Anchored by an education center off Walton Road in Port St. Lucie, Savannas Preserve State Park stretches ten miles from Fort Pierce to Jensen Beach.
Lying south of Savannas Recreation Area, the bulk of the preserve cradles fragile freshwater savannas just a half mile from the Indian River Lagoon and only a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
One of the vast wet prairiesResources
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Overview
Trailhead: 27.298881,-80.272981
Address: 2541 SE Walton Rd, Port St. Lucie
Fees: $3 per vehicle
Restroom: At Walton Rd and Jensen Beach Blvd trailheads
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 772-398-2779
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. Day use only.
Directions
From Interstate 95 exit 120 in Port St. Lucie, follow Crosstown Parkway east for 7 miles to US 1. Turn south. Drive half a mile and get in the left lane for the light at Walton Rd. Turn left and continue 1.9 mile to the Education Center trailhead. Other trailheads near this route are shown on the map above.
About the Park
Most of the preserve is a vast open landscape of palmetto prairie and wetlands not far from the Indian River Lagoon.
But there are multiple entrances as well as an outlying tract in the St. Lucie River floodplain.
Environmental Education CenterFor an orientation to this long, skinny park, stop in at the Environmental Education Center along Walton Rd in Port St. Lucie before you begin your explorations.
Two nature trails radiate from this trailhead, and the park-spanning linear White Trail passes through it as well.
The White TrailAn accessible path leads to an overlook on one of the savannas, which are blanketed in colorful wildflowers in spring.
Lilies dot the open water marshes. The park offers guided paddling trips enabling you to get up close to wading birds by immersing in the habitat.
Paddler in the marshes (Lori Burris)An unpaved road leads north from this access point to a canoe launch on a large pond also open to fishing.
Anglers and paddlers can also head for the Evans Creek tract along US 1 in Port St. Lucie to slide a kayak or canoe into the channel.
Evans Creek launchOne of the more fascinating access points is the Hawks Bluff Nature Trail off Jensen Beach Blvd and Savanna Rd.
A steep trail heads downhill to the savanna’s open waters. Along it, experience five different habitats in less than a mile.
Sand ridge at Hawks BluffTrails
Most trails within the preserve are multi-use. A ribbon of white-blazed trail extends north-south as a backbone to loop trails.
Radiating from the Education Center trailhead, the Glass Lizard Trail is an easy interpretive loop, while the Gopher Tortoise Trail rambles farther afield.
Hiking the Gopher Tortoise TrailForest roads offer more than 15 miles for bicyclists and equestrians to experience the uplands of the preserve.
Almost 6 miles of the White Trail spans between the Education Center and Jensen Beach Blvd trailheads.
White Trail reaching Walton Rd
Evans Creek Launch into a tributary of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River from state park land along US 1 in Port St. Lucie.
Hawks Bluff Trail Scramble up and down the Atlantic Coastal Ridge on this hike with scenic views of the southern end of the freshwater savannas stretching from Fort Pierce to Jensen Beach.Paralleling it outside the park fence, a portion of the paved East Coast Greenway runs along the edge of the preserve.
East Coast Greenway Stuart Linking Port St. Lucie with Jensen Beach, Stuart, Port Salerno, and Hobe Sound, this 17.6 mile segment of the East Coast Greenway has dedicated bike paths at both ends.Trail Map
Slideshow
See our photos of Savannas Preserve State Park
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park Protecting what remains of the forested Atlantic Ridge between the Indian River and the St. Lucie River, this secluded state park is hidden behind subdivisions in Stuart. 
Seabranch Preserve Hiking Trails On more than 1,000 acres along the Intracoastal Waterway south of Stuart, the double loop trail at Seabranch Preserve State Park showcases a coastal scrub forest.