Within earshot of the rumble of Interstate 95 and Florida’s Turnpike, this 44-acre park is at the end of Gordy Road in Fort Pierce.
It encompasses natural uplands of scrub and oak hammock recharging the floodplain of nearby Ten Mile Creek, as well as lands once part of a large sand mine.
Picnic areaA disc golf course circles the pond filling the former mine pit, allowing for active play or a passive walk around its marsh-edged waters. There are picnic pavilions and picnic tables in the shade of the oaks.
Twisty pathways beckon along a beautiful interpretive walk in the woods, branching off an accessible walkway connecting the picnic area with an overlook on the pond.
Interpretive trailResources
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Overview
Location: Fort Pierce
Length: 0.5 miles
Trailhead: 27.397921, -80.398068
Address: 3636 Gordy Rd, Fort Pierce
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the trailhead
Land Manager: St. Lucie County
Phone: 772-462-2526
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome; pick up after your pet.
Directions
Exit Interstate 95 or Florida’s Turnpike at SR 70 in Fort Pierce. Drive west under the overpass for the Turnpike and make the first left onto Gordy Rd. Follow the road 1.3 miles, passing Ten Mile Creek Preserve and crossing a bridge over Ten Mile Creek. The recreation area entrance is on the left a half mile south of the creek. On the one-way loop on the entrance drive, the first parking area is for the disc golf course, the second for the trailhead and picnic area.
Hike
The trailhead kiosk adjoins the picnic pavilion and restrooms, with a concrete sidewalk leading from it through a gap in the fence marked ‘Trailhead.”
Leaf-strewn under the oak canopy, this accessible path passes under a shelter roof to reach a boardwalk sloped towards a broad observation deck on the pond.
Start along the sidewalkIt’s a water-filled borrow pit originally dug to provide fill for the construction of Interstate 95, which buzzes beyond the far treeline.
Virginia willow and wax myrtle edge the steep banks. The open water glistens in the sun. The loop around the lake passes between the boardwalk and shelter.
Observation deckReturn along the sidewalk towards the trailhead. Approaching it, access points to the trail are more obvious from this direction.
Make an immediate right before the gap in the fence to follow the footpath, the start of the interpretive trail.
Start of the nature trail loopSqueezing through a dense understory past wild coffee, bluestem palms, and American beautyberry, round a corner past an interpretive sign for it.
Enter a scrub dense with diminutive oaks. The footpath turns to white sand, with a slow but gradual ascent through the forest, slash pine needles waving in the breeze.
Scrubby flatwoodsAt a quarter mile, a junction has an interpretive sign to the left. Turn left onto a winding path through scrubby flatwoods.
Join a corridor defined by silvery-tinged saw palmetto. At the next trail junction continue straight across.
Saw palmetto corridorA backdrop to saw palmetto, sand live oaks cradle showy displays of bromeliads, including giant air plant.
A ribbon of white sand curves through a patch of scrub, yielding to a narrow shaded corridor beneath the oaks.
Cardinal wild pine in bloomWalls of saw palmetto resume as the footpath returns to scrubby flatwoods, narrowing and curving again through the dense understory.
Pass through a showy stand of sand live oaks before emerging at the paved path at a half mile.
Shady hammockTurn right to exit to the parking area for a half mile loop, or left to meet the junction of the shared-with-disc-golf loop around the pond and hike that circuit, too.
While open to hikers, that 3/4 mile loop is best hiked on weekdays, when there are fewer plastic discs hurtling through the air.
View across the sand mine pondIt’s less natural and much noisier than the nature trail thanks to its promixity to the crossover of Interstate 95 and Florida’s Turnpike.
However, it provides a decent venue for birding along the shores of the former sand mine and bumps up your walk to 1.3 miles for this park.
The disc golf course has a separate trailhead along the entrance roadTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
A walk through Gordy Road Recreation Area
Slideshow
See our photos from Gordy Road Recreation Area
Nearby Adventures
Ten Mile Creek Preserve Explore a short but incredibly rugged nature trail teetering along bluffs above the source of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.
Paleo Hammock Preserve Discover a maze of wild coffee, an observation tower, and an archaeological site along a short loop, or walk miles more into scenic habitats within Stephen J Fousek Preserve.
Teague Hammock Preserve Stepping back in time before the arrival of extensive agriculture in South Florida, the trails at Teague Hammock cross open prairies and loop through shady hardwood hammocks. 
George LeStrange Preserve A mix of restoration areas and natural habitats, George LeStrange Preserve has trails both easy and rugged surrounding its centerpiece of Lake Zobel.
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