Hiking Fort Lauderdale | Page 2

Flamingo Gardens

Davie ( 26.074198,-80.31352 )

From its roots in a citrus grove, a nonprofit botanical garden sprouted through the efforts of Floyd and Lula Wray. In 1927, they purchased 320 acres to grow citrus and a year later, Floyd hired Frank Stirling to create a botanical garden for test planting of tropical fruit and flowering trees.

Florida Trail, Big Cypress North

Florida Trail, Big Cypress | Big Cypress National Preserve
( 26.169781, -81.071770 ) 8.0 miles

An easy ramble from the I-75 MM 63 rest area north along Nobles Grade through Big Cypress National Preserve, this wildlife-rich 8-mile segment of the Florida Trail offers several loop options for day hikers and backpackers.

Florida Trail, Seminole

Florida National Scenic Trail | Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, Clewiston
( 26.256229, -81.086823 ) 56.3 miles

56.3 miles. Stretching from the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation to Lake Okeechobee, the Florida Trail Seminole section traverses a vast agricultural region, the former Everglades. Hiking is on roads and levees.

Florida Trail, South Florida

Heading north through Big Cypress, the Florida Trail immerses hikers through one of the last wild spaces of the region, then connects to Okeechobee via dikes.

Florida’s Best Urban Parks

October 27, 2016 Sandra Friend

When you live in a tightly packed space, you need somewhere green as your go-to place nearby. These are our top picks for parks in Florida’s urban areas, chosen for their diversity of outdoor activities and/or their unique green spaces.

Helene Klein Pineland Preserve

Coconut Creek ( 26.318152,-80.189526 ) 0.5 miles

In just 13 acres, Helene Klein Pineland Preserve packs in a nice walk through a variety of habitats within that small space near West Boca Raton and Coconut Creek

Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area

Coconut Creek ( 26.324355, -80.197728 ) 0.7 miles

A 56-acre remnant of forest that once spanned between the Atlantic Coastal Ridge and the Everglades, Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area offers gentle nature trails less than a mile long.

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

Fort Lauderdale ( 26.138391,-80.10544 )

In a tropical forest across the street from Fort Lauderdale Beach, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is the former estate of Chicago attorney Hugh Taylor Birch. Built in 1940, Birch’s home, TerraMar, displays both Mediterranean and Art Deco architecture and serves as the visitor’s center.