Cocoa Beach

Exploring Cocoa Beach

Most visitors to Cocoa Beach head straight to the beach, especially if they’ve followed the Beachline from Orlando to the coast to get here.

But that’s not all that Cocoa Beach and its surrounding communities of Cocoa, Rockledge, Cape Canaveral, and Merritt Island have to offer.

In the Banana River Aquatic Preserve, paddlers can follow a marked blueway through the Thousand Islands, a puzzle of mangrove tunnels between tiny islands just offshore.

Land-based trails lead along the edge of the Thousand Islands in one of several natural areas the city of Cocoa Beach maintains.

Lori Wilson Park provides a natural oceanfront, as does Jetty Park at Cape Canaveral, with the only walk-to-the-beach camping in the region.

Between the Banana River and the Indian River Lagoon, watercraft have miles of waterways to ply.

On Merritt Island, windsurfers launch from Kelly Park because of the persistent breeze there. Sailboats dot the expanse on both sides of the causeways.

Across the island and neighboring Cocoa, there are county natural lands and open space parks to explore, all the way west to the St. Johns River.

Along its banks, put in to paddle the puzzle of marshes, or jump on an airboat tour offered out of Lone Cabbage Fish Camp, not far from the Florida Trail.

Trails and Parks near Cocoa Beach

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

Helen & Allan Cruickshank Sanctuary Loop 140 acres of scrub forest on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Rockledge to catch a glimpse of Florida scrub-jay families from an easy 1.1 mile trail.

Paddling the Thousand Islands One of the hidden natural treasures of Cocoa Beach, the Thousand Islands provide a fun paddle through a maze of mangroves on a marked trail through a conservation area.

River Lakes Conservation Area Bounding the eastern side of Brevard County between Lake Poinsett and Lake Washington, River Lakes Conservation Area protects the St. Johns River floodplain.

Sams House at Pine Island A delightful immersion into the natural side of Merritt Island, the trails at Sams House at Pine Island range from mild to wild as they delve into habitats along the Indian River Lagoon.

Taylor Creek Loop Blending a historic route of the Florida Trail with an easy return along a forest road, the 4.7 mile Taylor Creek Loop traverses palm hammocks along the St. Johns River floodplain.

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

Articles

Launching Into Paddleboarding (10/17/2021) After a lifetime of water sports on and around the Indian River Lagoon, John takes to paddleboarding to try something new and to connect with an old friend.

Biking Pine Island Conservation Area (12/20/2020) Within sight of the massive Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, this ride to the Indian River Lagoon offers some of the best birding you'll do by bike.