South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
MORE TO EXPLORE THAN STATE PARKS
Impressive county parks among Florida’s best-kept secrets
Florida is widely known for its award-winning state parks, but you may be missing out on this state’s best-kept secrets.
County parks can be every bit as impressive, and a few even have spacious and well-equipped campgrounds.
These seven county parks are among the best in the state: Riverbend Park, Jupiter
Near the headwaters of the Loxahatchee River. Pop your kayak or canoe into the river or bike the wooded trails. Camp downriver at Jonathan Dickinson State Park and shuttle to Riverbend for the paddle of your dreams on one of only two federally designated wild and scenic rivers in Florida. But you can have a splendid day here without paddling at all. Riverbend has a network of shady, hard-surface trails that are perfect for family bike rides, and you can rent bikes at the park. Hikers too will find good trails to explore. Wildlife is abundant — deer, turkeys, even a flock of beautiful peacocks. The park also preserves the site where a key battle in the Second Seminole War, the Battle of the Loxahatchee, was fought. This peach of a park is free. At 9060 Indiantown Road, Jupiter. 561-741-1359, discover.pbc gov.org/parks
Tigertail Beach, Marco Island Manicured Marco Island is known for its beautiful beaches lined with resorts, condos and mansions. The exception to all this commercial development is gorgeous, wild Tigertail Beach. There’s a reason Tigertail is so unspoiled: 10 years ago it was an off-shore sand bar. In 2005, however, Hurricane Wilma dumped sand at the southern end, connecting it to the mainland. You can reach Tigertail by walking north from the main beach, but most people take a
Pairs of sandhill cranes are a common site at Orange County’s Moss Park in Orlando. shortcut and wade across a shallow lagoon to reach the beach. The squeamish may squeal at the oozy lagoon bottom, but there’s a big payoff on the other side — three miles of beach with soft white sand, scads of shells, ospreys overhead and so many shore birds that it’s a stop on the Great Florida Birding Trail. Day use: $8 parking fee. At 480 Hernando Drive, Marco Island. 239-252-4000, colliercountyfl.gov
Long Point Park, Melbourne Beach
This pair of islands in the Indian River, accessible via a causeway, has 113 waterfront campsites with another 57 sites off the water. Launch your kayak, paddleboard or canoe from your campsite or a motor boat from the park’s ramp. Anchor in shallow water behind your camp. The islands are surrounded by clam beds and oyster bars, some of which are privately leased while others are open to public harvesting. The park includes a wildlife refuge for short hikes. Explore dozens of spoil islands in the Indian River, or just paddle about the waterway.
Did I mention the fishing here rocks? Being in the heart of one of the most productive fisheries in the state and just north of Sebastian Inlet, your catch will be impressive. Day use:
$4 per vehicle. Camping:
$28 per night plus tax. At
700 Long Point Road, Melbourne Beach. 321-9524532, brevardfl.gov/Parks Recreation
C.B. Smith Park, Pembroke Pines
This quiet, well-manicured park in the heart of South Florida lies within reach of Miami and Fort Lauderdale’s beaches. It’s best known locally as the home of the KISS Country Chili Cookoff the last weekend in January, a good weekend to avoid if you’re looking for a peaceful urban getaway. Otherwise, this is one of South Florida’s best family-oriented recreation areas with a water park (multiple waterslides), batting cages, a golf driving range, tennis center, multiple picnic areas, playgrounds and fishing lakes. The park has a sprawling campground with 71 paved RV sites and full hookups. Admission to the water park, Paradise Cove, is
$9.50 per person. Day use:
$1.50 per person on weekends and holidays; free on weekdays. Camping:
$30-$40/night plus tax. At
900 N. Flamingo Road, Pembroke Pines. 954-3575170, broward.org/Parks
Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland
If you’re into birds or nature photography, you’ve probably heard of Circle B. But this big nature preserve deserves to be better known among hikers, families and anyone who enjoys natural Florida. Peak season for visiting Circle B is fall through spring, when nature photographers flock here to capture images of the huge white pelicans, tropical-pink spoonbills, leggy sandhill cranes, iconic bald eagles and dozens of other birds. But year-round, it provides miles of wellmarked, shaded hiking trails, and there is always Brevard County’s Long Point Park campground has 113 waterfront sites on an island in the Indian River Lagoon.
wildlife to be viewed. The nature center recently was redone and has excellent interactive exhibits kids will especially enjoy. Amazingly it’s all free. At 4399 Winter Lake Rd., Lakeland. 863-668-4673, polknature .com
Moss Park, Orlando
Orlando’s best-kept secret. Only 20 minutes from Disney World and Universal Studios, Moss Park offers fabulous camping plus boating, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, hiking, playgrounds, biking, fishing, picnic areas, a swimming beach, birdwatching and orienteering in the adjacent 2,000-acre Split Oak Preserve. The preserve offers miles of trails to explore. Moss Park is on a peninsula nestled
between Lake Mary Jane and Lake Hart. Abundant wildlife thrives in the park and the preserve. In one night of camping, we saw sandhill cranes and small herds of deer, who emerged from the preserve to graze. The campground has 54 RV/tent sites. Day use:
$3-$5 per vehicle. Camping: $18-$23 per night. At
12901 Moss Park Road, Orlando. 407-254-6840, orangecountyfl.net
Fort DeSoto County Park, St. Petersburg
This park offers 3 miles of white-sand beaches, consistently ranked among the best in the nation. Paddle along trails to offshore islands, or access bike trails you can ride all day. The park boasts two fishing piers, a historic fort, picnic
areas, playgrounds and an impressive bird population. While a challenge for RVers to get reservations in the
238-site campground, there almost always is availability in an 85-site section set aside for tent campers. The park’s 7-mile bike trail offers access to the
38-mile-long Pinellas Trail. There’s a ferry to Egmont Key State Park and an
800-foot boat-launch area. Day use: $5 parking fee plus causeway tolls. Camping:
$30-$37 plus tax. At 3500 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra Verde. 727-582-2267, pinellascounty.org
E.G. Simmons County Park, Ruskin
Along with its beaches and kayak trails, E.G. Simmons’ spacious 112-site campground rivals that of
any state park. Most of the sites are waterfront, allowing you to launch your kayak or canoe directly from your campsite. Paddle trails weave through dozens of mangrove islands in the adjacent wildlife sanctuary. When we visited, the mullet were jumping everywhere, a strong indicator that the fishing is decent in these nurturing backwaters. There is a swimming beach on the bay and a boat launch. Day use: $2 per vehicle. Boat launch: $5. Camping: $18-$24 per night. At 2401 19th Ave NW, Ruskin. 813-671-7655, hillsboroughcounty.org/ parks
FloridaRambler.com gives tips on getaways to the natural and authentic Florida.