While spending the week in Jupiter for meetings, I’m taking whatever free time I can muster to explore places I haven’t hiked before. Juno Dunes Natural Area was acquired when I worked my way through here for “Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State,” but the only trail in place was the one on the beach side, accessed through Loggerhead Park. It’s a loop that leads to the highest point in Palm Beach County, at 44 feet above sea level, and yes, you can see the sea from there.
I was glad to have the chance on this trip to explore the western side of the preserve, accessed from a trailhead along US 1 in Juno Beach. The 1.5 mile loop is a real gem, not at all what you’d expect from the scene you see at the trailhead. From there, it looks like coastal scrub all the way to the Intracoastal Waterway. Not so. It’s a complex mosaic of habitats, and I won’t spoil the fun since I need to do a full writeup on this hike, but my favorite find was the patch of carniverous plants in the middle of the scrub. Now there’s a surprise!