If you find yourself wanting to go out on an adventure on a Sunday morning in March, venture to South Florida in search of a little piece of the Everglades. Check out Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee wildlife refuge out on 441/ sr7 in west Boynton Beach. This area makes up over 140,000 acres of land most of which is not accessible to people. The land has been preserved by the National wildlife refuge system to conserve and rehabilitate the natural wildlife species and plants that inhabit this area. The headquarters area which is the only accessible area for hiking and paddling is located off 441/SR7 in Boynton Beach, Florida. It costs $5.00 per carload to enter the headquarters area. Immediately as you enter the park on the right hand see you’ll see a large building known as the visitor center. The visitor center hosts a lot of information on the preservation of the wildlife and foliage in the area. They offer interactive displays and even teach short instructional courses on the importance of maintaining an area like this.
After walking through the visitor center, you will see behind it lies the cypress boardwalk trail. This trail is 0.5 miles long and completely paved to make a very pleasant walk through the cypress trees and ferns. You’ll see lots of algae and fungus’s that mutually occur on the cypress trees and on the boardwalk. You will get eaten alive by the skeeters during the summer so make sure to wear long sleeves or cover yourself in some all natural bug spray. As you venture further into the park you will notice on the left the parking and entrance to the March trails. This is a very large and open network of trails that takes you in perfect rectangles around each section of swamp. Keep driving all the way to the end of the road which will lead to a dock. Get out of your car and walk over to the water to check out the boat launch area. They offer a pretty comprehensive Boating and paddling trail system. If you do not have a canoe or kayak, they do rent both daily for around $35 per day.
Speed some time on pier watching the boats take off quietly and try to spot the local freshwater fish. They do allow fishing here but please be weary of feeding any wildlife especially with the alligators. Everything is designed in square or rectangular fashion as to easily maintain the water and trail systems. The Marsh trail in all is about 3 miles long. There is no shade on this trail so make sure to bring a hat and sunblock as the Florida sun can be brutal. Follow the trail around the first bend which leads to an observation lookout tower. There are so many bird species including, ospreys, raptors, wading shore birds and much more. And plenty of gators sunbathing out in the open.
At the lookout tower they have a large stationary monocular that gives a great closeup of the whole trail. This is also a nice place to feel the cool Florida breeze and take a moment to rest. You’ll come across a multitude of Red Bellied turtles and a magnitude of smaller Alligators and maybe a Great Blue Heron. This area is used as a research center so you will notice a lot of short boardwalks out into the swamp. These are not for public access. There are a lot of fire ant piles so be careful as to not stand in one by mistake. The Marsh hiking trail was extremely easy to follow and wide open, so your view of the parking lot is still within distance.
Right across the street located behind the visitor center is a short and easily accessible 0.5-mile Boardwalk trail. This trail is paved and easy for anyone to walk on, which usually means it’s a bit more congested with people. If you go during the week, I guarantee you will be the only one there.
No matter the season, day, or time check out the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge and get a glimpse of Florida in its natural state. You are guaranteed to see wildlife, including plenty of alligators.
Right away we noticed this area is much shadier and completely inhabited by the Cypress trees and ferns that rapidly grow in Florida. Butterflies fill the empty space, constantly fluttering around our heads. Black and yellow and Orange are the colors presented on these beautiful flying creatures. In the summer months the water levels are a lot higher but in March the place was dry. I was expecting to see a lot of birds in this area but was disappointed. Most of the wildlife inhabits the open swampy marsh, so If you’re trying to see Bobcats, Alligators, turtles and much more you’ll want to focus your hike in that section of the refuge. The visitor center does have a restroom facility, which was very well kept. After completing the Cypress Boardwalk, we took a walk through the visitor center. It was a nice relief from the heat and got a lot of educational value. Next time we’re going to do the Canoe trail. This trail will give more access into what the Everglades really has to offer – bugs and gators included. All in all, the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge is a great place to spend a couple of hours. Dedicate sometime if you happen to be in the area and want to see a piece of the Everglades without actually venturing into the Everglades.
Love,
Nature Girl
