Micco Scrub Sanctuary – Florida Hikes - Primal Outdoor Members Portal

A large protect instantly south of burgeoning improvement spilling throughout rural Palm Bay, Micco Scrub encompasses 1,322 acres of former ranchland.

A mixture of scrubby flatwoods, scrub, and seasonally moist prairies, it’s wealthy with birdsong and wildlife.

Pine flatwoods dominate the northwest nook of the protect

Its double loop system consists of an outer red-blazed 4.7 mile loop and an inside white-blazed 1.7 mile loop.

Because the japanese aspect of the Pink Path is deeply rutted by equestrian use and has deep gentle sand stretches, our 3.1 mile hike focuses on the most effective components of each loops when on foot.

Smooth sand on the east aspect of the Pink Path

Sources

Overview

Location: Palm BayLength: 3.1 mile loopTrailhead: 27.874259, -80.614090Address: 500 Micco Rd, Palm BayFees: FreeRestroom: NoneLand supervisor: Brevard CountyPhone: 321-255-4466

Open daylight. No pets. Trails shared with cyclists and equestrians. Anticipate seasonal flooding.

Instructions

From Palm Bay, drive south on Interstate 95 to exit 166, St. Johns Heritage Parkway, and comply with that highway west. In 1.7 miles, flip left on Babcock St at a visitors mild. Proceed south 1.6 miles to Micco Rd. Flip left. The trailhead is on the left just a little methods up.

Hike

Each trails start behind the outstanding kiosk on the north finish of the parking space, the primary blaze publish tipped in crimson and white.

Persist with the White Path on a linear hall when the Pink Path peels off into the pines on the appropriate.

Post with red and white in pine flatwoods

Junction Pink and White Trails

A broad two-track, the White Path meets the south finish of its loop in a tenth of a mile. The place arrows level in three instructions on that publish, flip proper.

A slender observe sliced by a sea of noticed palmetto beneath sparse pines makes a pointy left because the habitat shifts into denser scrubby flatwoods.

Ditch adjoining path

Cabbage palms are extra widespread within the understory on the method to a pointy proper flip east, the White Path paralleled by a water-filled ditch from the ranching days.

By 0.6 miles, emerge right into a excessive rigidity energy line hall that bisects the protect and curve north alongside its edge.

Powerline marsh

Seasonally, the grassy footpath vanishes beneath the unfold of a marsh. It may be soggy getting in just a few spots as it really works its means across the marshes.

Proceed north beneath the facility traces to the following sharp left at a barely raised berm at 0.8 miles.

Trying again on the drainage

Dip by a sometimes-wet drainage and comply with this straightaway west by a “huge sky” panorama of scrubby flatwoods with few pines. Ferns rise from low damp spots.

At 1.1 miles, the Pink Path merges in from the appropriate. Proceed straight forward to a outstanding intersection with a watering trough for horses.

Blooming paw-paw at base of red tipped post

Pink Path merging

The White Path turns south on a levee subsequent to a ditch, returning on to the trailhead for its 1.7 mile loop.

To stay with the longer loop, proceed straight forward previous the White Path turnoff to comply with the crimson blazes, now largely on tall metallic posts.

Prairie panorama

A slender path, the Pink Path slips between giant clusters of noticed palmetto to succeed in a hall of prairie grasses snaking by low noticed palmetto.

Charred pine trunks give the panorama a ghostly really feel, and lots of the noticed palmetto on this nook of the protect have a bluish tint.

Amid the palmettos

A shift into extra typical scrubby flatwoods happens as tall, slender slash pines predominate. At 1.5 miles, curve alongside the sting of a giant prairie pond outlined by pines.

Whereas it isn’t properly marked, round 1.7 miles a aspect path is available in from the appropriate from a trailhead on the northwest nook of the protect.

Path along grassy edge of pond and pines

Fringe of the pond

The Pink Path begins curving south because the habitat shifts to a stupendous pine flatwoods dotted with cabbage palms.

South of a palm hammock, the drier scrubby flatwoods resume. By 2.2 miles, emerge into an enormous open seasonally moist prairie.

Prairie

Examine the darkish soil carefully for a bounty of sundews, nourished by rainfall in the course of the wet season.

Gaining just a little elevation, sweep previous sprays of wiregrass on the sandy footpath. Rising again into the scrubby flatwoods, curve by this immersive panorama.

Transition into flatwoods

A line of cabbage palms mark one other transition to pine flatwoods with a nursery of bottlebrush-stage longleaf pine.

At 2.7 miles, an expanse of water to the west is revealed as a large retention pond when the footpath skims previous the western boundary fence of the protect.