Halpatiokee Playground and Hike

star star star star star
Stuart, FL
Halpatiokee Playground and Hike
pinit
5 likes

Halpatiokee Park makes for a great outing with young children. You can satisfy both their desire for a playground and your desire to be hiking out in nature! There is a large playground with swings, bouncies, and endless tunnels and climbing options with a clean sandy floor and huge shade canopy. What more could you ask for! The shade canopy makes this playground a great place to go on hot summer days. Plenty of benches provide spots for parents to sit while they watch their kids. Kids can also bike and scooter on the many winding paths.

Afterwards, drive to the end of the parking lot and hike in the jungle paradise! The trail hugs the river and you pass mossy green wooden lookout points high above the river with tarzan ropes falling from the trees. Little plants dangle from the branches and ropes of the trees. Kayakers paddle by happily. This scenery is what Florida is all about! What a gorgeous place!
The hiking trail starts at the frisbee golf field (station number 5) at the first picnic pavilion you come to- enter the forest there. From there you can hike either along a narrow path by the river or a wide path in the pine forest, or alternate between the two. Both are very beautiful and go for almost two miles! On the wide forest path, you can take a side path/mountain bike trail to a lake with some water lilies. There are yellow, white, and purple wildflowers. You will see pine trees, cabbage palms, palms, oak trees with epidendrums, and palmetto bushes. 
There is also a fairly shady cement path in the park. It borders the north edge of the ball fields. It's very cute with a 650m winding pathway lined by magical Cypress trees. Pages from an Eric Carle book are mounted on posts along the way. Entice your kids to walk a little further with a promise of donuts at the Dunkin Donuts on Lost River Rd on the way home!
Or after, drive 11 minutes east to have lunch in Port Salerno on the waterfront. Or drive 9 minutes west to check out the animals at Treasure Coast Wildlife Center
The scenery on this hike is very similar to that of Jonathon Dickinson Park, another great place to explore.

Continue to directions...

The clean white sand at the playground, and the pelican bouncy.

The fun play structure under a huge shade canopy.

Trail through jungle.

The green mossy wooden lookout area.

You don't get more tropical than this!

Little plants growing on the branches and ropes of the trees.

Father and son kayak by.

This cluster of palms.

The river has the same scenery as Jonathon Dickinson Park- I love it!

A mom pushes her stroller along the path.

Eric Carle storybook along the path.

The paved path.

The path and a bench.

Cypress trees along the path.

Eric Carle storybook station along the path.

Frisbee golf.

Eric Carle storybook page on the walk.

An exercise station along the walk.

Tortoise in the grass.

Cypress trees.

Winter day on the trail.

Dog paw tile in the cement!

Bird print tile in the cement.

The hiking trails are on the right side of the map. Green= river/jungle trail. Yellow striped= wide forest trail.

Start where it says "You are Here." This is the first picnic pavilion. Green= narrow river/jungle trail. Yellow striped= wide pine forest trail. On the right side of the map.

Cows at the end of the path.

Cow in the golden light of sunset, at the end of the hike.

Cows grazing in a field at the end of the walk.

Winding hiking path.

Pine trees reflected in the pond, which is a side path on the hike.

White water flowers in the pond- a side path on the hike leads you there.

The narrow hiking path.

Cute zig zag boardwalk on the hiking path.

The hiking path leads along the water.

The river, next to the hiking path.

The frisbee golf area where the hiking path begins.

Daisies and pale purple flowers along the path.

The mountain bike trail sign at the hike.

Twisty tree forest on the hike.

Bench beside the river, on the hike.

I love these little palm trees at the river.

Palmetto plants along the hike.

Yellow wildflowers at a log, on the hike.

The wide hiking path, that you can choose instead of the riverside hiking path.

Bench by an oaky forest area on the hike.

Directions

Halpatiokee Park is located at 8303 SW Lost River Rd, Stuart FL 34997. 
From Highway 95 northbound, exit at Kanner Hwy. Turn right on Kanner Hwy and then right on Lost River Rd. Pass the Dunkin Donuts on your right and then the park entrance is on your left.
Dunkin Donuts, 7850 SW Lost River Rd, Stuart FL 34997, call (772) 220-3583.

map

Click on map for interactive view

Comments

Add your comments

Last Updated: Sun, 29 Oct 2023 03:55:06 GMT

Text and Image copyright: © 2006-2024 LotsaFunMaps.com.
Copying prohibited. Contact the editor | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
Blog | The Official Mug | Privacy Settings | About Us