Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Fort Pierce is flanked by state parks and natural lands along the Indian River Lagoon and Atlantic Coastal Ridge, as well as vast prairies near the Kissimmee River.
With a sandy strand more than a mile long, Avalon State Park offers an escape to an uncluttered seashore along the Treasure Coast where sea turtles retreat to lay their eggs
At a beach best known for great surfing, the Coastal Hammock Trail at Fort Pierce State Park is a gentle introduction to a seaside semi-tropical forest.
In pine flatwoods and scrub along the Indian River Lagoon, D.J. Wilcox Natural Area features the ghost town of Indrio along its 2.3-mile loop
111.3 miles. Following the Kissimmee River floodplain, this is a scenic section of the Florida Trail with a mix of levees, shady woods, river views, open prairies, and cattle ranches.
When the waves start crashing at Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, surfers command the beach. Offshore shoals of the rocky Atlantic Coast Ridge create strong surf.
Along Ten Mile Creek west of Fort Pierce, George LeStrange Preserve protects uplands and floodplain forest along the edge of a restored sand mine turned into a lake.
In Port St. Lucie, Halpatiokee Nature Trail at Savannas Preserve State Park provides an intimate look at ecosystems along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.
Site of the Crimmins Nursery in the 1930s, the 3.5 acres of gardens at Heathcote Botanical Gardens are a peaceful retreat within the city of Fort Pierce, offering wandering pathways through a variety of themed plantings, with many whimsical mosaic benches on which to sit and relax.
Today was a surprising reintroduction to the hiking trails of St Lucie County. My, how they have grown! Since 2003, the number of trails in the county has doubled.
Only a mile from the Indian River Lagoon, Indrio Savannas has 3.5 miles of hiking around freshwater wetlands where sea breezes wash across the landscape.
Atop the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Indrio Scrub is a place where unique scrub species thrive. A short interpretive loop trail leads you through the preserve
A cluster of mangrove islands in the Indian River Lagoon, Jack Island Preserve is a perfect destination for birding
