Editor's Note: At the time of this writing (mid-October 2024), Deerfield Island Park was closed for renovations. Check the website before you go.
Overview: Deerfield Island is a 53.3-acre multi-use park situated amid the Intracoastal Waterway. It is accessible by boat only, and wheelchair accessible only at high tide. A free shuttle boat operates from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the hour Friday, Saturdays and Sundays only, but there are slips on the island if you have your own boat. The last boat leaves at 4:20 p.m., and yes, people have been stranded. It is tranquil and the limited access means you're not likely to run into crowds.
The park provides an idea of what the area along the Intracoastal Waterway maybe a century ago, before the post-war constructino boom began.
History: The history of the island is as interesting in a twisted South Florida way as anything on it. Hint: it was once known as Capone’s (as in Al) Island. It was once the object of a border dispute between Broward and Palm Beach counties (Broward won) and it wasn’t always an island. In 1930, Capone's attorney, Vincent G. Giblin, bought the land for his client. Capone operated the nearby Riverview Restaurant as a casino, brothel and as part of his illegal booze importation business. The Riverview remained open into the 1990s (we ate there once and have a poker chip as a souvenir).
Deerfield Island was actually mainland until 1961 when it was cut off by a canal dug to connect the Hillsboro Canal with the Intracoastal Waterway. The land became subject of a border dispute between Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton in the 1970s. Deerfield and Broward County took the battle to Tallahasee and won out with the idea of turning the island into a park. Deerfield Island Park opened in September 1981. It was declared an Urban Wilderness Area in 1982 and a Gopher Tortoise Refuge in 1983.
What You'll See: Deerfield Island contains a variety of habitat, including marine hammock and mangrove forest. Species spotted include wild coffee, simpson's stopper, red, white and black mangrove, cabbage palms, gumbo limbo, raccoons, gopher tortoise, osprey and banana spider. Other wading birds, like great blue herons and great egrets are possibilities, as are migrators during the cooler months. Manatees also are possibilies.
Amenities: Deerfield Island Park offers nature trails, restrooms, a dock, a marina, a pollinator garden, a marina, picnic facilities and more.
Nearby: Both Spanish River Park and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center lie to the north along A1A across the Intracoastal Waterway. Highlands Scrub Natural Area is to the south along Dixie Highway. Both The Arboretum at Constitution Park and Quiet Waters Regional Park lie west of Interstate 95 off Hillsboro Boulevard.
Links: The Institute for Regional Conservation has a page for Deerfield Island Park but lists only one species. This is the page.
Of Note: The park is operated by Broward County. There is no admission fee for either the park or the shuttle boat.
Cover Photo: One of the park's gopher tortoises. Deerfield Island Beach was declared a gopher tortoise refuge in 1983. Second photo: A view of the natural-surface trails leading through the marine hammock.
Overview: Deerfield Island is a 53.3-acre multi-use park situated amid the Intracoastal Waterway. It is accessible by boat only, and wheelchair accessible only at high tide. A free shuttle boat operates from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the hour Friday, Saturdays and Sundays only, but there are slips on the island if you have your own boat. The last boat leaves at 4:20 p.m., and yes, people have been stranded. It is tranquil and the limited access means you're not likely to run into crowds.
The park provides an idea of what the area along the Intracoastal Waterway maybe a century ago, before the post-war constructino boom began.
History: The history of the island is as interesting in a twisted South Florida way as anything on it. Hint: it was once known as Capone’s (as in Al) Island. It was once the object of a border dispute between Broward and Palm Beach counties (Broward won) and it wasn’t always an island. In 1930, Capone's attorney, Vincent G. Giblin, bought the land for his client. Capone operated the nearby Riverview Restaurant as a casino, brothel and as part of his illegal booze importation business. The Riverview remained open into the 1990s (we ate there once and have a poker chip as a souvenir).
Deerfield Island was actually mainland until 1961 when it was cut off by a canal dug to connect the Hillsboro Canal with the Intracoastal Waterway. The land became subject of a border dispute between Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton in the 1970s. Deerfield and Broward County took the battle to Tallahasee and won out with the idea of turning the island into a park. Deerfield Island Park opened in September 1981. It was declared an Urban Wilderness Area in 1982 and a Gopher Tortoise Refuge in 1983.
What You'll See: Deerfield Island contains a variety of habitat, including marine hammock and mangrove forest. Species spotted include wild coffee, simpson's stopper, red, white and black mangrove, cabbage palms, gumbo limbo, raccoons, gopher tortoise, osprey and banana spider. Other wading birds, like great blue herons and great egrets are possibilities, as are migrators during the cooler months. Manatees also are possibilies.
Amenities: Deerfield Island Park offers nature trails, restrooms, a dock, a marina, a pollinator garden, a marina, picnic facilities and more.
Nearby: Both Spanish River Park and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center lie to the north along A1A across the Intracoastal Waterway. Highlands Scrub Natural Area is to the south along Dixie Highway. Both The Arboretum at Constitution Park and Quiet Waters Regional Park lie west of Interstate 95 off Hillsboro Boulevard.
Links: The Institute for Regional Conservation has a page for Deerfield Island Park but lists only one species. This is the page.
Of Note: The park is operated by Broward County. There is no admission fee for either the park or the shuttle boat.
Cover Photo: One of the park's gopher tortoises. Deerfield Island Beach was declared a gopher tortoise refuge in 1983. Second photo: A view of the natural-surface trails leading through the marine hammock.
