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Halpatiokee Regional Park Nature Trail

Halpatiokee Regional Park

Beyond its prominent ballfields, Halpatiokee Regional Park hides a rich network of hiking, off-road biking, and paddling trails along the South Fork of the St. Lucie River

Stuart      ( 27.104098, -80.257460 )      

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Driving by along Interstate 95, millions of people pass the entrance to Halpatiokee Regional Park thinking it’s just a collection of ballfields.

We did, until the Tropical Trekkers chapter of the Florida Trail Association gave us a heads-up on a new trail they were building along the river that would connect the two trails they’d established years before.

South Fork St. Lucie River
A scenic overlook along the expanded hiking trail

Local mountain bikers with the Airborne Mountain Bike Club added their own separate trail system, which their volunteers maintain.

And paddlers have always had access to the South Fork of the St. Lucie River through this park, with a primitive campsite as a destination.

So despite its outward appearance, Halpatiokee Regional Park is a recreation destination for all outdoor enthusiasts.

Halpatiokee Regional Park Disc golf course near ballfields


Resources

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: Stuart
Trailhead: 27.104098, -80.257460
Address: 8303 SW Lost River Rd, Stuart FL
Fees: None
Restroom: at the trailhead and the ballfields
Land manager: Martin County
Phone: 772-221-1419

Open daily 7 AM to 11 PM. Fields are lighted. Leashed dogs permitted.

Picnic pavilions must be reserved for larger groups. For primitive camping, call the number above to make a reservation.

Cyclists must wear helmets. For safety’s sake, heed signage where “no bikes” or “no hikers” are signposted along segments of both trail systems.

Halpatiokee Regional Park pin

No matter if you are hiking or biking, carry a map. There are lots of trail junctions and not all are signposted. Snap a photo of the map displayed at the kiosk to bring with you.

Expect a lot of mosquitoes in the river hammocks, as well as many encounters with wildlife. Gopher tortoise sightings are very common, as are manatees in the river.


Directions

 
From Interstate 95, take exit 101 for Kanner Highway (SR 76) / Stuart. Go east one block. Turn right at the right at Lost River Road and follow it 0.6 mile to the second park entrance on the left, past the Holiday Inn Express and other businesses.
 
To reach the trailheads, turn right at the circle and follow the road around the baseball fields and past the tennis courts to where the picnic pavilions are.

About the Park

While the ballfields and open space – including a disc golf area – occupy the cleared space seen from the Interstate, the park’s 65 acres are buffered by 500 acres of conservation land.

That’s why the extensive, separate trail systems are possible here, and why this park has a backcountry campsite that all trail users can reach.

Halpatiokee Regional Park Backcountry campsite


The recreation facilities are front and center: ballfields, tennis and pickleball courts, disc golf, and a roller-hockey rink.

The trails take a little more effort to find. The trailheads are all the way past all the ballfields, at the very back of the park where the park road ends.

Halpatiokee Regional Park Ballfields at Halpatiokee


The picnic pavilions provide a clue that this is the quieter end of the park.

Walkways follow the road between the two park gates, linking with a paved trail leading to the main trailhead area and picnic pavilions.

Halpatiokee Regional Park Picnic pavilions


Hiking

A series of footpaths north of the kiosk for the South Fork Nature Trail are accessible from a paved path that loops around the ballfields.

The paved path and the side paths off of it make up more than a mile’s worth of gentle nature trails.

Halpatiokee Regional Park Paved trail to the nature trails


The South Fork Nature Trail connects together two prior trails that the Tropical Trekkers built along the South Fork of the St. Lucie River.

One was a popular nature trail that started by the picnic pavilions and led south out to river overlooks.

Halpatiokee Regional Park South Fork Nature Trail leading down to the primitive campsite


The other was a much wilder experience that could only be reached previously by paddling to the primitive campsite and hiking from there.

Joined together, these two natural-surface footpaths show off both the mild and wild sides of the Preserve at Halpatiokee Regional Park.

South Fork Nature Trail

South Fork Nature Trail

Along one of the Treasure Coast’s most scenic waterways, the South Fork Nature Trail shows off the best side of the South Fork of the St. Lucie River

Biking

The 7.5 mile Halpatiokee Regional Park Mountain Bike Trail is made up of 12 different segments, some of them much more technical than others.

Each segment has a difficulty rating on its entry signpost, so you can opt to take an easier paralleling alternate route and still get the miles in.

Halpatiokee Regional Park Following the Zig-Zag Trail


Roots, dips, and soft sand are common obstacles along the loop. Some of the segments are marked one-way for your safety.

After the rains we experienced the day before, we were only able to ride the segments that had dried out. Those are the northernmost pieces, like Zig-Zag, Dips, and Steve’s Trail.

Halpatiokee Regional Park Entrance to the Mountain Bike Trail


The River Trail is entirely along the bluffs and floodplain, which makes it most likely to close after rain. It adjoins the primitive camping area and heads south from there.

West of the River Trail, a chain of segments make a loop around the lake at the south end of the preserve.

Halpatiokee River Trail

Halpatiokee Mountain Bike Trail

Along a 7.5-mile loop, the Mountain Bike Trail at Halpatiokee Regional Park mixes technical challenges and scenic views

Paddling

The St. Lucie Spur Paddling Trail is 3.6 miles long, or a 7.2-mile round trip along the South Fork of the St. Lucie River, an estimated 4 hour paddle.

Put-in is just north of and outside the park at Hosford Park, 7737 SW Gaines Ave, Stuart. See our Directions map above.

Halpatiokee Regional Park The South Fork of the St. Lucie River as seen from the hiking trail


The sinuous waterway is one of the finest in the county for a natural experience, once you get past the subdivision adjoining Hosford Park.

Tropical hammocks blanket both shores, often atop tall bluffs. Manatees rest in the deeper water.

On the west side, the river is protected by Halpatiokee Regional Park, and on the east side, by the little-known Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park.

Halpatiokee Regional Park This tannic waterway river narrows greatly as you go upstream


The terminus of the paddling route is the take-out at the primitive campsite, which also makes a good place to take a rest break before turning around.

Since the river flows north, paddling back to the put-in is the easier part of the journey.

Halpatiokee Regional Park Take-out at the primitive campsite


Trail Map

Halpatiokee Regional Park Trail Map Nature Trail in blue, Mountain Biking Trail in light blue, South Fork Nature Trail in red



Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos from Halpatiokee Regional Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

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

Spruce Bluff Natural Area

Spruce Bluff Natural Area

At Spruce Bluff Natural Area, trails lead to the site of a pioneer settlement and the largest Ais mound in South Florida amid scrub and wetlands in Port St. Lucie.

View from under a thatched roof of river and pines and a stage

Jonathan Dickinson State Park

One of South Florida’s best backpacking destinations, Jonathan Dickinson State Park encompasses a vast mosaic of ecosystems along the wild and scenic Loxahatchee River

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.


Trail Map (Interactive) Official Website

Category: Access by water, Backpacking, Biking, County Parks, Day Hikes, Hikes, Launch Points, Loop Hikes, Natural Lands, Nature Trails, Off Road Biking, Paddling, Southeast Florida, TrailsTag: Dog-friendly, Hobe Sound, Jupiter, Picnic, Primitive Camping, Scenic Hikes, St. Lucie River, Stuart

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