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Florida Hikes!

Your guide to Florida's outdoors, by Sandra Friend, Florida's hiking expert, and her co-author John Keatley, covering the Florida Trail and other trails throughout Florida.

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Melbourne

The southern part of Brevard County around Melbourne is rich in natural lands and parks that invite exploration, including habitats that are the northernmost point for many tropical species like gumbo-limbo. In addition to parks along the barrier islands, there are vast places to hike along the sand ridges and river floodplains on the western side of the county.

Nearby: Cocoa Beach, Sebastian, St. Cloud, Titusville, Vero Beach

Find hotels in Melbourne on TripAdvisor


Trails and Parks in Melbourne

  • Pelican Island Centennial Centennial Trail- Designed the first National Wildlife Refuge in 1903, Pelican Island NWR celebrated its century mark by creating this short, scenic, accessible boardwalk for birding.
  • Coconut Point Sanctuary Coconut Point Sanctuary- Call it the Ocean-to-Lagoon Hike: this 1 mile loop through one of Brevard County's most diverse natural lands connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon in Melbourne Beach
  • Erna Nixon Park Erna Nixon Park- Although Erna Nixon Park is just down the street from one of the busiest shopping malls on the Space Coast, it transports you out of suburbia and into the wilds.
  • Along the Florida Trail at Bull Creek Florida Trail, Bull Creek WMA- Providing a 20.5 mile loop for backpacking amid open pine savannas and prairies, the Florida Trail at Bull Creek WMA is a popular destination.
  • Florida Trail, Prairie Lakes Florida Trail, Three Lakes WMA- At Three Lakes WMA / Prairie Lakes Unit, the Florida Trail traverses one of the largest expanses of open prairie in the Southeast, the Kissimmee Prairie.
  • Linear Park at Brevard Zoo Linear Park at Brevard Zoo- A 10-foot wide boardwalk forged from recycled plastic planks winds through wetlands and oak hammocks east of I-95 on a 1.1-mile route south of the Brevard Zoo.
  • Maritime Hammock Sanctuary Maritime Hammock Sanctuary- On a 2.8-mile loop trail, Maritime Hammock Sanctuary showcases maritime, or coastal hammock, marshlands, and mangroves along the Indian River Lagoon
  • Sebastian Inlet Sebastian Inlet State Park- One of few places where the Indian River Lagoon mingles with the Atlantic Ocean, Sebastian Inlet is the central feature of Sebastian Inlet State Park, which protects the tips of both barrier islands.
  • St Sebastian River Preserve St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park- Bisected by Interstate 95 south of Melbourne, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park spans across two counties, protecting a mosaic of pine flatwoods, cypress domes, palmetto prairies, and strand swamp surrounding the St. Sebastian River and its tributaries.
  • Sunset Ranch Trail Sunset Ranch Trail- The 2.2-mile Sunset Ranch Trail at the Prairie Lakes Unit of Three Lakes WMA provides an easy day hike for birding near Lake Marian.
  • Triple N Ranch Triple N Ranch- Vast pine savannas and pitcher plant bogs await at one of the toughest loop trails in the Orlando area a 7.5-mile challenge at Triple N Ranch WMA.
  • Turkey Creek Sanctuary Turkey Creek Sanctuary- Turkey Creek Sanctuary is a preserve of 117 acres along Turkey Creek in Palm Bay, with boardwalks carrying you over a variety of habitats and a nature center for the kids.
  • Viera Wetlands Viera Wetlands- One of the best destinations on the Space Coast for birding and wildlife photography, Viera Wetlands is both a man-made habitat and a modern facility for wastewater treatment.

Related Articles

  • Linear Park at Brevard Zoo Linear Park at Brevard Zoo (1/14/2015)- A 10-foot wide boardwalk forged from recycled plastic planks winds through wetlands and oak hammocks east of I-95 on a 1.1-mile route south of the Brevard Zoo.
  • Fall in the floodplain (1/13/2012)- For years, I’ve heard people fuss about the “lack of seasons” in Florida. Spend a little time in the woods, and you’ll tune in to Florida’s unique seasonality. Wildflowers do the best job of showing off what time of year it is, but our floodplain forests do, too. Depending on where you are in the […]

EXPLORE CENTRAL FLORIDA

ORLANDO. TAMPA. Ocala NF. Canaveral NS. Merritt Island NWR. Cross Florida Greenway.Coast to Coast Trail (C2C)

MORE CENTRAL FLORIDA

Apopka . Belleview . Brandon . Brooksville . Bushnell . Canaveral National Seashore . Christmas . Clearwater Beach . Clermont . Cocoa Beach . Cross Florida Greenway . Crystal River . Dade City . Daytona Beach . Deland . Deltona . Dunnellon . Frostproof . Geneva . Inverness . Kissimmee . Lakeland . Lake Wales . Leesburg . Melbourne . Merritt Island NWR . Mount Dora . New Port Richey . New Smyrna Beach . Ocala . Ocala National Forest. Orlando. . Ormond Beach . Oviedo . Sanford . Silver Springs . St. Cloud . St. Petersburg . Tampa . Tarpon Springs . Titusville . Walt Disney World . Withlacoochee State Forest . Withlacoochee State Trail . Yeehaw Junction

The Florida Trail

Florida Trail history book

A comprehensive photo-rich history covering 50 years of Florida's favorite hiking destination. 9x12", 228 pages, full color.

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Our Central Florida guidebooks

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


Florida Trail Guide 50 Hikes in Central Florida Five Star Trails Orlando Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala Explorers Guide Central Florida Exploring Florida's Botanical Wonders Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State

Updates on Florida’s outdoors

Recent Articles

Florida Trail historic marker Florida Trail, Ocala National Forest
Palm Hammock Trail Palm Hammock Trail
Pine flatwoods at Prairie Lakes Florida Trail, Prairie Lakes Loop
On the Oak Hammock boardwalk Oak Hammock Trail
Kelly Loop Trail at Rock Springs Kelly Park

Central Florida Resources

  • Brevard Outdoor Adventures
  • FTA Central Florida
  • FTA Heartland
  • FTA Suncoast
  • Go Outside and Play!
  • Out in the Boonies
  • Outdoor Adventure & Recreation in Central Florida
  • Pasco County Adventurers
  • Space Coast Hiking Group

Find your way

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola . Apalachicola National Forest . Apalachicola River . Blackwater River State Forest . Blountstown . Crawfordville. Crestview . DeFuniak Springs . Destin . Fort Walton Beach . Ebro . Freeport . Gulf Islands National Seashore . Madison . Marianna . Milton . Navarre . Niceville . Panama City Beach . Pensacola . Ponce De Leon . Port St. Joe . Sopchoppy . St. Marks . St. Marks NWR . Tallahassee

NORTH FLORIDA
Amelia Island . Cedar Key . Chiefland . Fernandina Beach . Flagler Beach . Gainesville .High Springs . Jacksonville . Lake City . Live Oak . Mayo . Micanopy . Osceola National Forest . Palatka . Perry . Salt Springs . St. Augustine . Steinhatchee . Suwannee River Wilderness Trail . Trenton . White Springs

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka . Belleview . Brandon . Brooksville . Bushnell . Canaveral National Seashore . Christmas . Clearwater Beach . Clermont . Coast to Coast Trail . Cocoa Beach . Cross Florida Greenway . Crystal River . Dade City . Daytona Beach . Deland . Deltona . Dunnellon . Frostproof . Geneva . Inverness . Kissimmee . Lakeland . Lake Wales . Leesburg . Melbourne . Merritt Island NWR . Mount Dora . New Port Richey . New Smyrna Beach . Ocala . Ocala National Forest .Orlando . Ormond Beach . Oviedo . Sanford . Silver Springs . St. Cloud . St. Petersburg . Tampa . Tarpon Springs . Titusville . Walt Disney World . Withlacoochee State Forest . Withlacoochee State Trail . Yeehaw Junction

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

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia . Big Cypress . Big Cypress National Preserve . Clewiston . Everglades City . Everglades National Park . Fisheating Creek . Lake Okeechobee . Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail . Lake Placid . Moore Haven . Okeechobee . Sebring

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Biscayne Bay . Biscayne National Park . Boca Raton . Coral Gables . Everglades National Park . Florida Keys . Fort Lauderdale . Fort Pierce . Hobe Sound . Homestead . Jupiter . Key Biscayne . Miami . Ocean to Lake . Palm Beach . Port St. Lucie . Sebastian . Stuart . Vero Beach . West Palm Beach

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