In a designated no hunting zone within the expansive J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, the Hungryland Boardwalk explores natural South Florida landscapes.
Portions of the trail have potential to flood, but the raised surface and elevated wooden walkways provide access to an otherwise difficult-to-reach habitat throughout the year.
Winter is the best time to visit to avoid high heat and humidity, but the cypress shed their foliage in the fall and the showy orchids generally aren’t in bloom until the warmer months.
A newly rebuilt Hungryland Boardwalk opened in 2024Resources
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Overview
Location: West Palm Beach
Length: 1.1 mile loop
Trailhead: 26.855600, -80.302700
Address: J.W. Corbett WMA
Fees: $3 per person, $6 per vehicle
Restrooms: Privy at trailhead
Land manager: Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
Phone: 561-625-5122
Open 24 hours, leashed dogs welcome.
This trailhead is also used for access to the Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail, a 61-mile spur off the Florida Trail between Lake Okeechobee and Hobe Sound.
Directions
Exit Interstate 95 in West Palm Beach on Blue Heron Blvd and head west 0.8 mile before turning right onto SR 710 W. In 3 miles, make a left onto Northlake Blvd. Continue for 8.7 miles before turning right onto Seminole Pratt Whitney Rd. Near the end of the road, turn left onto Stumpers Grade Rd. Stop at the self-service pay station and drop off your entrance fee. Drive another half mile. Past the lake, take the right fork towards the Youth Camp. Just before its gates make a left at the “Hungryland Boardwalk” sign and follow the one-lane road down to where it ends in a clearing ringed by picnic tables.
Hike
To begin the hike, look for a sign pointing to the boardwalk alongside a path tunneling through dense cocoplums.
The paved walkway quickly transitions to gravel as it opens to prairie dotted with cabbage palms and slash pines.
In 0.1 mile, cross a short boardwalk over a slough with sweeping views of wetlands to the east.
Boardwalk crossing the sloughTall grasses and saw palmettos line the sandy path alongside buttery yellow blooms of coreopsis, Florida’s state wildflower.
Orange blazes lead the way as the trail traverses a lush pine flatwoods community towards a tree line of distant cypresses.
South Florida pine flatwoodsReaching a fork in the trail at 0.3 mile, stay to the right, where an impressive boardwalk begins at the edge of a cypress forest.
As the wooden walkway ventures deeper into the strand, a secondary canopy of pond apple rises from the dark tannic waters.
Pond apples and bald cypress treesThrongs of cypress knees emerge from the often flooded forest floor, accompanied by an assortment of epiphytes and ferns.
Wild pine, giant airplants, and orchids cling to any craggy surfaces they can find, thriving the shaded, subtropical humid environment.
Cypress knees and epiphytesAlong the way, a set of benches built into the boardwalk provide a spot to rest among the sights and sounds of the wetland forest.
Crickets fill the air with a symphony of chirps as red shouldered hawks soar high above, calling loudly in hopes of chasing a meal out of the underbrush.
Boardwalk benchesThe boardwalk loses its handrails for a short section as it weaves around an upland habitat of sporadic oaks and wild coffee.
Spanning a cypress stand, return to the pine flatwoods. Turn right at the end of the loop, continuing along the wide grassy pathway for 0.4 mile before returning to the trailhead.
Oaks at the slough’s edgeTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking the Hungryland Boardwalk
Nearby Adventures
Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake: Corbett An 11.7 mile linear hike through a vast watery wilderness comparable to Big Cypress and the Everglades, it's hard to believe this woolly adventure is in Palm Beach County.
Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake: Corbett to Luckey Tract On this 12.1 miles of the Florida Trail between campsites at Corbett WMA and Luckey Hammock, discover the natural wonders of Hungryland Slough and Loxahatchee Slough.
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