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Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale

Discover the outdoors hidden in plain sight across the parks and natural lands of Greater Fort Lauderdale, stretching from the edge of the Everglades to the Atlantic Ocean

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Bonnet House

Exploring Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale may not be somewhere you’ve thought of hiking, biking, or paddling, but you’ll be surprised what Broward County has to offer. Most of the hiking trails are short nature walks, but some immerse you in habitats you won’t easily see anywhere else in such an urban setting, including pond apple swamps and sawgrass prairies.

Fort Lauderdale is home to two state parks and a robust number of county parks with hiking trails. While the oceanfront is generally heavily populated, you can find quieter strands at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park and Mizell-Johnson State Park, as well as the at the Hillsborough Lighthouse Park.

Most of the surrounding communities – including Coral Springs, Dania, Davie, Deerfield Beach, Hollywood, Miramar, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise, Tamarac – have at least one or more parks and natural areas off of major roads. Continue west on I-75 to US 27, and you’ll find the Everglades stretching off to the horizon, with Sawgrass Recreational Park one of several gateways into it.

Resources

50 Hikes in South Florida South Florida: An Explorer's Guide Exploring Florida's Botanical Wonders Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us continue to provide public information on this website.

Trails and Parks Around Fort Lauderdale

Best Fort Lauderdale Area Trails and Parks

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

In a tropical forest across the street from Fort Lauderdale Beach, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is the former estate of Chicago attorney Hugh Taylor Birch, stretching to the Intracoastal Waterway

Fern Forest ferns

Fern Forest Nature Center

A bounty of ferns awaits at Fern Forest Nature Center, where more than two miles of trails introduce you to a slice of Florida’s past, a tropical forest surrounding the original floodplain of Cypress Creek

West Lake Port Everglades

Anne Kolb Nature Center

Whether it’s from the top of a five-level observation tower or at ground level with the land crabs, Anne Kolb Nature Center focuses on the urban mangrove forest that it protects and interprets

Secret Woods tropical forest

Secret Woods Nature Center

Designated the first “urban wilderness area” in Florida in 1978, Secret Woods protects a 56-acre floodplain of cypress strand and mangroves with uplands of tropical hammock


Best Fort Lauderdale Natural Attractions

Bonnet House

Bonnet House

Named for the water lilies that once flourished in the freshwater marsh in front of this grand home, the 35 acres of tropical forest on which the Bonnet House was built was a gift from industrialist Hugh Taylor Birch to his daughter Helen and son-in-law Fredric Clay Bartlett, a noted artist.

Butterfly World

Butterfly World

While butterflies are the main attraction at this complex of natural wonders inside Tradewinds Park, a series of gardens also put on quite a show

Tropical giants at Flamingo Gardens

Flamingo Gardens

From its roots in a citrus grove, a nonprofit botanical garden sprouted through the efforts of Floyd and Lula Wray. In 1927, they purchased 320 acres to grow citrus and a year later, Floyd hired Frank Stirling to create a botanical garden for test planting of tropical fruit and flowering trees.


Recent Additions and Updates

Exotic Trail

Exotic Trail

Exotic Trail
Satinleaf at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

Coastal Hammock Trail

Coastal Hammock Trail
Beach at Mizell-Johnson State Park

Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park

Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park
Mizell-Johnson Barrier Island Trail sign

Barrier Island Nature Trail

Barrier Island Nature Trail
Tradewinds Park South

Tradewinds Park

Tradewinds Park
Woodpecker on live oak (Adobe Stock)

Pine Island Ridge Natural Area

Pine Island Ridge Natural Area
West Lake Hollywood

West Lake Park

West Lake Park
In the live oak canopy at Tree Tops Park

Tree Tops Park

Tree Tops Park

More Trails More Parks

Recent Articles

Oleta River State Park

Florida’s Best Urban Parks

October 27, 2016//  by Sandra Friend & John Keatley

When you live in a tightly packed space, you need somewhere green as your go-to place nearby. These are our top picks for parks in Florida’s urban areas, chosen for their diversity of outdoor activities and/or their unique green spaces.

Statue honoring the Barefoot Mailman

The Barefoot Mailman

February 18, 2016//  by John Keatley

Hiking barefoot in Florida isn’t new. Back in the 1880s, it was part of your job description if you delivered mail between Palm Beach and Miami. Learn more at the Hillsboro Lighthouse in Pompano Beach.

Sailboat

Sailing Fort Lauderdale

July 19, 2015//  by John Keatley

For a relaxing cruise along Fort Lauderdale Beach and a chance to snorkel offshore, take a trip on the Spirit of Lauderdale to gawk at Millionaire’s Row and sail on the Atlantic

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INCLUDES: Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Sunrise, Wilton Manors | NEARBY: Big Cypress National Preserve, Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, Boca Raton, Clewiston, Davie, Hollywood, Miami | ALONG: Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Atlantic Ocean, Everglades, Intracoastal Waterway | PART OF: Southeast Florida

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Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

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MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

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Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

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Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

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Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

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Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

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