This expansive canopy of live oaks above a tropical hammock on an ancient tree island was once surrounded by the Everglades.
It is the high point, quite literally, of this 243 acre county park with a tower into the tree canopy.
Canopy towerThis former dairy farm was platted to become a golf community before Broward County protected it for its residents in 1980.
Now surrounded by the subdivisions of Davie, its wild side includes a boardwalk across a river of grass of its own.
Everglades marshThis suburban park encompasses a nature center, an equestrian trail, and paddling, and serves as the walk-in gateway to adjoining Pine Island Ridge Natural Area.
There are numerous picnic groves and shelters, an open-air fitness facility, volleyball courts, and a Safety Town for children to explore.
Fitness machines under a canopyResources
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Overview
Location: Davie
Length: 1.3 miles
Trailhead: 26.074396, -80.275177
Address: 3900 SW 100th Ave, Davie
Fees: Gate fee on weekends and holidays
Restroom: At the trailhead
Land Manager: Broward County
Phone: 954-357-5130
Open 8 AM. Closing time varies seasonally. Use insect repellent. Fishing is permitted (FWC license required) except where posted.
Canoe rentals are available near the park entrance to ply the waterways.
Leashed dogs welcome in Tree Tops Park but not on Pine Island Ridge. Pick up after your pet.
Directions
From Interstate 595 west of Florida’s Turnpike in Davie, take Nob Hill Road south for 2.6 miles to the park entrance on the left. Follow the park entrance road back to the park office and nature center.
Hike
Fronting the nature center is a unique post explaining the significance of this park and adjoining preserve as a Broward Cultural Heritage Landmark.
Both are part of Pine Island Ridge, at the highest natural elevations in Broward County, and were the site of a thriving indigenous culture for more than 5,000 years.
Landmark designationThis island was one of a chain of seven running east to west in the Everglades, the westernmost of which is also protected as Long Key Natural Area.
Walk through the nature center to pick up a map and to inspect interpretive panels on the surrounding landscape and its history.
Abiaka sculptureExit through a back door, meeting a paved path at a life-sized sculpture depicting Sam Jones, known to his people as Abiaka. Turn left.
A decision point arises immediately at the Nature Trail sign on the left. It marks the start of our 1.3 mile circuit of Tree Tops Park on a maze of mostly natural surface paths.
Start of the Nature TrailTo expand the hike to 3.2 miles, continue straight ahead to explore Pine Island Ridge on its paved paths. Since it’s largely in the sun, it’s best to tackle first.
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Once part of a chain of islands in the Everglades, Pine Island Ridge is the highest natural elevation in Broward County, a home to indigenous cultures for over 5,000 years.To stay on the trails of Tree Tops Park, turn left at the Nature Trail sign. Slip past the broad trunk of a live oak on a narrow leafy footpath.
Walk through the tropical understory of this hardwood hammock, dense with wild coffee and marlberry. The canopy of live oaks blots out the sky.
Under the live oak canopyBroadening, the path meets a T. Turn left. At a split, take the left fork, crossing a driveway to a Nature Trails sign.
Stick with the broad corridor at another split, meeting the first of several Marsh signs, a major destination along this loop. Follow those signs.
Follow the Marsh signsCabbage palms and pointy beds of snake plants adjoin the trail. Oak limbs arch overhead, allowing splashes of sun where branches have been pruned by hurricanes.
At a T, turn left. A hint of the marsh peeps through the trees on the right, the forest briefly younger and less shady. The grand canopy of oaks and thicket of tropical understory resumes.
Footpath near the marshMeet a Marsh sign at a paved path at 0.3 miles. Turn right, joining the paved path past interpretive signs about the marsh to the entrance to its boardwalk.
Edged by willows, the straightaway meets a T at a tree island. Make a right, walking around the tree island across a grassy expanse of remnant Everglades to a covered observation deck.
Marsh boardwalkAt the end of the boardwalk, overlooking open water dotted with water lilies, it faces a similar deck in the opposite direction and the entrance station to the park.
Follow the boardwalk to the second deck. At the end of a short spur, it sits between tree islands. This protected spot seems to attract more wading birds along its shallows.
Purple gallinulePinwheels of spider lily blooms draw attention to the grassy edge of the pond. Proceed along the boardwalk beyond the second deck.
Reach its end under the oak canopy at 0.6 miles near a picnic shelter. Leafy paths ramble in several directions.
Picnic shelterContinue straight ahead at first, bearing left towards a sign in the distance marking the start of the Tower Loop.
Turn right, walking beneath tall live oaks laden in giant air plants. In late winter, the scent of citrus blossoms infuses this hammock.
Tower LoopThe sparse understory is dotted with orange and grapefruit trees. An odd shape fills a gap up ahead, resolving into an enormous split oak
Its trunk is splayed both along the ground in both directions and rising straight up.
Split oakCurving right, proceed under younger oaks and citrus trees past an old concrete cistern from the farm.
Around the next corner, a second improbable tree rises. It’s a massive banyan, a cascade of prop roots forming a wooden curtain in front of the trunk.
Banyan with a friend for sizeCurve past it to a T with a paved path. A Marsh sign points towards where you emerged. Turn left to see the banyan’s full glory up a zigzag ramp at its base to a tower reaching into the tree canopy.
At 0.8 mile, climb to the very top to see why this park is called Tree Tops, the surrounding canopy at the top level lush with resurrection fern, clusters of orchids, and bromeliads.
Tower in the treesConsidering the bounty of the pond and this hammock, its no wonder this high ground was long a home to indigenous peoples.
They lived in harmony with their landscape, using long canoes to travel from island to island in the Everglades.
Looking down from the towerAt the base of the tower, follow the paved path beyond it to where it circles through a clearing under the ancient live oaks. At a sharp curve, turn off it onto a leafy path at a mile.
This broad path meets a narrower one at a sign. Follow the Exit sign. Leaves cover sandy soil amid another stretch of hammock with citrus trees under the oaks.
Footpath under the oaksAn archway of oak limbs leads the path to a junction with a Tower Loop / Marsh sign within sight of a picnic area along the park entrance road.
Take the narrow footpath in the woods parallel to the park road, meeting a paved path. Turn right and follow it briefly towards a covered pavilion with fitness equipment.
Edge of the picnic areaBear left onto another narrow leafy path just inside the woods. Prickly clusters of sharply pointed snake plants hem the footpath, with spiky white blossoms in late winter.
Winding through the woods under the live oaks, emerge within sight of one of the Marsh / Exit signs and turn right, exiting to the nature center parking area.
Complete 1.3 miles through Tree Tops Park, or 3.2 miles if you also hiked Pine Island Ridge.
Path to Nature CenterTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking Tree Tops Park
Slideshow
See our photos from Tree Tops Park
Nearby Adventures
Flamingo Gardens A nonprofit botanical garden with its roots in a citrus grove, Flamingo Gardens began with tropical trees planted in 1928, now giants among the thematic gardens across 60 acres of Davie.
Markham Park Along the eastern edge of the Everglades in Sunrise, Markham Park has an impressive variety of outdoor recreation opportunities, trail connectivity, and a full-service campground for overnight stays. 
Chapel Trail Park Nature Preserve Preserving 450 acres on the edge of Pembroke Pines, Chapel Trail Nature Preserve makes an excellent birding destination as well as an easy-to-reach sampler of Everglades flora and fauna.
Mirimar Pineland Park An inviting trail along an accessible sidewalk makes for an easy stroll through pine flatwoods at Mirimar Pineland, passing benches, interpretive signs, and an overlook along the way.
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