L-5 Levee Road
South Bay

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To go to the Harold A. Campbell Public Use Area is to venture into the middle of nowhere. But the assortment of wildlife it offers, birds especially, make it worth the hike. It sits 14 miles north of Interstate 75 and five miles west of U.S. 27. The nearest town is a toss up between South Bay 25 miles to the north and Weston to the southeast. It's 17,000 acres of ponds and marsh made accessible by a series of levee-top biking/hiking trails.

The diversity of birds we spotted and identified include hawks, meadowlarks, shrikes, cormorants, snail kites, belted kingfishers, herons and a variety of warblers. A rich variety of sulphurs, blues, wihte peacocks and monarch complex butterflies were feeding in the weeds along the banks.

The Campbell Public Use Area is part of Stormwater Treatment Areas 3/4, operated by the South Florida Water Management District. The only access is via U.S. 27 either out of South Bay or from I 75. The road to the area sits just north of the Broward/Palm Beach county line and is on the west side of 27. There is an unnamed access area with parking and a kiosk a short distance off the highway that's worth checking out. To get to Campbell, follow the road until the pavement ends and turn right. The hiking trails are open Friday through Monday. Facilities include parking, informational kiosk, toilet and a boat ramp.