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Boardwalk amid saw palmetto

National Estuarine Research Reserves

Hiking, biking, camping, and paddling on federal lands managed to protect our estuaries.


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.


Resources

Resources for exploring Florida’s NERRs
North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover  
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.

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

palachicola NERR Scipio Creek 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
Nature Center Trails kiosk Apalachicola NERR 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
Loblolly bay Apalachicola NERR 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 GTM Reserve Circling a peninsula of land between the Guana River and the Tolomato River, the trail system at GTM Reserve is one of North Florida's most beautiful places to hike.
Island Ridge Trail at Little St. George Island 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.
Mangroves up close 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 Trail 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

ALL articles on National Estuarine Research Reserves

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