Pine Island Conservation Area – Florida Hikes - Primal Outdoor Members Portal

Pine Island is for the birds, or so that you’d suppose on a winter go to amid all of the chatter and flutter. As a well-liked birding website, we’d anticipated them, together with alligators

Extra stunning was a dolphin racing up the primary channel and the litter of horseshoe crabs alongside the shore. Manatees delight, too, inside Sams Creek.

Dolphin pacing our hike

Defending 880 acres of frontage on the Indian River Lagoon, it’s a mixture of salt marshes and mangrove forest with ridges of pine flatwoods and palm hammocks.

There are bluffs alongside the lagoon and Sams Creek, too. Nevertheless, man-made our bodies of water—borrow pits, canals, and ditches—dominate.

Salt pond

These make for a puzzle of a path community that always appears to loop again on itself. Particular person trails vary in distance from 1 / 4 mile to five.8 miles.

The gap you may tally is dependent upon path situations and present closures. The showiest paths to the lagoon are fragile after storms.

Hurricanes erased this waterfront path to an Audubon lookout level

Along with mountain climbing, off-road biking and equestrian use are permitted on some trails. Trails restricted to mountain climbing are posted.

From a well-marked launch, a signposted paddling route additionally follows Sams Creek and inside ponds, with portages over the mountain climbing trails.

Paddlers in Sams Creek

A platform on Sams Creek encourages manatee watching, and one very brief boardwalk ends at a secluded chook blind amid the mangroves.

Open to fishing, the shorelines of North Lake and South Lake additionally make splendid locations to arrange a camp chair to look at daytime rocket launches.

Angler alongside North Lake

Sources

Overview

Location: Merritt IslandLength: As much as 10.3 milesTrailhead: 28.4925, -80.7214Address: 2100 Pine Island Rd, Merritt IslandFees: FreeRestroom: At Sams HouseLand Supervisor: Brevard CountyPhone: 321-449-4720

Open 8:30 AM. Day use solely; exit earlier than the gate is locked at nightfall. No pets.

Mosquitoes might be fierce. Alligators are widespread; concentrate on your environment.

At a separate entrance at 6195 North Tropical Path, Sams Home interprets the oldest homestead in Brevard County, a cabin from 1875 as its centerpiece.

Mild trails present hands-on actions perfect for younger youngsters. Its nature trails interlink with the Garnet Path. Sams Home is open Tue-Solar, 9-5.

Instructions

Exit Interstate 95 at SR 50 in Titusville and observe it east briefly to the primary site visitors mild. Flip proper on SR 405 and drive 10 miles to Kennedy Area Heart. Flip off NASA Causeway to cross the customer middle entrance and the Blue Origin complicated alongside Area Commerce Approach. At SR 3 flip proper and proceed 2.8 miles to Pine Island Rd. Flip proper and observe it 2.5 miles to the place it ends on the protect. Parking is unpaved and unmarked. Most guests park on the left simply contained in the gate close to the kiosk. The Sams Creek launch has a bigger parking space; observe indicators on the left to succeed in it. Parking can also be attainable up the street alongside North Lake the place it meets a guardrail and ends.

Hike

A community of trails radiate from the trailhead kiosk though it’s not apparent at first look. Two big borrow pits, now man-made lakes, flank the doorway.

It’s thought their contents might have contributed to constructing launch pads at close by Cape Canaveral.

South Lake south of the parking space

Straight forward is a continuation of the doorway street behind a gate, paralleling the canal the fill was faraway from to make a causeway right into a mangrove swamp.

Begin your exploration by strolling that causeway alongside the canal. Alligators solar in low spots beneath white mangroves, whereas wading birds stalk the water’s edge.

On the left are mud flats in a mangrove swamp. A flash of pink heralds the presence of roseate spoonbills feeding.

Man walking on road beyond post with trail symbols

Place to begin for this hike

Passing a bench set below a tree on this in any other case sunny hall, observe a ditch perpendicular to the canal.

Close to the half mile mark, the canal broadens into a big pond busy with chook life. PVC posts mark the paddling path crossing it. The place it narrows to a canal once more is the bridge.

Simply earlier than the bridge, a shaded bench adjoins a path junction with a map for the Flatwoods Path.

Skip this entrance to it and stroll up previous the bridge to the Indian River Lagoon.

Path junction

Persistent storms have ruffled the lagoon’s usually placid waters and undercut the shoreline. What stays of the previous loop edges the eroding shore below cabbage palms.

Seagrass creates a wrack line dotted seasonally with the shed shells of horseshoe crabs. This path looped to the Flatwoods Path beforehand however was completely closed off on our final go to.

A short round-trip alongside what stays of it offers glorious views of this pure shoreline alongside the lagoon.

Particles and undercutting destroyed the footpath

Return the best way you got here to the Flatwoods Path junction and switch proper. Now a round-trip, this trek leads by means of a wholesome coastal flatwoods with scattered bigger longleaf pines.

It’s a snug, simple stroll, the footpath well-defined like a hallway by means of the dense understory of the pine flatwoods.

Flatwoods Path

A pair of bald eagles nest in one of many tallest pines to the west; their cries echo throughout the panorama.

On the junction, the path to the precise should still attain the lagoon’s edge for good views. Straight forward is one other scenic spur, the Little Inlet Path.

Path junction

Dipping by means of a palm hammock with a sometimes-soggy slough throughout it, it reaches a pointy proper to observe a slim piece of excessive floor between the mangroves.

Path’s finish is at a really fairly cove on the lagoon, lined with pink mangroves. Shallow mud makes it a feeding floor for roseate spoonbills and different wading birds.

Little Inlet

Retrace your steps alongside the Little Inlet Path and previous the Flatwoods Loop junction alongside the gently undulating Flatwoods Path.

Attain the path kiosk once more, tallying not less than 2.3 miles to this point exploring the paths south of the canal.

Returning to the Flatwoods Path

So as to add one other worthwhile spur, cross the bridge over the canal and make an instantaneous left onto the Shoreline Path.

This one is a scenic round-trip to a viewpoint alongside the lagoon, paralleling the north facet of the canal alongside a excessive berm and a dip by means of a marsh.

Come out at a bench on the lagoon overlooking the expanse throughout to Port St. John.

Obvious cut in shoreline along large lagoon

Canal meets lagoon

Like its counterpart south of the canal, this path used to observe the shoreline north and was by far essentially the most scenic hike within the protect, however was broken by storms.

The round-trip on it’s now 0.4 mile. Crossing the bridge, a direct return to the trailhead alongside the canal makes for a 3.2 mile hike. Or, preserve going!

Bridge over the canal

Known as the Equestrian Path on protect maps, the North Loop extends from the bridge to the north finish of North Lake, with a spur out to the lagoon.

At a minimal, observe the curve previous the turnoff for the Shoreline Path to the portage for the canoe path, a pleasant overlook on the interior pond on the canal.

Salt pond with white pelicans

Across the subsequent bend is a sweeping panorama of a a lot bigger salt pond the place we’ve seen flocks of white pelicans in winter.

The path makes a 90-degree flip and narrows, operating alongside the other facet of the canal that the entry path adopted to the bridge, however with out views.

Palm-lined path

The subsequent 90-degree flip sweeps it due north between two canals. Peer between the palms on the left for an additional overlook on a salt pond.

Reaching a T intersection at 4.6 miles, make a left for a 0.7 mile round-trip to the lagoon paralleling Pine Island Creek.

Archway of white mangroves over grassy path

North spur to lagoon

This spur narrows previous the subsequent portage level to a path adjoining a waterway, ending at a sometimes-mucky mangrove-lined level alongside the lagoon.

Retrace your steps to the T intersection and stroll previous it. The path pops out into the open at North Lake at 5.4 miles.

Creek meets lagoon close to the top of the North Spur

At this junction, the Equestrian Path continues straight forward to loop the lake. Make a proper as an alternative to observe the close to shore.

One of many largest buildings on the planet, the Automobile Meeting Constructing at Kennedy Area Heart looms over the pines on the far shore.

Automobile Meeting Constructing

Under the berm that holds again the lake from the mangrove swamp, Pine Island Creek glimmers by means of breaks within the mangroves and cabbage palms.

Attain the guardrail blocking automobile entry from the northern reaches of North Lake at 6.2 miles. The open space past it makes for an alternate parking spot for this path system.

Pine Island Creek

Following the entry street across the curve, take note of a gap within the vegetation on the precise for the Fowl Blind Path, 1 / 4 mile round-trip to the sting of a pure pond.

It slips off the berm and below the pines earlier than a pointy flip main between two marshes.

Fowl Blind Path

The boardwalk between them enters a tunnel shaded by mangroves, curving earlier than coming out on the blind.

The blind is up a pair steps and overlooks open water surrounded by mangroves. Return the identical method alongside the slim boardwalk.

Shadows speckle a wooden structure in a mangrove forest

The chook blind, camouflaged by shadows

Again on the entry street, cross the incoming loop of the Equestrian Path on the water pumping station in addition to the causeway the place you began.

Attain the kiosk on the parking space by 6.8 miles. There may be yet one more path to observe, must you select to maintain mountain climbing.

Go the kiosk and proceed in direction of South Lake

The Garnet Path makes a round-trip alongside the west facet of South Lake to the path community at Sams Home. Beginning out in full solar, it follows the entry street in direction of the launch.

Nevertheless, it continues straight forward to slide across the guardrail. A broad view of South Lake dominates, birds coming and going from its mangrove islands.

Garnet Path

Hiding behind the low vegetation on the precise is Sams Creek, not apparent except yakking paddlers name your consideration to it till a bridge.

Take the crushed path to the precise to go to the creek’s edge. South of the bridge, the mangroves develop a lot taller, obscuring Sams Creek totally.

Facet journey to Sams Creek

The entry street curves alongside South Lake. After a very sharp curve, look ahead to an indication on the precise at 7.6 miles stating Sams Home is 0.9 mile forward.

The Garnet Path enters the mangrove forest on a slim boardwalk. At a palm hammock, make a pointy flip alongside a pond fringed with big leather-based fern.

Woman looking at alligator sign in swamp

Boardwalk meets berm

Take the indicators warning about alligators critically as there are alligator slides throughout this berm.

Proceed into an oak hammock with a thick understory of cabbage palms and cross a bridge over a ditch.

Narrow bridge with dark water under it in ditch

Bridge to the Hammock Loop

Meet the north finish of the Hammock Loop at 8.2 miles. It’s the showiest pure path within the path community at Sams Home.

Take the precise fork and do the loop together with the Lagoon Path spur out to 1 final overlook on the lagoon. That circuit provides one other half mile to the hike.

Lagoon Path overlook

Detailed individually, the light nature trails of Sams Home tally 1.4 miles on their very own.

Boardwalk past white post in shaded hammock

Sams Home at Pine Island A pleasant immersion into the pure facet of Merritt Island, the paths at Sams Home at Pine Island vary from gentle to wild as they delve into habitats alongside the Indian River Lagoon.

Rejoin the Garnet Path on the north finish of the Hammock Loop, rising onto the grassy berm at South Lake at 9.3 miles.

Comply with it alongside the west facet of the lake. In the event you didn’t park on the launch, stroll into the launch parking space.

Birds roost on the mangrove islands in South Lake

A slim crushed path simply 50 yards lengthy leads by means of sea oxeye and saltbush to a platform elevated above Sams Creek for manatee viewing.

Depart the parking space to return to the trailhead kiosk, wrapping a ten.3 mile hike on the path community at Pine Island Conservation Space.

Man on platform along mangrove-lined creek

Viewing platform on Sams Creek

Path Map

Pine Island Conservation Area Trail Map — Purple: Garnet Path. Purple: North Loop (Equestrian Path). Inexperienced: Flatwoods Loop. Turquoise: Little Inlet Path. Mild blue: Sams Home Trails. Orange/Yellow: Birding spurs. Darkish blue: fishing spur.

Discover Extra!

Biking Pine Island Conservation Space

Biking Pine Island Conservation Space Close by of the huge Automobile Meeting Constructing at Kennedy Area Heart, this experience to the Indian River Lagoon gives a few of the greatest birding you may do by bike.