Hidden in plain sight? These 10 South Florida hiking trails are gems you may not know about

Traffic this winter seems bumper to bumper for most of the day. Time to get out of the car and take a mind-clearing walk.

If you want to get away from our clogged roads and their frustrated drivers, there’s an abundance of natural areas in Palm Beach and Broward counties where you may be lucky enough not to see a soul. They are home to native trees and colorful plants and provide a respite from the nearby mayhem. These environmental preserves are small and off the beaten path, most measuring fewer than 100 acres, and carved out as a piece of natural beauty amid nearby housing developments and shopping centers.

Head out to one of these destinations in the current gorgeous winter weather. You’ll appreciate how these sites were protected with foresight and awareness that one day many would want to see South Florida as it used to be.

Palm Beach County

Delray Oaks Natural Area, 2021 SW 29th St., Delray Beach; delraybeachfl.gov

Part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, the walking path is part sand and part paved. Along the way, you may see wild coffee, American beautyberry and several species of ferns. A city website says the preserve is an example of a rare Florida oak hammock that hasn’t been destroyed by development. The site is also home to an assortment of birds, including the red-shouldered hawk, blue-gray gnatcatcher and several types of warblers. An observation platform at the end overlooks a swamp.

Ocean Ridge Natural Area, 1 Corrine St., Ocean Ridge; discover.pbc.gov/erm/NaturalAreas

This 27-acre preserve managed by Palm Beach County has a lovely wooden boardwalk surrounded by thick old Florida mangroves. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a blue crab, a woodpecker or a heron. The path ends at a dock in the Lake Worth Lagoon, part of the Intracoastal Waterway, accessible only by boat. You can extend your walk along State Road A1A or on to Old Ocean Boulevard, which has condos and homes on the west side and views of the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

Yamato Scrub, 701 Clint Moore Road, Boca Raton; discover.pbc.gov/erm/NaturalAreas

There’s rarely more than one car parked at this preserve hiding among warehouses and office buildings. Bird-watchers have recorded least grebes, white ibises, red-bellied woodpeckers, grackles, cardinals and European starlings at the site, which has a 10-acre basin marsh and more than 3 miles of hiking trails. Gopher tortoises and rabbits also make their home here, and hikers have found rare Florida wildflowers, including Tarflower, a shrub with white flowers.

Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area, 150 Hypoluxo Road, Lantana; hypoluxo.org/community

This 98-acre preserve commemorates the routes of the Barefoot Mailmen, the mail carriers in the late 1800s who had to deliver envelopes by boat and by walking on the sand. There’s even a 14-foot-high Barefoot Mailman statue. Take a walk along the quarter-mile paved trail and 1.5-mile sandy trail, and climb an observation tower, which has a display recalling the area’s history. There are also 2 acres of restored wetlands, where you may see tortoises and scrub jays.

Snook Islands, 100 N. Golfview Road, Lake Worth Beach; discover.pbc.gov/erm/NaturalAreas

Right along the shoreline in downtown Lake Worth Beach, the islands comprise 118 acres of restored wetlands in the Lake Worth Lagoon, including 11 acres of mangroves and 2 acres of oyster reefs. Observers have reported nearby manatees, sea turtles and rare birds. “Restoring miles of mangroves and laying down new oyster beds to encourage the growth of sea grasses, a favorite manatee snack, has enabled a startling number of birds and marine life to return,” according to Lonely Planet, a travel guide.

Broward County

Tall Cypress Natural Area, 3700 Turtle Run Blvd., Coral Springs; coralsprings.gov/Parks-Directory

Nestled within heavily developed Coral Springs is this 68-acre “hidden gem,” according to Broward County birder Bruce Pickholtz. The best birding is during the spring and fall migrations, he says, but there are an assortment of winter and year-round residents. In addition to birds, the park is also a “botanical treasure,” he adds, with cypress trees, strangler fig trees, sword and leather ferns, soft-leaved wild coffee, beautyberry and other basin swamp plants. Pickholtz helps conduct a free monthly Tall Cypress bird walk at 8 a.m. on the first Sunday of each month, except in July and August. Go to eventbrite.com.

Secret Woods Nature Center, 2701 W. State Road 84, Dania Beach; broward.org/Parks

Secret Woods is a little preservation oasis on the New River, wedged into the northwest corner of Interstates 95 and 595, right near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The 57-acre site is a treasure, designated by Broward County as an “Urban Wilderness Area,” meaning it’s a protected enclave. Visitors can see an assortment of wildlife, including land crabs, cormorants, red-bellied woodpeckers and endangered monarch butterflies. The site suffered extensive damage during Broward’s devastating flooding in 2023, and its buildings are closed, but the nature trails remain open and accessible.

Deerfield Beach Arboretum, 2841 W. Hillsboro Blvd.; deerfield-beach.com

Have you ever been to a “Tree Zoo”? That’s what the gardens’ founder calls the arboretum, which is inside the city’s Constitution Park. The gardens are on about 9 acres and house more than 200 trees from five continents, all compatible with our South Florida climate zone. Plants include Purple Glories from Brazil, Napoleon’s hat trees from West Africa, lychees from China and jade vines from the Philippines. All this on a half-mile walking path accessible to wheelchairs.

Holland Park, 801 Johnson St., Hollywood; hollywoodfl.org/Facilities

At the eastern end of Johnson Street, on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway, Holland Park is an unexpected natural area deep in a residential neighborhood. There are boat ramps, two pavilions, bicycle paths and nature trails. From the top of its observation tower, you can look across the waterway and see hints of Hollywood beach. Le Tub, the landmark burger restaurant, is right across the Intracoastal from the park, although a six-minute drive by car.

Deerfield Island Park, 1720 Deerfield Island Park, Deerfield Beach; broward.org/Parks

Broward’s only island park, Deerfield Island is a 53-acre preserve accessible by boat or Broward County shuttle boat from Sullivan Park. A new boardwalk was completed a few years ago, and there’s also a 3/4-mile trail. The island is a state-designated Critical Wildlife Area for gopher tortoises and a refuge for coastal birds, and its mangrove swamp is a nursery for many juvenile fish species. “It is an easy ‘look back’ into what Florida was prior to development,” said Ira Wechterman, founder of Friends of Deerfield Island Park. “Surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes and condominiums, it is truly an emerald gem, an urban wilderness in the middle of the Intracoastal Waterway.”