One of the wilder places showcasing a remaining piece of the grand hammock that once stretched from Miami down along Biscayne Bay, Matheson Hammock Park is a popular swimming and picnic destination along the bay. The remnant hammock is across Old Cutler Road atop the rugged limestone karst of the Atlantic Coastal Ridge. While a short hike, it’s rather rugged thanks to a terrain punctuated with deep holes and crowded with tropical trees. The 1.4-mile trail can be tricky to follow, but is well worth a walk in the woods to see this rare habitat.
Resources
Overview
Location: Coral Gables
Length: 1.4 mile round-trip
Lat-Long: 25.682117, -80.271600
Type: round-trip
Fees: free
Difficulty: rugged
Bug Factor: moderate to annoying
Restroom: in the main portion of the park (fee)
Directions
From US 1, take Red Rd east to Old Cutler Rd. Turn north and drive past Fairchild Gardens before reaching Matheson Hammock Park on the right. Park your car in the nearest parking area to the park entrance. The trailhead kiosk is along the paved path to the picnic area.
Hike
From the kiosk, follow the paved path back past the picnic area and restrooms to the start of the trail; turn right and walk through a short stretch of tropical hammock. You emerge at Old Cutler Rd. Carefully cross the road and continue across to the trailhead for the West Hammock Trail. This trail forms a loop through a shady tropical hammock, with thick foliage and outcroppings of limestone. Watch for caves and sinkholes along the trail, where ferns grow lushly around their edges. Just imagine—this is what much of Coral Gables used to look like!
I think this trail has been expanded; there are many side trails throughout the forest and an unpaved road paralleling the southern boundary of the preserve. I’m trying to find an interpretive map that goes with the numbered signposts. It’s a fascinating hammock with some very old, very large gumbo limbo and oak trees and intriguing oolitic limestone formations. I’m so glad we have this remnant of how “old Miamah” looked to the pioneers. Despite the noise from the nearby road and homes, you can still feel like you’re in a timeless place. Speaking of which, just down the Old Cutler Road within walking distance is the beautifully preserved mid-1800s home of Maude Black – look for the yellow wooden house with peaked roof. There is a memorial plaque out front and Mrs. Black’s sausage tree still survives.