Boardwalks show off nature’s beauty

Florida’s boardwalks make outdoor adventure easy as a stroll in the park

Boardwalks allow everyone to explore Florida’s natural beauty, including people in wheelchairs and families with strollers.

More than 29 years ago, an important civil right law was signed – the Americans with Disabilities Act. Thanks to the ADA, streets, sidewalks, public transportation and buildings are all more accessible to people with limited mobility.

Partly thanks to the ADA, Florida’s magical natural beauty is also easier to experience as many parks have built wheelchair-accessible boardwalks.

Of course, boardwalks aren’t just for the disabled.

Families with strollers love them, too, as well as those who want flat, easy surfaces for steadier walking.

Boardwalks are a perfect way to introduce people to nature who are not ready or able to plunge into thick woods or a muddy trail.

As you entertain visitors this winter, consider these boardwalks for outings into natural Florida.

Corkscrew Swamp, Naples.

The scenery here — an unspoiled cypress swamp — is spectacular, and so is the birding. But what really makes Corkscrew special is the length of this boardwalk. At 2.25 miles, you really have a chance to be immersed in this green and serene world. Corkscrew is worth a day trip.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Blair Audubon Center, 375 Sanctuary Road West. Admission: $14 for adults, $6 for full-time college student with photo ID, $4 for students 6 to 18 and free for kids under 6.

Wakodahatchee Preserve, Delray Beach. This free boardwalk passes through a man-made wetland and in winter it is full of wildlife. Walking along the threequarter-mile-long boardwalk recently, we saw all sort of bird plus an alligator and marsh rabbits.The birds that are so used to people you often can get extraordinarily close. Every season offers a different variety of birds and bird life, from feeding to nesting to fledging. (Note: Neighboring Green Cay Wetlands is also an excellent boardwalk, but it is closed this winter for repairs.) 13026 Jog Road

Fern Forest Nature Preserve, Coconut Creek. This is the prettiest short nature hike in central Broward County. First thing to like: It’s free. The halfmile trail winds through a tropical hardwood hammock and a lush cypress-maple swamp, providing a taste of what Broward County looked like before we paved it over. 201 Lyons Road South

Grassy Waters Preserve, West Palm Beach. This free boardwalk trail is just under a mile long and takes you past a staffed nature center. What I love about the boardwalk is that it has very low rails, so that if you’re pushing a wheelchair or stroller, the rider has excellent visibility. This is a great trail for families, as there are inviting rocking chairs situated under chickee huts along the way — magnets for kids. Those who want longer, wilder hikes will find options at this preserve. 8264 Northlake Blvd.

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Boynton Beach.

Behind the Visitors Center is the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk, a 1-mile trail through a beautiful forest of natural cypress. It’s shaded, cool and picturesque. There are a variety of other trails loved by birders in this refuge, as well as a popular boat ramps for paddlers and fishermen. Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, 10216 Lee Road

Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington. Located a half hour west of Lake Worth just down the road from Royal Palm Polo in Wellington, this is a 30-acre manmade wetland with a 1,500-foot boardwalk and a 1-mile trail.

While this is a very short boardwalk, it can be terrific for birders in the winter. 11676 Pierson Road

Six Miles Slough, Fort Myers. This free preserve is just five minutes off I-75, a great stop on a road trip. The 1.2-mile boardwalk goes through an unspoiled cypress swamp, a hidden treasure similar to Corkscrew Swamp. You could stroll the boardwalk in 45 minutes. But be warned: Once you enter the quiet, lovely world of Six Mile Cypress Slough, you will want to pause and linger. We meant to make ours a quick stop. Two hours later, we left promising to return and linger. There is an hourly charge for parking. 7751

Penzance Blvd.

Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk, Naples. This is just short of a half-mile long, but it’s well worth a stop if you’re traveling across Florida on the Tamiami Trail. It’s part of Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, and it takes you through old growth cypress swampland. It’s a truly stunning place — one of the prettiest Everglades boardwalks anywhere, where we’ve seen lots

of wildlife. It’s free. 27020 Tamiami Trail East

Gordon River Greenway, Naples. This free 2-mile-long parkway near the Naples airport has a 12-foot-wide boardwalk with several entrances, covered benches and a bridge spanning the Gordon River. Entrances at

1590 Goodlette-Frank Road and

1596 Golden Gate Parkway

Everglades National Park. At the Homestead entrance, one of the very best ways to experience the Everglades is the Anhinga Trail, an accessible 0.8-mile paved and boardwalk trail. I have visited here dozens of times and have never failed in winter to see at least one alligator clearly and close. A range of Everglades birds — great blue herons, great white egret, cormorants, anhingas, moorhen, coot, wood storks — are often visible. Then, as you travel through the park, there are several other short boardwalks at stops along the way. The Pinelands Trail is another halfmile walk, this time through another environment, a typical Florida pine forest. The Mahogony

Hammock Trail is a halfmile boardwalk that takes you through the sort of jungly Tarzanmovie setting that many people come expecting at the Everglades. The boardwalk along West Lake is a half mile through mangroves and ends where the boardwalk sustained hurricane damage. The twisted, broken boardwalk (roped off from visitors) demonstrates the fearful power of those storms.

Everglades National Park Visitor Center, 40001 State Hwy 9336, Homestead

Shark Valley, the entrance to Everglades National Park off the Tamiami Trail directly west of Miami, is such a reliably wonderful outing that it’s one of my favorite places to take visitors. While technically not a boardwalk, the paved 15-mile path, which is car-free except for periodic trams, is ideal for wheelchairs and strollers. You get close to a range of birds and alligators and you can go as far as you want.

Shark Valley Entrance to Everglades National Park, 36000 SW

8th St., Miami Admission to Everglades National Park is $30 per car in 2019:

$35 in 2020, good for seven days. (The individual entrance fee is

$20.)

The Miami Beach Boardwalk, Miami Beach. This is a very long and scenic pathway, stretching from South Beach north for about 40 blocks. It has views of the Atlantic Ocean, lavish hotels and is an excellent spot

for people watching. The boardwalk runs along the ocean from Fifth Street to 46th Street. There is metered parking between Fifth and 14th streets on Ocean Drive plus a half dozen public garages within a block or two of the boardwalk.

Hollywood Broadwalk (not boardwalk). This old-fashioned beach-side promenade is 2.5 miles long and is paved. It’s popular with walkers, strollers and cyclists. There is a view of the ocean and beach the whole way and lots of mom-and-pop shops and motels. Located along the beach, from just north of Sheridan Street to Jefferson Street

FLORIDARAMBLER.COM PHOTOS Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk near Everglades City is part of Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, and it takes you through old-growth cypress swampland.

Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, a half-hour west of Lake Worth just down the road from Royal Palm Polo in Wellington, is a 30-acre manmade wetland with a 1,500foot boardwalk and a 1-mile trail. While this is a very short boardwalk, it can be terrific for birders in the winter.

FLORIDARAMBLER.COM Corkscrew Swamp in Naples, Florida, has a 2.25-mile long boardwalk through the unspoiled cypress swamp.