Secret Woods Nature Center – Florida Hikes - Primal Outdoor Members Portal

Saved from growth in 1972, Secret Woods opened to the general public in 1979 as Broward County’s first nature middle.

Its noisy, bustling city environment embody main highways and the Fort Lauderdale Worldwide Airport.

Archway with park name and people looking at map

Entrance walkway

Beneath a cover of mangrove forest and tropical hammock alongside the New River in Dania Seashore, a 1.5 mile hike on its interpretive trails transports you into a really completely different world.

Two development initiatives have altered the standard route by the park, increasing a 1.1 mile stroll to 1.5 miles.

The rebuild of the Nature Middle hasn’t began but, however the brand new Manatee Remark Deck was underway on our go to.

The character middle is closed

Sources

Overview

Location: Dania BeachLength: 1.5 milesTrailhead: 26.088625, -80.177516Address: 2701 W SR 84, Dania BeachFees: FreeRestroom: On the trailheadLand Supervisor: Broward CountyPhone: 954-357-8884

Open 9-5 day by day. Gates lock at 5. No pets, fishing, or bicycles. Whereas the character middle stays closed, accessible entry to the boardwalk is by way of the Shady Oak Path off the park highway.

Instructions

Secret Woods is alongside SR 84 simply west of the I-95 / I-595 junction and the South Fork of the New River, instantly on the proper after you cross the bridge westbound. From Interstate 95, use exit 25 to go west on SR 84 to the park entrance. From Interstate 595, use exit 9 to succeed in SR 84 west. From Florida’s Turnpike, take exit 54, drive east on SR 84, and make a U-turn simply past SW twenty ninth Ave to get to the park entrance.

Hike

From the momentary nature middle and restrooms in place within the middle of the parking circle, stroll to the Secret Woods archway to begin your hike.

A path map exhibits the loops and the closures alongside them. A low boardwalk results in two signposted trails on the proper. Take the primary one, the Pollinator Pathway.

First path junction

Its boardwalk hovers above jagged limestone karst beneath tall cypresses, ending at a wooden chip path. An archway introduces a loop round a backyard island.

In it are pollinator-attracting native crops throughout the tropical hardwood hammock. Stroll its perimeter previous shaded benches, looping again to the archway to exit.

Backyard island

Now take the adjoining Laurel Oak Path. With the character middle closed, it’s the important thing entry level to the path system. Interpretive indicators name consideration to particular crops and timber.

Its boardwalk bridges a fern-filled forest, rising at a clearing with benches. Bear left to burrow into the tropical understory, indicators pointing the way in which at junctions.

Boardwalk initially of the Laurel Oak Path

Be part of a boardwalk to cross a moist lowlying space with marsh ferns and big leather-based ferns beneath the pond apples.

Within the drier tunnel of forest past, mounds of sand surrounding distinctive holes are the properties of big land crabs.

Burrow of a large land crab subsequent to the footpath

Cross a bridge close to a distinct segment with benches earlier than rising out of deep shade right into a sunny nook of the protect. Terribly massive pond apple timber rise above their environment.

A vine-draped arbor dotted with morning glory blossoms whisks the footpath into the subsequent tunnel of tropical hammock, reaching a low boardwalk throughout a mangrove swamp at 1 / 4 mile.

Vines beneath the pond apple timber

On the footpath once more, stroll amid tall, skinny bamboo-like columns of younger white mangrove trunks. Previous one other area of interest with benches, bear proper at a junction with a map.A boardwalk results in a path junction outdoors the locked gates of the character middle. Flip the nook to start the New River Path on a boardwalk amid the dense tropical understory.

Path kiosks outdoors the locked nature middle gate

Royal palms rise above in areas the place the cover is diminished. A bundle of roots with a cavernous inside resolves right into a strangler fig towering above a bench.

On the cut up within the boardwalk at 0.4 mile, bear proper. On the finish of a straightaway, a pure floor spur enters a Nature Play space among the many tropical timber.

Bench in front of a tree with many roots dangling

Strangler fig

Bearing proper, stroll amongst sword ferns to succeed in the beginning of the zigzagging boardwalk by the mangrove swamp alongside the New River.

Till rebuilding has accomplished, there will probably be a turn-around level forcing a backtrack to the junction previous the Nature Play Space. Make a proper, and keep proper on the subsequent junction.

Nature Play Space

The low boardwalk turns into one with railings because it enters this wild marvel of Fort Lauderdale, a mature mangrove forest with thick-trunked timber.

At first white mangroves steal the present amongst shallow inky waters, joined by just a few pond apples. At a second junction, with the Shady Grove Path, maintain proper.

Inky waters below high canopy of mature mangroves

Mangrove forest

Because the water beneath the boardwalk will get saltier and deeper, black mangroves take over, with distinctive bark and tiny finger-like protrusions of pnuematophores at their bases.

Purple mangroves present the finale alongside a gradient of salt and depth, their tangles of prop roots making for maze-line environment.

Purple mangroves have lengthy prop roots

Previous a roofed shelter, zigzag between them, noting the reddish hue of the clear water beneath.

At 0.6 mile, flip proper to parallel the New River, a pure waterway vastly impacted by growth over the previous century.

The New River

The boardwalk concerning a low archipelago of sand ridges throughout the mangrove swamp, a uncommon remaining pure river shoreline. Bromeliads thrive within the tree limbs above.

Once more, the turn-around level relies on reconstruction of the Manatee Remark Deck. As soon as full, with the ability to do that as a loop will knock 1 / 4 mile off the mileage.

Boardwalk under mangroves with signage beyond

Approaching the Manatee Remark Deck

Return previous the rain shelter to the Shady Grove junction at 1.1 miles and make a proper. Under, younger sprouts of slender white mangroves crowd their dad and mom’ bases over darkish waters.

Passing by two broad spots with benches, come to a junction the place an Exit signal factors proper. It’s a speedy solution to return to the parking space by way of the park highway by 1.2 miles.

Shady Grove Path

We discovered it extra nice to proceed across the Shady Grove loop to stroll again by the woods. Take a proper on the subsequent two junctions.

Emerge on the trailhead on the closed gate on the nature middle. Proceed again alongside the Laurel Oak Path, however this time bear proper on the junction with the map.

Map junction

This portion of the tropical hammock accommodates one other sizable strangler fig. A transparent “Exit” signal factors proper on the subsequent junction, and one other does the identical on the outside courtyard with benches.

Emerge from the Laurel Oak Path and exit by the archway to the parking space, finishing a 1.5 mile hike.