In 1911, the Hillsboro River fell victim to the campaign promise of Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward to drain the Everglades.
It was one of the first of seven rivers to vanish along this coastline, replaced by five long straight drainage canals dredged to “drain the swamp.”
Hundreds more canals came in its wake, changing Southeast Florida forever. Where once the Everglades nudged up to the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, it was taken over for farmland.
Eventually those farms became the subdivisions that blanket this region today.
Hillsboro Pineland sits close to where both the Hillsboro River and Cypress Creek flowed out of the Everglades marshes towards the sea.
Purchased in 1989 as part of the Environmentally Sensitive Lands program, it has one of the larger preserve pine flatwoods in the county.
Boardwalk at Hillsboro PinelandResources
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Overview
Location: Coconut Creek
Length: 0.7 mile loop and round-trip
Trailhead: 26.324355, -80.197728
Address: 5591 NW 74th Pl, Coconut Creek
Fees: Free
Restroom: at the trailhead
Land manager: Broward County
Phone: 954-357-8109
Open 8 AM to 6 PM. No pets, bicycles, or skateboards permitted. Strollers welcome.
There are benches along the trails and lots of interpretive signs about the natural and cultural history of this area.
Directions
The entrance is off US 441 just north of Hillsboro Blvd on the right hand side. Look for the tall pine tree.
Hike
Three trails radiate from the parking area. A sidewalk into the upland portion of the preserve leads you along the Pinelands Trail, where pines and oaks dominate.
Ferns grow in dense thickets beneath cabbage palms. Several overlooks with benches provide spots for wildlife watching.
An island of pine flatwoodsHeading east from the trailhead, the Prairie Trail leads you out on a boardwalk over a marsh with scattered cypress trees.
It ends at an overlook on a wet prairie. A covered shelter provides shade for birding. Return along the boardwalk to the parking area.
Covered shelter on the Prairie TrailTo the north, a linear trail provides access to the neighboring residential area and another short walk to explore more pine flatwoods and prairie.
Boardwalk with houses to the northTrail Map
Trail map as shown on trailhead kioskExplore More!
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Helene Klein Pineland Preserve
In just 13 acres, Helene Klein Pineland Preserve packs in a nice walk through a variety of habitats within an urban forest along busy Hillsboro Blvd
Doris Davis Foreman Wilderness
A pretty patch of tropical hammock hides amid the bustle of suburbia in Parkland in Broward County on the half-mile loop through Doris Davis Foreman Wilderness Preserve
Daggerwing Nature Center
Behind Daggerwing Nature Center in busy South County Regional Park, an accessible boardwalk trail leads you into a remnant of tropical habitat with ancient trees.
Pondhawk Natural Area
Pondhawk Natural Area protects 79 acres of scrub habitats and wetlands, including a relict pond apple slough with some of the tallest pond apple trees in Florida.