• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
East Loop, Jonathan Dickinson State Park

East Loop Trail

An immersion into vast pine flatwoods that includes scrambles over ancient dunes, the East Loop at Jonathan Dickinson State Park provides both day hikers and backpackers a delightful getaway.

Jonathan Dickinson State Park  |  Hobe Sound
( 27.003877, -80.101422 )      9.8 miles

East Loop, Jonathan Dickinson State Park
See more photos from the East Loop, Jonathan Dickinson State Park

For backpackers headed to the urban southeastern part of the Florida, Jonathan Dickinson State Park provides more than 11,000 acres to roam on a series of three trails maintained by the Florida Trail Association. Although the East Loop took some severe battering during the hurricanes of 2005, losing the sand pine scrub canopy along the ancient dunes, it’s still a popular destination for hikers and has had its campsite (Scrub Jay campsite) rebuilt and relocated. Along its length, you’ll traverse some of the highest hills in South Florida, enjoy sweeping views across pine flatwoods, scramble through the scrub forests, and encounter some of the remains of Camp Murphy, a World War II era military installation. The 9.8-mile loop can be tackled as a long day hike or an overnight trip, or in conjunction with hiking the larger double-loop system (using the connector to the Kitching Creek Loop) or the Ocean-to-Lake Trail, all of which are maintained by the Florida Trail Association.

Resources

50 Hikes in South FloridaSouth Florida: An Explorer's GuideHiker's Guide to the Sunshine StateExploring Florida's Botanical Wonders

Overview

Location: Hobe Sound
Length: 9.8 miles
Lat-Long: 27.003877, -80.101422
Type: Loop with connectors to other trails
Fees / Permits: state park entrance fee, camping fee
Difficulty: moderate
Bug factor: moderate
Restroom: available in the park but not along the trail

You must check in with park rangers before backpacking to ensure that there is space remaining at the backcountry campsite. There is an extra fee for camping. Take plenty of water, as water is scarce along the loop. There is a pitcher pump at the campsite but it doesn’t always work.

For more information: Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Directions

Take Florida’s Turnpike exit 116 or I-95 exit 87A, SR 706 (Indiantown Rd), Jupiter. Drive east 5 miles to US 1. Turn left and continue north 5.1 miles to the park entrance on the left. Park your car at the parking area adjacent to the ranger’s station at the entrance

Hike

Just past the park entrance, turn right to park at the far end of the large parking lot. Also known as the “Scrub Jay Loop” (due to the name of its sole campsite), the trail is in some of the highest rolling hills in South Florida. Once a shady sand pine scrub, it was stripped bare by hurricanes to expose bright white sand and young scrub plants reclaiming the ancient dunes. You can hear the hum of cars on US 1 and catch glimpses of the highway, and the Intracoastal Waterway on the other side of it, from the highest hills.

After a mile, the trail heads straight down a hill facing the observation tower atop Hobe Mountain, the highest natural point south of Lake Okeechobee. The tower is reached from a different trail, however, so the East Loop leads you past the foundation of an old building – part of World War II era Camp Murphy – and past some park housing. You cross a paved road, the original A1A, after 2.1 miles. Turn right and follow the blazes a short stretch before the trail jogs left back into the scrub.

The trail no longer crosses the railroad tracks, but instead turns to parallel them through scrubby flatwoods. It reaches the crumbling ruins of Camp Murphy. Built here in 1942 by the U.S. Army to take advantage of the high hills overlooking Hobe Sound, the better to watch for German submarines, Camp Murphy housed nearly 10,000 men. Their primary mission was to invent what we know today as radar. After the war, the Army transferred the land to the state of Florida, and it became Jonathan Dickinson State Park in 1950.

The East Loop briefly follows part of the Camp Murphy bike path before diving into the scrub to the right. It emerges on the edge of a large pond, with Pine Grove Campground on the far shore. A boardwalk with a bench dedicated to my friend Sunny, who was the trail master for this park before cancer claimed her, overlooks the pond and keeps your feet dry. Rising up into the scrub again, the trail crosses the bike trail and emerges at the park entrance road. Walk up towards the ranger’s station to return to your car in the parking area, completing your hike.

Category: Backpacking, Day Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, South Florida, Southeast Florida, TrailsTag: Birding, Developed Camping, Florida State Parks, Florida Trail, Historic Sites, Hobe Sound, Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Jupiter, NENA, Ocean-to-Lake, Primitive Camping, Scenic Hikes, Stuart, Weekends, Wildflowers, Wildlife Viewing

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah M.

    November 18, 2012 at 9:55 pm

    The East Loop trail (Scrub Jay Trail) at Jonathan Dickinson state park has been modified to begin at Camp Murphy where you now cross the railroad tracks, then go North to meet up where the original trial meets the Ocean to Lake Trail. We hiked about 4 miles of it today. The trail is new so there were a lot of stumps but not a bad hike. The rangers advised that they may be making further changes. We plan to go again next month.

    Also, wanted to thank you for putting this website together. It’s been a great tool for new hiking beginners in Florida like myself.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA OVERVIEW
East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida Trail

Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area . Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

Our Newest Books

Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock

A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

Order Now

Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail HikesThe best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

Order Now


50 Hikes in Central Florida
Explorers Guide North Florida Panhandle
The Florida Trail Guide (third edition)
Five Star Trails Orlando
Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala

The Florida Trail

Florida Trail large coffee table book cover of trail down swamp causeway under ancient pines

Our history of the first 50 years of the Florida Trail, from its founding in 1966 to becoming a National Scenic Trail to volunteer efforts today.

Learn More

Florida Trail App

Guthook GuidesGuthook Guides Comprehensive logistics and offline maps for the Florida National Scenic Trail.

Get the App!

Explore More

Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Shallow water with mangrove-lined islands beyond

Eastern Continental Trail

Eastern Continental Trail
Bike path under shade of tropical trees

Overseas Heritage Trail, Upper Keys

Overseas Heritage Trail, Upper Keys

Overseas Heritage Trail, Middle Keys

Overseas Heritage Trail, Middle Keys
1943 carved in concrete railroad bridge over mangroves

Overseas Heritage Trail, Lower Keys

Overseas Heritage Trail, Lower Keys

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2021, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact