Editor's Note: The Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge is physically divided into two separate units, Jupiter Island and Mainland, by the Indian River Lagoon. The two are distant enough and different enough that we've created separate pages for each. The Mainland Unit is here.
Overview: The beach at Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge is about as close to pristine as beaches get in South Florida. At 3.5 miles long, it is by far the longest stretch of undeveloped beach in the region, probably the longest stretch south of Canaveral National Seashore in Volusia and Brevard counties. It's a refuge for the plants and animals that live thre, obviously, but also people. It's a place to fish, to swim, to sunbathe, to bird, to hike, to get away from it all, at least for a bit.
The Jupiter Island Tract is a crucial nesting area for seat turtles, as many as 3,000 nests in a year. The birding here is good enough to land a spot on the Great Florida Birding Trail as the refuge sits along a major migration route. In all, Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge is home to about 40 species federally or state-listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern.
History: Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge first opended in 1967 as the Joseph V. Reed Wildnerness Seashore Sanctuary, a national landmark. Reed, described by The New York Times as a Florida land developer and leading patron of the American stage, once owned Jupiter Island. With land he and other Jupiter Island residents provided, the sanctuary became the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge in 1969. The Jupiter Island Tract originally totaled about 400 acres; it's since grown to 735 acres, plus the 300-acre Mainland Tract. In April 2019, Congress renamed the refuge as the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, honoring the late son of Joseph Reed, a former secretary of the interior and one of Florida's great environmental champions.
What You'll See:The Jupiter Island Unit of Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge offers plenty of wide open space and probably fewer human beings than any other beach in South Florida, thanks to its relatively isolated location. It's off the proverbial beaten path, for sure. Look along the beach for ghost crabs and sea turtle nests (which should be left undisturbed) during the warmer months. The beach is a magnet for foraging shore birds like willets, sanderlings, ruddy turnstones, yellow-crowned night herons and others. Pelagic birds, including the magnificent frigatebird can be spotted offshore. The upper dunes are nesting grounds for plovers, least terns and others. In the trees and shrubs above the dunes, look for migrators during the fall and spring.
Amenities: There is plenty of parking and trails leading to the beach.
Nearby: Some of the best conservation areas in South Florida all but surround the Jupiter Island Unit of Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. To the north, there is the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park, accessible only by boat. Peck Lake Park is to the east, as is Seabranch Preserve State Park. The Mainland Unit is to the southwest, two miles south of Bridge Road along U.S. 1 in Hobe Sound. Jonathan Dickinson State Park is a few miles farther south along U.S. 1. Hobe Sound Scrub Natural Area sits to the southwest on Dixie Highway.
Links: The Great Florida Birding Trail's page for Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. The Institute for Regional Conservation's plant inventory is here. Note: both pages cover the entire refuge.
Of Note: Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge is open sunrise to sunset everyday of the yar. There is a $5 per car entrance fee as of this writing (June 2024). Check the website for updates and a pay-online option. Also annual passes are available; national parks senior passes are honored.
Cover Photo: A ghost crab sticks his (or hers) head out from a burrow. The beach at Hobe Sound National Refuge is the only place in South Florida to date where we've found these creatures living. Second photo: A couple of sanderlings and a couple of willets forage along the beach.
Overview: The beach at Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge is about as close to pristine as beaches get in South Florida. At 3.5 miles long, it is by far the longest stretch of undeveloped beach in the region, probably the longest stretch south of Canaveral National Seashore in Volusia and Brevard counties. It's a refuge for the plants and animals that live thre, obviously, but also people. It's a place to fish, to swim, to sunbathe, to bird, to hike, to get away from it all, at least for a bit.
The Jupiter Island Tract is a crucial nesting area for seat turtles, as many as 3,000 nests in a year. The birding here is good enough to land a spot on the Great Florida Birding Trail as the refuge sits along a major migration route. In all, Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge is home to about 40 species federally or state-listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern.
History: Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge first opended in 1967 as the Joseph V. Reed Wildnerness Seashore Sanctuary, a national landmark. Reed, described by The New York Times as a Florida land developer and leading patron of the American stage, once owned Jupiter Island. With land he and other Jupiter Island residents provided, the sanctuary became the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge in 1969. The Jupiter Island Tract originally totaled about 400 acres; it's since grown to 735 acres, plus the 300-acre Mainland Tract. In April 2019, Congress renamed the refuge as the Nathaniel P. Reed Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, honoring the late son of Joseph Reed, a former secretary of the interior and one of Florida's great environmental champions.
What You'll See:The Jupiter Island Unit of Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge offers plenty of wide open space and probably fewer human beings than any other beach in South Florida, thanks to its relatively isolated location. It's off the proverbial beaten path, for sure. Look along the beach for ghost crabs and sea turtle nests (which should be left undisturbed) during the warmer months. The beach is a magnet for foraging shore birds like willets, sanderlings, ruddy turnstones, yellow-crowned night herons and others. Pelagic birds, including the magnificent frigatebird can be spotted offshore. The upper dunes are nesting grounds for plovers, least terns and others. In the trees and shrubs above the dunes, look for migrators during the fall and spring.
Amenities: There is plenty of parking and trails leading to the beach.
Nearby: Some of the best conservation areas in South Florida all but surround the Jupiter Island Unit of Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. To the north, there is the St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park, accessible only by boat. Peck Lake Park is to the east, as is Seabranch Preserve State Park. The Mainland Unit is to the southwest, two miles south of Bridge Road along U.S. 1 in Hobe Sound. Jonathan Dickinson State Park is a few miles farther south along U.S. 1. Hobe Sound Scrub Natural Area sits to the southwest on Dixie Highway.
Links: The Great Florida Birding Trail's page for Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. The Institute for Regional Conservation's plant inventory is here. Note: both pages cover the entire refuge.
Of Note: Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge is open sunrise to sunset everyday of the yar. There is a $5 per car entrance fee as of this writing (June 2024). Check the website for updates and a pay-online option. Also annual passes are available; national parks senior passes are honored.
Cover Photo: A ghost crab sticks his (or hers) head out from a burrow. The beach at Hobe Sound National Refuge is the only place in South Florida to date where we've found these creatures living. Second photo: A couple of sanderlings and a couple of willets forage along the beach.
