Florida Hikes

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

A tree snail climbing across lichen on a tree trunk

Thinking small at Collier-Seminole

One of Florida’s most beautiful nature trails, Collier-Seminole State Park’s Royal Palm Hammock Trail can be a challenge, but worth it for both vistas and details

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We could hear the shrieks up ahead before we even left the kiosk. “I bet they’ve found the mosquitoes!” John said. That’s the main reason that hiking the Royal Palm Hammock Trail is so tough.

Trail entrance and signage Entrance to the Royal Palm Hammock Trail

I remembered coming here to hike in the dead of winter when I checked it out for “50 Hikes in South Florida,” and it wasn’t so bad at all.

But on a fall visit to do some photography, I couldn’t make it past the curve in the trail. We covered ourselves in bug spray and headed in.

Path through tropical forest The royal palm hammock

The royal palm hammock is a special place. This is a tropical forest in the truest sense of the word, and one of the world’s densest concentrations of this native Florida tree most beloved of South Florida landscapers.

You see young ones poking up amid a tangle of blolly, gumbo-limbo, and Jamaican dogwood in a forest that feels foreign to those of us who live farther north in Florida.

Deep shade envelops you quickly on this walk, as do the clouds of mosquitoes who love the shade. I kept telling John “don’t worry, they’ll let up when we get to the boardwalk,” and indeed they did.

But it made looking for Liguus, the native tree snail of the tropical hammock, a bit tough.

Delicate orchid blooms dangling on long stems Butterfly orchids

On the boardwalk, we found the summer camp group. One of their counselors called out, “can you show these nice people the orchids?”

And they did, pointing out the butterfly orchids in bloom. Now those we’re familiar with, but not within the context of a mangrove forest.

White blossom like morning glory Mangrove rubber vine

Both John and I tend to catch small details, so amid the tangle of white and red mangroves, we’d notice … something.

And then check it out. Not just amid the trees, but also on the boardwalk itself.

Fish scales in scat on a boardwalk railing Fish scales in scat

Swamp lily blooms like large quartet of white stars Swamp lilies peered up from a corner of the boardwalk

The Royal Palm Hammock Trail surprises you with changes in perspective around its turns.

At the end of a spur trail, an overlook brings you to a vista of typical Everglades habitat in this region.

Expanse of mangroves and grasses in swamp Everglades vista

Around another bend was a Seussian forest of palms, reminding me of the trees that the Lorax tried so hard to save from destruction.

Woman taking a photo of mop-topped palm trees A Seussian forest of palms (John Keatley)

As we left the boardwalk to descend back into the tropical forest, the mosquitoes descended again.

But we weren’t about to give up on the tree snails I’d talked up for so long. John pointed to a tree trunk. “Up there!”

Liguus tree snail crawling on tree trunk with head extended Liguus tree snail

And it was. The first of several, in fact. We came away from our walk – brisk through the tropical forest, a stroll on the boardwalk – grateful that we’d visited.

For it had been enough years that I’d forgotten that this was among one of Florida’s most beautiful trails.

Explore More!

Visit this park and the Royal Palm Hammock Trail

Bench on a boardwalk in a salt marsh Collier-Seminole State Park Protecting the largest natural hammock of royal palms in the United States, Collier-Seminole State Park opened in 1947 south of Naples along the Tamiami Trail.
Boardwalk through palm hammock Royal Palm Hammock Nature Trail Not quite a mile long, this intriguing nature trail explores a gradient of habitats from tropical hammock to salt marsh and mangrove forest.

Sandra Friend
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