Florida Hikes

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

Carpet of leaves on path towards large live oaks

Delray Oaks Natural Area

A tiny urban preserve protecting a beautiful oak hammock in the city of Delray Beach combines a sidewalk and a blazed footpath for a scenic 0.8 mile hike.

Delray Beach (26.427132, -80.092739)   0.8 miles  

In the expanse of urban Delray Beach, this 25 acre oasis is a window into a past when trees, not buildings, dominated the coastal landscape.

Its interpretive trails explore a mature xeric hammock canopied by impressive live oaks.

Massive live oak with limb across deeply shaded trail Among the ancient oaks

A ribbon of sidewalk provides an accessible half-mile round-trip to an overlook above a strand swamp.

Add a more robust route by also following a quarter-mile yellow-blazed footpath through the lush forest.

Sidewalk through lush oak hammock Accessible path

Resources

Resources for exploring the area
Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in South Florida book cover Paddlers Guide Florida
 
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Overview

Location: Delray Beach
Length: 0.8 miles
Trailhead: 26.427132, -80.092739
Address: 2021 SW 29th Street, Delray Beach
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land manager: Palm Beach County
Phone: 561-233-2400

Open sunrise to sunset. No pets allowed.

Directions


 
From Interstate 95 exit 51, Linton Blvd, in Delray Beach, drive one light west to South Congress Ave. Turn left and continue 0.9 miles south to SW 22nd Ave. Make a right and the parking area is immediately on the right.

Hike

Check the large kiosk on the wooded edge of the parking area for its map, and the surroundings for taller-than-you wild coffee.

Proceed into the forest through the gap in the split-rail fence. Massive live oaks create natural arches parallel to the concrete path.

Trailhead kiosk in woods Trailhead kiosk

Curve through a stand of cabbage palms past a sign about invasive fern removal. The sky is quickly blotted out by a tightly-knit canopy of live oak limbs.

A broad leafy opening on the left signals the start of the yellow-blazed footpath.

Sidewalk in lush oak hammock The footpath starts across from the interpretive sign

At a tenth of a mile, turn left at the post with a yellow circle, walking under a live oak thickly draped in Spanish moss.

Make a left at the next blaze post, following a fern-edged footpath. Beautyberry glistens in a sun-drenched spot.

Trail marker with yellow dot next to leafy path in woods Fern-edged footpath

Wild coffee and massive sword ferns hem in the corridor. Marsh ferns carpet damp spaces. Spanish moss dangles above an interpretive sign about it.

Weaving through this richly textured understory, bear left at a divergence in the path.

Ferns edging pathway towards an interpretive sign Lush understory

The forest floor is slightly drier, bracken fern and smilax poking from the leaf litter. A confirmation blaze post adjoins a curve.

The canopy opens as larger live oaks reach for the skies from the edge of a clearing. Flanked by blazed posts, a bench sits in the shade.

Wide leafy path in oak hammock Xeric hammock

A wide corridor between walls of saw palmetto beckons beyond. Past an impressive live oak, the footpath narrows. Emerge into the light.

A blaze post marks a sharp right where the trail abruptly faces a condo complex that took a slice out of this woodland before it was preserved.

Condos beyond a fence at a trail junction Property boundary

Parallel the property boundary, leaving the condos behind for the canopy of oaks.

Bearing left at a T junction, re-emerge into the initial clearing beneath the oaks to complete this quarter mile loop.

Post where Almost There and an arrow penned on yellow blaze Encouragement at the T junction

Rejoin the sidewalk path, turning left. Curve through a stand of cabbage palms to proceed deeper into the preserve.

A lovely archway created by live oaks has Spanish moss swaying overhead in the breeze.

Sidewalk under oak archway Return to the accessible path

Skies open up where silvery-blue saw palmetto edge the pathway. Weave through a more open hammock, returning to the more robust canopy.

A split rail fence outlines the last stretch of trail as it curves above a dropoff into the seasonal strand swamp.

Silvery palms along sidewalk Sunny spot

An observation deck extended over this deep swale between ancient sand dunes is trail’s end.

At a half mile, enjoy this beauty spot before returning along the sidewalk for a 0.8 mile hike.

Tangled vines and palmettos in swale The lush swale below the observation deck

Trail Map

Delray Oaks Natural Area Trail Map
Blue: accessible. Red: Footpath.

Explore More!

Video

Hiking Delray Oaks Natural Area

Slideshow

See our photos from Delray Oaks Natural Area

Nearby Adventures

Footpath through sand pine scrub Yamato Scrub Natural Area Meander a mazy route through a scrub forest fronting Interstate 95 in Boca Raton for colorful wildflowers and a wetland area for birding.
Sand pine scrub with footpath Pondhawk Natural Area A 79-acre expanse of pine flatwoods and scrub near the Spanish River in Boca Raton, Pondhawk Natural Area spans the Atlantic Coastal Ridge.
Sidewalk through scrub habitat Hypoluxo Scrub An impressive observation deck overlooks beautifully preserved scrub communities traversed by accessible walkways and a sandy loop trail on a 1.7 mile hike through Hypoluxo Scrub.
Sidewalk through scrub forest High Ridge Scrub Natural Area On a small parcel of preserved scrub habitat, a partially accessible loop trail travels across ancient sand dunes topped with a forest of sand pines.

Official Website

Sandra Friend
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