A rare patch of natural habitats in an increasingly developed region, Seabranch Preserve State Park spans from A1A to the Indian River Lagoon.
It is part of a puzzle of public lands set aside for habitat preservation, sitting just west of St. Lucie Preserve and the northern tip of Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. It is also close to Peck Lake Park.
While the scrub that defines the Atlantic Coastal Ridge is the primary highlight of the trail system in the preserve, the park is also home to a mangrove forest and one of South Florida’s rare bayhead communities.
It’s unusual as it is a fresh water floodplain marsh with loblolly bay and sweetbay magnolia, yet it is close enough to the Indian River that you can smell the salt water.
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Overview
Location: Port Salerno
Trailhead: 27.130532,-80.169543
Address: 6093 SE Dixie Hwy, Stuart
Fees: Free
Restroom: vault toilet at trailhead
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 772-219-1880
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs permitted. More than 8 miles of trails make up the trail network in the park.
A shaded picnic area is provided at the front of the park, where the East Coast Greenway passes by on a 1.3-mile paved segment. The trailhead is sometimes busy with cyclists.
Directions
To find Seabranch Preserve State Park, take the I-95 exit for Stuart / Indiantown (SR 76). Follow Cove Road east for 4.5 miles, crossing US 1, until you reach CR A1A. Turn right and continue 1.5 miles south. Make a left into the small parking area across from the VFW, just before the railroad tracks.
About the Park
The sand pine scrub found here is Florida’s version of a desert. In the sunshine, the sand is blindingly white. It is always soft to walk through.
Most visitors come here to walk the trails. We’ve explored the two original loops, the North Loop and the South Loop.
There is also an East Loop that lets you extend your hike significantly, and a short section of paved trail – part of the East Coast Greenway – that is accessible.
Walk softly, and you will see and hear wildlife. We’ve encountered Florida scrub-jays here as well as gopher tortoises. They leave clear sets of tracks as they wander from their burrows.
Look closely at the sandy soil for delicate wildflowers and mosses. We’ve seen earthstars growing in the thick duff under the sand pines.
A covered picnic shelter sits out front not far from the vault toilet. If you decide to take a hike on either the footpaths or the bike path towards Hobe Sound, take plenty of water with you.
Seabranch North & South Loops On over 1,000 acres along the Intracoastal Waterway south of Stuart, the 4.8 mile double loop at Seabranch Preserve State Park surprises with a dip from coastal scrub into bayheads.
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
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos from hiking at Seabranch Preserve
Nearby Adventures
St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park A state park only reachable by water, St. Lucie Inlet Preserve occupies the northern tip of Jupiter Island, quiet beaches and mangrove forests defining its shores.
Gomez Preserve Purchased to protect the footprint of an early 1900s settlement along the Indian River Lagoon, Gomez Preserve is one of the lesser-known hiking destinations in Hobe Sound.
Peck Lake Park In a hidden corner of Hobe Sound, Peck Lake Park lets you tunnel through coastal habitats along the Pioneer Passage to an observation point along the Indian River Lagoon.
Maggy’s Hammock Park Formerly known as Rocky Point Hammock, Maggy’s Hammock Park protects 22 acres of lush tropical forest and scrub on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge in Port Salerno.
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