Maritime Hammock Sanctuary

A nice little hike through old oaks bordering the river. The trail was well maintained and easy to follow. Great place to see native bromeliads, coffee plants, land crabs, and gopher tortoise.

Way bigger than I expected. Saw lots of wildlife including a huge turtle crossing our path towards a lake.
I’m a huge nature and wildlife lover. This place made me feel like I was in the jungle.

Maritime Hammock Sanctuary is a hiking trail in Melbourne Beach which allows hikers to experience hammock habitats, mangrove forests and swamp/​marsh lands. This 150 acre sanctuary has a 2 mile walking trail which includes marked dirt trails/​paths, 2 bridges, boardwalk paths over native wetlands, as well as seating/​benches along the trail.
I had done my research prior to my planned visit. I had heard from friends that this was a great place to encounter some Florida wildlife. The online pictures I saw were impressive, including some large alligators and native birds. I was pretty excited!
Well, I didn’t see any alligators on my visit, however, I did see plenty of warning signs on the path regarding the alligators. I knew they were out there, but I just wasn’t lucky enough to see them. In terms of wildlife, all I saw was a cute little bunny rabbit, a frog, a bunch of lizards, spiders, and some birds here and there.
The paths were well marked/​easily identified, but the brush is thick in some places and this trail can be tedious for the novice hiker. I would recommend going in the cooler months, as July was way too humid/​sticky, at times unbearable. The other thing that made the hike unbearable was the BUGS! Spider webs are everywhere so you have to keep careful… and beware of the mosquitos!!! They were the worst part of the hike, along with the heat. I would recommend dressing appropriately for walking in thick brush and for protection from the mosquitos. My only saving grace was I had mosquito repellent so that made a difference, otherwise, there was no way I would’ve survived the 2 mile hike in those conditions. So unless being in the heat and dealing with mosquitos is something your used to, again, I would recommend going in the cooler months.
Overall I enjoyed this place. It’s nature in it’s truest form! I enjoyed the sanctuary and am looking forward to going back to do some wildlife viewing!