Doris Davis Foreman Wilderness Preserve

In 1989, Broward County residents had the foresight to save patches of remaining natural habitats under the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Bond Program.

This 20-acre hammock adjoining Riverglades Elementary, along with its trails and boardwalk, is one of the gems of that program.

Acquired and managed in conjunction with the city of Parkland, it is named for the matriarch of the family who agreed to enable this to become public land.

A bounty of ferns in the understory

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Overview

Location: Parkland
Length: 0.5 mile loop
Trailhead: 26.320982, -80.222619
Address: 7300 Parkside Dr, Parkland
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land manager: City of Parkland
Phone: 954-757-4105

Open sunrise to sunset. Pets and bicycles are not permitted.

Seating and a pavilion are along the trail, making it ideal for slow walkers.

Directions

From US 441, 1.7 miles north of the Sawgrass Expressway, turn west on Loxahatchee Rd. Drive 1.2 miles to Parkside Dr. Turn south.

The preserve does not have a parking area other than a single handicapped spot in front of the trailhead. If you don’t have a placard, pass that and park along the street in front of the elementary school.

Hike

After parking along Parkside Drive by Riverglades Elementary, walk south down the sidewalk to the preserve’s pedestrian entrance and turn left.

Entrance to the preserve

Pass by interpretive information at the beginning of the paved trail. Keep right at the junction for a counterclockwise hike.

The trail leads you through a deeply shaded tropical hammock, dense and tangled, before joining a broad boardwalk.

Boardwalk transitioning through drier habitats

Strap ferns thrive in this humid environment, sprouting under strangler figs. Ferns are in fact a highlight of this marshy hammock.

We spotted not just dozens of strap ferns but swarms of marsh ferns, giant sword ferns, royal ferns, and giant leather ferns.

At least five different species of ferns in the damp understory

After a quarter mile, pass a bench set into the boardwalk amid a wonderland of ferns and palms.

Seeing a fantail palm in the dense tropical hammock convinced us that some of the tropical plants in this hammock are not native.

John looking at the rich textures of the forest

Pass by a large deck area used for school groups, with a strangler fig holding court nearby.

Cypress basin swamp and pine flatwoods are the primary habitats of the preserve, and you come up to a sign talking about them both.

Boardwalk leading into the pine flatwoods

The boardwalk ascends towards the pine flatwoods, with tall slash pines overhead and grapevines draped throughout the understory.

As the boardwalk descends again, there is a side path to the right leading to an access point for school groups from neighboring Riverglades Elementary.