A Day at Jonathan Dickinson State Park

If you guessed from yesterday's post that I was "at a park", "on a park bench", "waiting to go on a hike/adventure" and/or "near or at the beach"....you would be correct!

On Sunday, we went for a day hike at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound, Florida (Martin County) - which is only about a 45 minute drive from my house.

In addition to being a State Park, Jonathan Dickinson is also considered a historic site, named after a Quaker merchant who shipwrecked on the nearby coast in 1696.  The park has 13 natural communities including sand pine scrub, pine flatwoods, mangroves and river swamps.  Also, the Loxahatchee River - which was the first river to be designated a Wild and Scenic River - runs through the park.

When we arrived at the park, the ranger gave us an interesting paper that lists "25 Things To Do" at the park (and Hey Gizmo!  One of the things to do is geocaching!).  The first thing we did was walk up to the "highest natural point in South Florida" where yesterday's photo was taken - the Hobe Mountain Observation Tower.  At 86 feet high, Hobe Mountain is really a large sand dune that was created when the sea levels were much higher.


From the tower, you can see a lot of the park as well as the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.  Though the views were wonderful, I actually didn't like being up that high nor did I like the wooden stairs on the way down (I had to be carried - embarrassing).

Anyway, we were then off to the Kitching Creek Nature Trail, bypassing the Gator Culvert (a great place if you never watched gators) since I could be a delicious snack for those creatures.  The nature trail is only a few miles long and is pretty easy to walk.  The landscape is full of pine and saw palmetto some of which was charred from fire (and probably lightning).

Jonathan Dickinson State Park is known for canoeing and kayaking down the Loxahatchee River - which Ma and Daddy-dog have done on a previous trip without me.  The park rents canoes and kayaks and you can paddles down to Trapper Nelson's place.

History Note:  Trapper Nelson came to the area in the 1930s and lived off the land.  A loner, he trapped and sold furs and became known as the "Wildman of the Loxahatchee".  After living here for some time, he built a zoo right where he was living along the river, the remains of which you can visit during your canoe ride.

The park also has paved, multi-use trails for people to walk and/or bike as well as guided horseback riding tours, guided nature hikes and beaches along the river for relaxing and swimming.  You can also camp within the park; there are RV, tent and youth camping sites available.

We spent a very nice day at Jonathan Dickinson State Park and so I give the park a rating of 3 (out of 4) dog bones.