Where freshwater seeps and flows into the sea along Florida’s coastline, massive estuaries serve as aquatic nurseries for fish. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System includes 29 units across the United States. Florida has three.
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Florida NERRs
Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM Reserve) stretches down the Atlantic Coast from Ponte Vedra to Palm Coast.
Rookery Bay NERR includes the Ten Thousand Islands between Everglades National Park and Naples. It has the longest unbroken mangrove coastline in America.
Apalachicola NERR encompasses the vast estuary at the mouth of the Apalachicola River and the barrier islands protecting Apalachicola Bay.
These public lands are jointly managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. All three have excellent nature centers and a variety of trails.
National Estuarine Research Reserves
Outdoor recreation within our National Estuarine Research Reserves in Florida
Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve blankets nearly a quarter million miles of marine basin on Florida's Forgotten Coast.
Apalachicola NERR Nature Center A delightful destination for learning about Apalachicola Bay, the headquarters of Apalachicola NERR boasts a nature center and more than a half mile of gentle interpretive trails
Cat Point Trail Just a short walk from the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Visitor Center, this half-mile loop meanders coastal habitats in Eastpoint
GTM Reserve Trails Circling a peninsula between the Guana River and the Tolomato River, the extensive trail system at GTM Research Reserve is one of Florida's most beautiful hiking destinations. 
Little St. George Island Trails If you’re looking for remote along Florida’s coast, Little St. George Island in Apalachicola Bay has over 9 miles of undeveloped beach and several miles of trails, and is only accessible by boat.
Rookery Bay NERR Protecting vast mangrove forests and coastal habitats between Naples and Ten Thousand Islands NWR, Rookery Bay NERR encompasses a mind-boggling 110,000 acres.
Scipio Creek Boardwalk A sweeping view of the Apalachicola River estuary waits like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow on this beautiful nature trail and boardwalk