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Beach at Mizell-Johnson State Park

Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park

With its shores dwarfed at times by the giant cruise ships steaming in and out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park is well-known as a great nearshore dive spot.

Renamed from John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in 2016, the park name now more appropriately honors the two local residents who made this state park happen.

Dr. Von D. Mizell and Eula Johnson lobbied the state to turn this formerly segregated beach into a public recreation area.

Mizell-Johnson State Park is one of the more popular beaches in the area.

Mizell-Johnson State Park Sparse sea grapes over the Barrier Island Trail


Resources

Resources for exploring the area
50 Hikes in South Florida book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Paddlers Guide Florida
 
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.

Overview

Location: Dania Beach
Trailhead: 26.056099,-80.113969
Address: 6503 N Ocean Dr, Dania Beach
Fees: $6 per vehicle
Restroom: At the parking areas
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 954-923-2833

Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed pets permitted but not on beach.

During turtle nesting and hatching season, volunteers offer nighttime walks on the beach, call the park for details.


Directions


 
From Interstate 95 exit 21 drive east on Sheridan St to North A1A. Turn left and continue 1.5 miles to the park entrance.

About the Park

Mizell-Johnson State Park offers an extensive oceanfront to savor, 2.5 miles long, as well as the opportunity to paddle along its interior waterway, Whiskey Creek.

Mizell-Johnson State Park Paddlers on Whiskey Creek


Eurojacks, artificial concrete reefs shaped like toy jacks, provide an underwater trail to the Dania Ledges.

Colorful reef fish swirl in the ocean depths. Boaters frequently spot manatees in Whiskey Creek.

Mizell-Johnson State Park Whiskey Creek separates the beach from the rest of the park


A half-mile nature trail winds through a coastal hammock with views of the shore and along the marsh.

Mizell-Johnson Barrier Island Trail sign Barrier Island Nature Trail At Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, the Barrier Island Nature Trail gets you away from the busy beach and into a patch of wilds along a slender barrier island.

Loggerhead turtles lay their eggs in the sand along the beach. Visitors can walk with park biologists on after-dark “turtle walks” to watch this fascinating phenomenon.

Mizell-Johnson State Park The expanse of beach at the north end of the park


Boaters have direct access to the Intracoastal Waterway, also called the Stranahan River along this coast, from the west side of the island.

This is where the big cruise ship and commercial port of Port Everglades is located, so the west side of the park tends to be noisy.

Port Everglades Fort Lauderdale
View of the park from Port Everglades

There is a bait shop and launch area with food service and watercraft rentals at Whiskey Creek Hideout.
The north end of the park, with a jetty adjoining the exit to the port, is where anglers tend to gather.

Mizell-Johnson State Park North end of the park and jetty as seen from a cruise ship in Port Everglades


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos from Mizell-Johnson State Park


Nearby Adventures

West Lake Hollywood West Lake Park Explore both the wild and mild sides of an urban mangrove jungle at West Lake Park by hiking, biking, or paddling this outstanding Florida Water.
West Lake Port Everglades Anne Kolb Nature Center Whether a five-level observation tower or at ground level with the land crabs, Anne Kolb Nature Center focuses on the urban mangrove forest that it protects and interprets.
Mangroves with boardwalk beyond Secret Woods Nature Center Designated the first “urban wilderness area” in Florida in 1978, Secret Woods protects a 56-acre floodplain of cypress strand and mangroves with uplands of tropical hammock.
Snake Warriors Island hammock Snake Warriors Island Natural Area Walk a gentle accessible half-mile loop while learning about the oldest documented settlement in the eastern Everglades at Snake Warrior's Island in Miramar.

Park Map (PDF) Official Website

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Sandra Friend & John Keatley
Sandra Friend & John Keatley
Articles jointly researched, written, and photographed by Sandra Friend & John Keatley, authors and publishers of FloridaHikes.com.
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Category: Beach Hikes, Beaches, Biking, Canoe & Kayak Rentals, Florida State Parks, Nature Trails, Paddling, Parks, Southeast FloridaTag: Accessible, Boating, Diving, Fishing, Florida State Parks, Fort Lauderdale, Guided Tours, Hollywood, Picnic, Snorkeling, Swimming, Wildlife Viewing

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MULTI-REGION: Atlantic Coastal Ridge. Atlantic Coast. Bartram Trail. Big Bend. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail. Gulf Coast. Lake Wales Ridge. WATERWAYS: Indian River Lagoon. Intracoastal Waterway. Kissimmee River. St. Johns River. Withlacoochee River.

NORTHWEST FLORIDA: Altha. Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Big Bend Scenic Byway. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Bruce. Cantonment. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. DeFuniak Springs. Eastpoint. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Freeport. Fountain. Gulf Breeze. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Holt. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Munson. Navarre. Navarre Beach. Newport. Niceville. Panacea. Panama City . Perdido Key. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Santa Rosa Beach. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. George Island. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Sumatra. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka. Woodville. WATERWAYS: Apalachicola River. Blackwater Bay. Blackwater River. Chipola River. Choctawhatchee Bay. Choctawhatchee River. Coastal Dune Lakes. Ochlockonee Bay. Perdido River. St. Marks River. Wacissa River. Wakulla River. Yellow River.

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CENTRAL FLORIDA: Altamonte Springs. Apollo Beach. Apopka. Astatula. Astor. Auburndale. Bartow. Babson Park. Bayport. Belleview. Bithlo. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Cassadaga. Christmas. Chuluota. Citrus Springs. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Edgewater. Enterprise. Eustis. Ferndale. Fort Meade. Frostproof. Geneva. Gibsonton. Haines City. Hernando. Hernando Beach. Holopaw. Homosassa. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Largo. Leesburg. Lithia. Longwood. Lutz. Maitland. Malabar. McIntosh. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. Narcoossee/Lake Nona. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Nobleton. Oak Hill. Oakland. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Ocoee. Oldsmar. Orange City. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Paisley. Palm Bay. Plant City. Poinciana. Polk City. Ponce Inlet. Port Orange. Ridge Manor. Riverview. Ruskin. Safety Harbor. Silver Springs. Sorrento. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. Tarpon Springs. Thonotosassa. Titusville . Umatilla. Viera. Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Weirsdale. Wimauma. Windermere. Winter Garden. Winter Haven. Winter Park. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction. Zephyrhills. WATERWAYS: Alafia River. Halifax River. Hillsborough River. Lake Apopka. Little Manatee River. Ochlawaha River. Rainbow River. Tampa Bay. Wekiva River. Wekiva River Basin.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA: Alva. Boca Grande. Cape Coral. Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Ellenton. Englewood. Estero. Immokalee. Marco Island. North Port. Osprey. Palma Sola. Palmetto. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Sanibel Island. Venice. WATERWAYS: Caloosahatchee River. Manatee River. Myakka River. Pine Island Sound.

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FLORIDA KEYS: Big Pine Key. Islamorada. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Overseas Heritage Trail.


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