Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Ecotours provide safer viewpoint of South Florida
Exploring the outdoor world in South Florida can seem daunting: mosquitoes and brutal sun — not to mention alligators and sharks — might prompt some folks to hit the mall … again.
But guided ecotours can help you learn the ropes safely, and educate you on the often astounding natural history of South Florida.
Now is the best time of year to get out and enjoy the ecosystems that people from all over the world travel to see. Below, a list of some guided outdoor activities that will give you a new appreciation for living like a local.
Hiking
Wet Walk in the enchanting Big Cypress National Preserve: This 1.5-hour hike for trekkers age 6 and older takes you into the depths of North America’s “Amazon.” The canopy of cypress trees creates a shaded world where Spanish moss, ferns and orchids thrive. The guide is a “gladesman” who’s lived in the swamp for 35 years and can spot animals and their tracks, which reveal the story of the ecosystem. bigcypressinstitute.org
Clyde Butcher ecotours: Clyde Butcher is famed for his rich black-andwhite photos of South Florida swamps and wetlands. His gallery sits in the middle of the Big Cypress Swamp and offers overnight cottages as well as guided swamp tours. Pick between two tours.
The all-ages, two-hour eco-walk winds through cypress wetlands where you might spot a variety of threatened and endangered orchids, ferns, and bromeliads. In summertime expect to be wading through up to 40 inches of water.
The two-hour photography hike is time to take advantage of more pleasing light
of morning or late afternoon, and stops at some of Butcher’s favorite photographic locations in the swamp. explorebigcypress.com
Swamp Tromps, canoe cruises and kids outings at Grassy Waters Preserve in West Palm Beach: This 23-square-mile wetland ecosystem serves as the water supply for the City of West Palm Beach and other towns, but it’s also a tapestry of sawgrass, tree islands and hammocks that are home to bald eagles, snail kites, wood storks, deer, otter, bobcat and alligators.
The site offers an array of guided tours, including Swamp Tromps amid a soggy cypress forest, 1.5-hour canoe outings through the sawgrass shallows and kid-friendly birding and dip-netting excursions. Be sure to check their calendar for specific dates. wpb.org/ government/public-utilities/ grassy-waters-preserve
Paddling
Paddleboarding in Jones Lagoon, Biscayne National Park, Homestead/Key Largo: The 270 square miles of Biscayne National Park is mostly water, and one of the most charming waterscapes is Jones Lagoon, on Totten Key, just north of Key Largo. The only way to get there is by boat, and the Biscayne National Park Institute runs 3.5-hour paddleboarding tours of the lagoon daily out of the Dante Fascell Visitor Center in Homestead.
After a 30-minute motorboat ride, guides set you up with either a paddle board or kayak, teach you how to use it and set you loose to glide over a pristine backwater ecosystem rife with seagrass, turtles, crabs and various fish, including baby sharks graceful rays. The lagoon is also home to wading birds, including the rare roseate spoonbill. As you paddle and gaze, guides educate the group on how the ecosystem works, and what we need to do to protect it.
Space is limited to six guests, so the experience is intimate. Guests must be 12 years and older. To bring children between ages 8 and 12, you must book a private trip. biscaynenationalparkinstitute.org
Wild & Scenic Loxahatchee River tour, Jupiter: Winding through the northern end of Palm Beach County, the Loxahatchee River was designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 1985 (Florida’s first), and portions are also designated as an aquatic preserve, Outstanding Florida Water and a state park.
Guided kayak and canoe tours of the river meander through shaded swamps of 200-year-old cypress and oak trees where the junglelike forest is home to hundreds of types of plants and animals, including manatees, bass, otters, turtles, alligators, barred owls and herons. Guide tours take about two hours, depending on water conditions, and if there’s a need to portage around a downed log, your guide will do all the heavy lifting. jupiteroutdoorcenter.com
End of the World cruise and
paddle to Hobe Beach: This six-hour tour includes a mother ship journey, and easy paddle and a short hike to arguably the most remote beach in South Florida. The mother ship launches from Cove Road in Stuart and heads north past the Jupiter Lighthouse to the Hobe Sound Wildlife Refuge and the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve on the northernmost point of Jupiter Island. From there, guides lead you on a leisurely paddle along narrow mangrove creeks that eventually lead to a sandy path and the vast and empty beaches of Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. It’s so isolated that the only other way to get there is by boat or a four-mile hike up from Jupiter Island — thus the nickname “end of the world.” lovestreetoutdoorcenter.com
Biking
Cycling into the depths of
the Fakahatchee Strand: TNT Explore Nature tour company offers three-hour guided cycling tours into the Everglades strand swamp.
The tours are paced casually, for chatting and photography, and usually cover around 8 to 10 miles. Guides lead you beyond where cars can go, down tram roads that vary from easy gravel to two-track trails, all hemmed by Everglades wilderness.
Some areas offer mature shaded forest, and you can often take a short walk down trails leading to rare orchids. Wildlife abounds, including deer, turkey and the occasional bear, and guides educate riders on Everglades geology and natural history. tntexplorenature.com