10875 West Atlantic Avenue
Delray Beach

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Palm Beach County's West Delray Regional is another park that lacks features aimed at nature-seekers: there are no trails, no boardwalks. But it does have lots of water, 38 acres of it, and a lot of undeveloped land. Combine the two and you get wildlife.

There are pine woodlands, small open fields and marshes along the margins of lakes. During our visit there, we saw or heard cormorants, anhingas, ibis, cardinals, mockingbirds, pig frogs, raccoons, and marsh rabbits. Plants included coastal plain willow, cat-tails, Spanish needle, cypress and pines. There are signs posted warning of alligators.

West Delray is largely devoted to what might be called orphan activities, the kinds of things you don’t typically see in parks: a race track for radio- controlled cars; a lake for radio-controlled boats; an airfield for radio-controlled helicopters; an archery range; a mountain-bike course and equestrian trails.

But it is far west — we’re guessing a half-mile west of 441 — next to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, and it is quiet. Peaceful. Makes for a nice evening stroll. Note: we didn’t notice any signs for the park until we arrived at the entrance. It’s at the terminus of Atlantic, west of 441 on the north side.

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