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Nature trail in pine-palm forest

Gomez Preserve

Purchased to protect the footprint of an early 1900s settlement along the Indian River Lagoon, Gomez Preserve is one of the lesser-known hiking destinations in Hobe Sound.

Hobe Sound      ( 27.119983, -80.156192 )      2.5 miles

118 shares

Protecting 61 acres of what was an early Bahamian settlement along the Indian River Lagoon, Gomez Preserve is well hidden from casual view.

Accessible only by a traverse of the East Coast Greenway, where it functions as a nice rest stop, it lies halfway between trailhead parking at Seabranch Preserve and Peck Lake Park.

Pines and palms Pine/palm flatwoods at Gomez Preserve


Access to the Gomez Preserve Nature Trail is a mile north of the parking area at Peck Lake Park and 1.5 miles south of the parking area off A1A for Seabranch Preserve State Park.

While the limerock path winding through the preserve is only 0.3 mile long, it’s the getting there and back that piles up your mileage.

Cyclist riding away from Gomez Preserve entrance Exiting the south end of Gomez Preserve


Your choice of route lies in your interest in the terrain in-between. From the south end, the approach along the East Coast Greenway is a sidewalk in a tropical area adjoining a dead end road.

The sidewalk becomes a broader paved bike path after the road ends, with visual confirmation of the southern access point for the preserve soon after.

Preserve sign with cyclist riding past it Entrance at north end of Gomez Preserve


From the north end, you’ll be inside Seabranch Preserve State Park for two-thirds of the approach route, but the scrub habitat is largely open and hot.

The bike path parallels A1A for some time before making a series of scenic turns through the scrub, crossing the Yellow Trail twice before exiting the park.

broad sidewalk in open scrub East Coast Greenway inside Seabranch Preserve scrub forest


Resources

Resources for exploring the area

Florida Trail Hikes book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

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


Overview

Location: Hobe Sound
Length: 2.5 mile round-trip with loop
Trailhead: 27.1064, -80.1483
Address: 8108 Gomez Ave, Hobe Sound
Fees: Free
Restroom: Along the parking circle
Land manager: Martin County
Phone: 772-288-5400

Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. No camping or alcohol permitted.

A picnic pavilion is supplied at the north end and a shaded bench at the south end of the preserve. The trail is a hard-packed natural limerock suitable for hiking and biking.

White path among pines


Directions

 
From Interstate 95 exit 96 drive east 6.2 miles along SE Bridge Rd to the traffic light for US 1 in Hobe Sound. Cross the highway and follow Bridge Rd through downtown Hobe Sound, making a left onto SE Gomez Avenue just past the traffic light for A1A. Follow SE Gomez Ave north for 3.3 miles to the Peck Lake Park entrance on the right, a half mile north of Jimmy Graham Park Rd. Park at the first lot inside the gate.

Hike

We explored Gomez Preserve as part of a round-trip bicycle between Seabranch and Peck Lake on a very hot day, and so recommend the shorter southerly approach for those on foot.

Leaving Peck Lake Park–where parking is available both along the park loop and right by a picnic shelter near the entrance–cross Gomez Rd and turn right on the sidwalk across from the park entrance.

park sign Entrance sign at Peck Lake Park


This narrow sidewalk parallels SE Gomez Rd to a dead end, passing a gated subdivision and a small industrial plant before reaching a dedicated bike path.

Here, 0.8 mile north of Peck Lake Park, signage for the East Coast Greenway confirms you are on the correct route.

East Coast Greenway sign and cyclist A narrow gap leads into a protected stretch of greenway


Pass by the southern entrance of Gomez Preserve with its prominent sign and continue to the northern entrance at 1.2 miles.

No matter which route you take to reach the preserve, we prefer this entrance thanks to its large picnic chickee affording a stop for shade.

Picnic shelter under chickee roof Chickee at the northern entrance


It’s adjoined by a bike rack, a trash can, and an odd device that looks like a set of drums but is the first of a series of pieces of exercise equipment along the path.

From here, the trail winds in a southerly direction through pine/palm flatwoods that, by the types of vegetation found here, show that this was once a homestead.

Cyclist riding on broad path Portions of the trail are broad


While relatively broad around its middle, the trail narrow before and after to pass between tall pines and cabbage palms. The first curves and straightaways offer little shade.

The path narrows as it enters a denser pine forest, and pieces of exercise equipment are tucked in little shady niches along the route.

Narrowing white pathway amid palms The nature trail narrows as the understory grows more dense


Walls of saw palmetto buffer portions of the trail, and the appearance of marsh ferns belie moister spots in the habitat.

While the preserve extends to the Indian River Lagoon, there are presently no walkways or boardwalks reaching in that direction.

Tropical trees and palms Tropical trees and shrubs are part of the understory


The nature trail runs firmly north-south, paralleling the East Coast Greenway but well out of sight of it.

A final set of curves leads to another manmade shady spot, a chickee with a park bench.

Bicycle next to bench in shade Shade under the chickee


Emerging from the forest, the pathway reaches the southern attachment to the East Coast Greenway after 1.5 miles.

Turn left if you came from Peck Lane Park to return along the same route for a 2.5 mile hike, or right if you came from Seabranch for a 3.5 mile hike.

Exercise equipment in forest One of the exercise stations along the trail


Trail Map

Peck Lake Park Trail Map
Red: Pioneer Passage in Peck Lake Park. Blue: East Coast Greenway. Purple: Gomez Preserve Nature Trail.

Explore More!

Explore Peck Lake Park and Seabranch Preserve

Hiker in red against mangroves on boardwalk

Peck Lake Park

In a hidden corner of Hobe Sound, Peck Lake Park lets you tunnel through coastal habitats along the Pioneer Passage to an observation point along the Indian River Lagoon.

Trail sign and paved path

Seabranch Preserve State Park

Find a wonderland of white sand and small shrubs at Seabranch Preserve State Park, which protects a sand pine scrub and more along the Atlantic Coastal Ridge


Slideshow

See our photos of Gomez Preserve


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Blue waters and sea grape along beach

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge

Straddling both sides of the Indian River Lagoon between Hobe Sound and Tequesta, this refuge provides both sea turtle nesting grounds and Florida scrub-jay habitat.

Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

61 miles. A spur of the Florida Trail that leads from Port Mayaca on the east side of Lake Okeechobee to Hobe Sound Beach on the Atlantic Ocean, treating hikers to unexpected wild landscapes north of West Palm Beach.

Rocky Point Hammock

Maggy’s Hammock Park

Formerly known as Rocky Point Hammock, Maggy’s Hammock Park protects 22 acres of tropical forest and scrub on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Port Salerno

Paddling to St Lucie Inlet Preserve (Lori Burris)

St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park

On the north tip of Jupiter Island, St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park is one of those rare parks that you can only reach by boat – motored, or under your own power, as most visitors do, by paddling through mangrove-lined coves.

Official Website

Category: Biking, County Parks, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Nature Trails, Off Road Biking, Paved Bike Trails, Southeast Florida, TrailsTag: Dog-friendly, East Coast Greenway, Family-Friendly, Historic Sites, Hobe Sound, Picnic

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Broad sand road through sandhill habitat

Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park

Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park
Well worn path through a wet pine flatwoods landscape

DuPuis Loop Trail

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Bike along bike path in greenway

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