articles

Smell the Flowers this April with St. Lucie County’s Free Guided Hikes

March 19, 2019


Stop and smell the flowers this April with St. Lucie County’s free, guided hikes. Offered by the county’s Environmental Resources Department, these guided hikes and kayak tours provide the opportunity to explore the more than 10,000 acres of preserves that St. Lucie County maintains.

Hikes for April include:

  • Wednesday, April 3 from 7:30 to 10 a.m.: Morning Hike for Birders at Jones Hammock Preserve off Bell Avenue in Fort Pierce. It's an all-avian hike along a secluded wetland and river. Birders be sure to bring your binoculars, scopes, field guides and checklists. This preserve, adjacent to the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, boasts a rich variety of resident and migratory birdlife attracted to the water’s bountiful food supply. This hike is sure to impress any avid birder.

  • Friday, April 5 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.: River Clean-up Kayak Excursion at Richard E. Becker Preserve, 3398 Selvitz Road, Fort Pierce. It's Earth Month. Let's celebrate by doing a little sprucing up along our riverway. Often we find bottles and fishing gear along our route. These are more than eyesores and environmental hazards and you can help. We'll provide the kayaks, paddles, life jackets, grabbers and mesh bags (you may also bring your own equipment if desired). Please bring your own gloves. We have a small and limited supply for those who cannot provide their own. This trip is for ages 12 and older. All minors must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $10 per person. No online registration; please call 772-462-2536 to reserve your space. Reservations are required.

  • Saturday, April 6 from 8 to 10 a.m.: Beautiful Morning Fitness Hike at George LeStrange Preserve, 4911 Ralls Road, Fort Pierce. Enjoy beautiful vistas while getting back on track with your New Year’s fitness resolutions. This early hike will tour participants around the preserve’s scenic lake.

  • Saturday, April 6 from 7 to 9 p.m.: Firefly Bioluminescence Night Hike at Indrio Savannahs Preserve, 5275 Indrio Road, Fort Pierce. Fireflies have enchanted humans since the beginning of time and this is the season to enjoy their flashes of light in the twilight hours of the early evening. Experience nature’s own twinkling lights in the air and on the ground.

  • Sunday, April 7 from 9 to 11 a.m.: What’s in a Shell Hike at Herman’s Bay Beachside, 7880 South Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach. The beach is a wonderful place to experience some of nature's most beautiful and fascinating art masterpieces…seashells.  Find out how these unique shells are made, what creatures utilize them and much more on this beachcombing excursion. Enjoy a one- to two-mile walk along the beach in sunbathed sugar sand.

  • Monday, April 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Morning Kayak Excursion at Richard E. Becker Preserve, 3398 Selvitz Road, Fort Pierce. What better way to start your week than on the river. Discover one of the wild tributaries of the St. Lucie River by kayak on this guided adventure along 10-Mile Creek. Learn to identify numerous birds, trees and flowers along the way. Kayaks, U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices and paddles are provided (you may also bring your own equipment if desired). This trip is for ages 12 and old. All minors must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $10 per person. No online registration; please call 772-462-2536 to reserve your space. Reservations are a must.

  • Wednesday, April 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Gopher Tortoise Awareness Hike at George LeStrange Preserve, 4911 Ralls Road, Fort Pierce. Can you “Dig it?” Well, the dynamic Gopher Tortoise definitely can. Celebrate this burrow-building mastermind on “Gopher Tortoise Awareness Day” with a beautiful hike around their home turf.  Along the way, we’ll learn about their keystone status in the environment, human/tortoise interactions and what we can do to help conserve this species.

  • Saturday, April 13 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.: Special Birds of the Scrub Hike at Sheraton Scrub Preserve, 2222 North 41st St., Fort Pierce. Enjoy the chance to look for a very special avian resident, the Florida Scrub Jay. This site features uplands adjacent to a small lake allowing visitors to see a wide variety of resident and migratory bird species that utilize this unique ecosystem. We’ll be exploring the trails to look and listen for the presence of birds and other wildlife while enjoying the seasonal flowers that are adapted to an upland environment.

  • Tuesday, April 16 from 9 to 11 a.m.: Ethnobotany Hike at Spruce Bluff Preserve, 611 SE Dar Lane, Port ST. Lucie. Indigenous people of Florida had many uses for plant resources. This beautiful preserve exhibits some of the essential plants early Native Americans utilized for food, shelter, medicine, clothing and cooking utensils.

  • Friday, April 19 from 3:30 to 5 p.m.: Becoming a Preserve Pal Program & Hike at Ancient Oaks Preserve/Weldon B. Lewis Park, 4650 Oleander Ave., Fort Pierce. Get involved in one of St. Lucie County’s newest citizen engagement opportunity. During this interactive hike, participants will learn about the Environmental Resources Department’s “Preserve Pal Program” and how it invites local residents, neighborhoods, schools and homeowners’ associations (HOAs) to take stewardship of the natural areas that surround them. This program is appropriate for ages 13 and older.

  • Sunday, April 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.: Honoring Earth Day Hike at Oxbow Eco-Center, 5400 NE St. James Drive, Port St. Lucie. Be a part of the action this Earth Day by taking a "care" hike the day before. Creatures big and small make this preserve their whole world, so we'll show them some love by removing any refuse we encounter as we hike together to look for seasonal wildflowers, tracks, scat and birdsong. Gloves and trash bags provided.

  • Tuesday, April 23 from 8 to 10 a.m.: Symbiotic Relationships Hike at Ancient Oaks Preserve/Weldon B. Lewis Park, 4650 Oleander Ave., Fort Pierce. Most, if not all, organisms have a symbiotic relationship with another. We will explore these interesting relationships as we hike through the forest, looking to see how many symbionts we can discover.

  • Wednesday, April 24 from 9:30 a.m. to noon: Local History Kayak Excursion at 10-Mile Creek Preserve, 3401 Gordy Road, Fort Pierce. Join us on an adventure to learn more about the early way of life here on what we now know as the Treasure Coast. From plant uses to food sources, this kayak tour will surprise you around every bend of 10-Mile Creek. Kayaks, U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices and paddles are provided (you may also bring your own equipment if desired). This trip is for ages 12 and older. All minors must be accompanied by an adult. The cost is $10 per person. No online registration; please call 772-462-2536 to reserve your space. Reservations are required.

  • Friday, April 26 from 7 to 8:30 a.m.: Dawn Chorus Birdsong Stroll at Sweetwater Hammock Preserve, 4100 South 25th St., Fort Pierce. Why do "songbirds" sing?  There are lots of reasons for their special vocalizations. Be a part of the "Dawn Chorus” while enjoying the beautiful hues of the sun’s morning light. It's an opportunity to hear the melodic songs of resident and migratory bird species along the banks of the St. Lucie River.

  • Saturday, April 27 from 9 to 11 a.m.: Homesteads, Citrus and Seminole Wars Hike at Donald B. Moore Heritage Preserve (formerly St. Lucie Village Preserve), 305 Torpey Road, Fort Pierce. Legend has it that the Third Seminole War started here, but did it? Find out this site’s historic tale on a peaceful hike along the Indian River Lagoon through the remnants of a settler’s old homestead.

  • Sunday, April 28 from 9 to 11 a.m.: Spotting Butterflies Hike at Steven J. Fousek Preserve, 8551 Carlton Road, Port St. Lucie. Immerse yourself in the world of the world’s most beloved pollinator, the butterfly. As we hike through the shady tropical hammocks of Paleo Hammock, we’ll see butterflies which are not only beautiful but have one of the most important jobs in Florida’s ecosystem. Zebra Longwing butterflies, Long-tailed skippers and many other pollinator species await your visit.

  • Tuesday, April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon:  Uplands near the Lagoon Hike at D.J. Wilcox Preserve, 300 Wilcox Road, Fort Pierce. Explore this unique intracoastal habitat with mighty towering pines, dwarfed scrub oaks, and picture-perfect wildflowers. We’ll be watching for our resident winter migrant birds, enjoying blooming upland wildflowers, and looking for anoles sunning on trees.

For more information and to find the link for registration, please visit www.slchikes.org, call 772-462-2526 or email slchikes@stlucieco.org.

Programs are usually limited to 15 people helping to allow participants to immerse themselves into the county’s beautiful natural areas. Programs target ages 12 and older unless otherwise noted.  All minors must be accompanied by an adult. Proper footwear and water are required for all programs and please leave pets at home.  

Purchased through a voter-approved bond referendum, St. Lucie County manages more than two dozen preserves that are open to the public for passive recreation. For more information about St. Lucie County’s Environmentally Significant Lands visit: www.stlucieco.gov/erd. For a list of all St. Lucie County parks and preserves visit the interactive map at http://gis.stlucieco.gov/parkspreserves.