Renamed from John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in 2016 to more appropriately honor the two local residents who lobbied to have this formerly segregated beach become a state park, Mizell-Johnson State Park is one of the more popular beaches in the area.
Sparse sea grapes over the Barrier Island TrailResources
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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.
Paddlers on Whiskey CreekEurojacks, 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.
Whiskey Creek separates the beach from the rest of the parkA half-mile nature trail winds through a coastal hammock with views of the shore and along the marsh.
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.
The expanse of beach at the north end of the parkBoaters 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.
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.
North end of the park and jetty as seen from a cruise ship in Port EvergladesExplore More!
Video
See our video of Mizell-Johnson State Park
Slideshow
See our photos from Mizell-Johnson State Park
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
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
Anne Kolb Nature Center
Whether it’s from the top of 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
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 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