Starting from the historic homestead of the Sams family off North Tropical Trail not far from Kennedy Space Center, the trails of Sams House provide plenty of options.
Managed as part of the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program, this sanctuary showcases both history and nature.
Interpretation of Pine Island’s rich history is an important part of Sams HouseResources
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Overview
Location: Merritt Island
Length: Up to 2.8 miles
Trailhead: 28.4730, -80.7184
Address: 6195 N Tropical Trail, Merritt Island
Fees: Free
Restroom: Adjoining Sams House
Land manager: Brevard County
Phone: 321-449-4720
Sams House is open Tue-Sun 9-5, closed county holidays. Pets and smoking are not permitted.
A round-trip from Pine Island Conservation Area (at the end of Pine Island Road off N Courtenay Parkway) via the Garnet Trail provides alternate access to the trails at Sams House.
The gate for Pine Island Conservation Area opens 8:30 AM daily. Trails close around dusk.
Directions
From N Courtenay Parkway (SR 3) south of Kennedy Space Center, look for the turnoff to Tropical Trail to the west. Tropical Trail curves sharply left as you approach the entrance to Sams House on the right. Follow the entrance road to the parking area at the old homestead.
Hike
The log cabin you enter when you arrive at Sams House is the oldest home standing in Brevard County.
Built in 1875, it served the family well. They moved it to this location before building the adjoining larger home.
The Sams family residences anchor the south end of the preserveNow the cabin is an interpretive center and gift shop, a gateway for exploration of Merritt Island’s prehistory and its habitats. Sign in before you head out on a hike.
Stepping out the back door, you can start down the accessible Discovery Loop. Go counterclockwise around this paved loop, which provides access to the rest of the hiking trail system.
Gift shop inside the interpretive centerIt has a variety of hands-on interpretive stations around it that kids will love.
As you walk around the loop, it steps back in time from pioneer days on Merritt Island – the Sams family grove – all the way to when ancient creatures like giant sloths roamed the land.
One of the interactive exhibits along the Discovery LoopA 0.2 mile round-trip spur trail, the Red Trail (aka Conservation Trail) leads to an overlook on a marsh along a meadow.
Here, you may see ospreys and perhaps even bald eagles.
End of the Red TrailFrom the interpretive station next to the giant sloth, follow the white-blazed half mile White Trail (aka Hammock Loop) downhill towards Sams Creek.
If you do only one hike in the preserve, make it this one. After the scenic crossing of the creek, turn left.
Bridge over Sams CreekThe trail makes a loop through a lush palm hammock where the breeze off the Indian River Lagoon keeps the fronds swaying.
It starts out as a boardwalk, leading you to the blue-blazed Blue Trail (aka Lagoon Trail).
This side trail is also a must, with the boardwalk continuing through the palm hammock to another bridge.
Bridge to the mangrove-lined leveesAfter the bridge, it follows levees from the mosquito control era on Merritt Island into a mangrove forest, emerging at an overlook on the Indian River Lagoon.
Between the mangroves, you can glimpse the far shore and make out landmarks in Port St. John.
Along the Indian River LagoonWhen you return to the White Trail, this is your decision point. If the hammock is soggy you may wish to return the way you came via the boardwalk.
Otherwise, turn left and walk through the fern-dense understory under the palms to follow the White Trail around the lagoon side of the loop.
Palm hammock along the White Trail (Hammock Loop)The Garnet Trail starts at the north end of the White Trail. This is the wildest trail in the preserve.
A linear trail, it heads north to interconnect with a much vaster trail system in the rest of Pine Island Conservation Area.
It tunnels through palm hammocks while providing views of marshes. It’s a scenic walk where you might get your feet wet where marshes creep into the trail.
Marsh along the Garnet TrailYou’ll be rewarded with great birding. Keep alert for alligators along this narrow path between waterways.
A round-trip on the Garnet Trail to where it pops out on the grassy berm at South Lake adds 1.4 miles to your hike.
Turn around at South Lake for 1.4 miles on the Garnet TrailOtherwise, the short trails within the Sams House portion of the preserve add up to 1.4 miles of walking.
When you return to the parking area, take a very short ramble in the other direction to see the Burial Mound.
Although it simply looks like a hill with a forest on top, it is not.
Archaeologist Clarence Moore, the same fellow who excavated Mount Royal in Welaka, dug into this mound in 1895 and discovered ancient burials.
Burial mound at Sams HouseTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Pine Island Conservation Area
Pine Island Conservation Area Wildlife and an outstanding array of birds compete for attention with waterfront views and rocket launches at one of the closest public lands to Cape Canaveral's launch pads.Slideshow
See our photos from Sams House
Nearby Adventures
Kings Park A mosaic of landscapes disturbed by past development now lush with vegetation, Kings Park protects both freshwater and brackish waterways with a ribbon of bike path between them.
Pioneer Paddling Trail Amid mangrove swamps along an old pioneer route in Kings Park, the Pioneer Paddling Trail offers an intimate look at a forgotten wild corridor on Merritt Island.
Jetty Park With white sand dunes and a beautiful oceanfront, Jetty Park is the closest beach to Cape Canaveral that stays open during launches at Kennedy Space Center: the viewing's great daytime or night.
Paddling the Thousand Islands One of the hidden natural treasures of Cocoa Beach, the Thousand Islands provide a fun paddle through a maze of mangroves on a marked trail through a conservation area.
- Hal Scott Yellow Trail - November 3, 2026
- Hal Scott Preserve - October 28, 2026
- Tradewinds Park - October 27, 2026