Maritime Hammock Sanctuary — Attraction in Florida

When I came to this place in the Spring, I was eaten alive by bugs (I probably had over 100 bites on my arms and legs and I'm not exaggerating). I had to turn back by the time I had reached the river. This time, now in the Fall, I had covered myself in bug spray in advance and had no issues with bugs. I started to head towards the North loop, but the entrance to it was completely washed out. If I had rubber boots, I may have considered continuing. Instead, given that I was wearing sneakers, I headed the other way and found the southern path back to the road. It was a very mucky walk for portions of it, but I somehow managed to make it through with very little mud on my shoes. There are a few bridges and wooden walkways as well as a few places that just have planks to get over some of the wetter spots (I should note that some of the planks aren't very stable). In spite of all the difficulties, I found it to be a fun trek through a marsh and will probably do it...

the Maritime Hammock Sanctuary holds such a diverse layout of landscapes. there is an open-sand gopher tortoise playground amidst a flower garden of fiery red sage, periwinkles, and beach sunflowers. there are green bees. there is a hardwoods hammock with bunnies, squirrels, and butterflies. there are several mangroves with crabs, white and blue, great land and ghost beach. there are several muddy areas, each a little different, some with frogs or lizards or earthworms, each muddier than the last. the ponds and sloughs have (long-necked) soft-shelled turtles, gators, and fish and the lagoon has dolphin passers-by and maybe manatees. a lot to see if your lucky in such a small parcel, really. all kinds of birds. and, THE Great Blue...

Excellent piece of land to explore and experience barrier island wildlife. Trails are well marked and maintained and never very crowded. Early morning trekkers watch out for spider webs criss-crossing the trails (harmless native spiders just doing what nature does). Be aware of the gators... they love the warm water and sunny spots. This is as close as you can get to experiencing what the barrier island would look like without human developments. Only reason to knock one star off is the people who walk their dogs and leave the dog waste for you to step on... c’mon people! Pick up after your pets! If you can’t be a good neighbor then walk your dogs elsewhere. To those of us who want to experience the sanctuary as intended,...