across fallen leaves as the tree canopy closes in.
Unlike the other hikes at Apollo Beach, this one is almost entirely shaded, which means mosquitoes swarming in the warmer months.
Entering the long green tunnel at Castle WindyLine of sight, the trail burrows into the coastal hammock topping ancient dunes along the lagoon side of this barrier island.
Visibility down this tunnel through the forest is such that the elevation changes are obvious well before you reach them.
Long view down the trailRed bay and live oaks dominate the canopy, with saw palmetto, wild coffee, and marlberry filling out a largely impentrable understory.
The “hallway” effect of this walk in the woods is both visually striking and fascinating.
Marker 8 and benchNumbered posts correspond to the interpretive brochure, identifying key plant species. Just past Marker 8 is a bench near the mid-point of the hike.
The rolling hills effect in the tunnel of trees continues beyond on a steady, obvious downhill.
Tunnel in the treesDarker earth underfoot near Marker 10 signals a shift of habitat, twisted limbs of red bay knitting the canopy overhead.
Thick grapevines dangle like cables. The forest closes in again just before the trail emerges into the sun, the sound of lapping water ahead.
Picnic table at the lagoonAfter 0.4 mile, trail’s end is a picnic table on a concrete slab with a view of the lagoon through an opening in the mangrove forest.
To the right is Castle Windy, the spill of oyster shells calling attention to the tree-covered mound along the lagoon.
Castle WindySavor the breeze before starting the return route along the same corridor and its deep shade, the tunnel effect just as obvious west to east.
Cross Apollo Beach Rd and walk up the boardwalk for a view of the Atlantic Ocean to wrap up this 0.8 mile hike.
Boardwalk at Beach Access 3Trail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Canaveral National Seashore
Canaveral National Seashore Canaveral National Seashore protects 58,000 acres of maritime hammocks, dunes, and coastline north of Cape Canaveral, a natural sandy cape that formed where ocean currents meet.Video
A walk through Castle Windy
Slideshow
See our photos from this hike
Nearby Adventures
Eldora Village Settled in the late 1800s south of New Smyrna, Eldora thrived as a rural agricultural community for more than a decade. Today, the Eldora State House tells its story.
Turtle Mound At Canaveral National Seashore, savor an outstanding Atlantic Coast panorama from atop 1.5 million bushels of oyster shells piled up more than a thousand years ago.
Eldora Hammock Trail Near the ghost town of Eldora, the Eldora Hammock Trail loops through the beauty of a lush coastal hammock, highlighting a semi-tropical understory in deep shade.
Smyrna Dunes Park At Smyrna Dunes Park, this 2.4-mile hike scenic coastal hike is largely along an accessible boardwalk, with side trips off to the sea and inlet via more rugged approaches.
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