Overview: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is a surprise fully of surprises. It's a 175.24-acre natural oasis in the midst of highly urbanized eastern Broward County. It sits on the barrier island sandwiched between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. The first surprise is freshwater Long Lake, which spans nearly the length of the park. It recalls the distant past when the Intracoastal Waterway and the surrounding area was a series of freshwater lakes, sloughs and marshes.
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park features two major habitats, 60 acres of tropical marine hammock, the last remaining stand in Broward County, and 56.17 acres of of estuarine tidal swamp, aka a mangrove swamp. The tropical marine hammock is also one of the largest in South Florida. A paved two-mile road loops through and provides easy access to every corner of the park. A hiking trail cuts above Long Lake — what we've dubbed the Bluff Trail — while several trails weaves through the interior. The western limits of park is bounded by the Intracoastal Waterway.
Yet another surprise: there is an old railroad trestle that crosses over Long Lake. A remnant of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad? Nope. The state built the railroad in 1965 to haul tourists through the park. Although the last train crossed the trestle decades ago, there are plans to use it to carry a boardwalk over the lake. One other item of note: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park has a small section of beach across busy A1A.
History: In 1893, Chicago lawyer Hugh Taylor Birch, then counsel for John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Co., came to Palm Beach along with friend Henry Flagler, also with Standard Oil. Birch then sailed south with business partner John McGregor Adams in search of land for a winter time getaway when a storm forced them to take shelter on Lake Mabel in the vicinity of what is now Port Everglades. The two men separated, with Birch going north, eventually buying 180 acres of land at the site of what is now the park, while McGregor kept to the south, buying land in the vicinity of what is now Las Olas Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Birch would go on to build a home on his land he called Terramar, now the park's vistor center. Birch died in 1943 and donated the land to the state in hopes of preserving the natural beauty he had grown to love as the surrounding land became more and more developed. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park opened in 1949.
What You'll See: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park almost literally revolves around a two-mile asphalt loop road that begins as you enter the park and ends as you exit it. The loop, by foot, by bike, by car, provides access to every part of the park. It also provides parking. As you first drive through the park, you'll notice that both sides of the road are heavily wooded. Park your car and walk toward an opening in the woods on the eastern side of the road and you'll come across the Bluff Trail (our name for an otherwise unnamed trail) and you'll immediately come across the old railroad trestle above Long Lake.
There are several places to access the Interior Trails (our name for the) and hike through the tropical marine hammock and the mangrove swamp. The trails are a bit rugged and can be mucky depending on tides and time of the year. There are some absolutely huge ficus trees, gumbo limbo, seagrape, false mastic, paradise trees and and more. Check out Long Lake for wildlife and the beach area to the right a short distance beyond the ranger station. The seawall and areas along the Intracoastal are great places to picnic, fish, kick a ball around, meditate or just plain relax.
Amenities: Hugh Taylor Birch offers plenty of parking along the two mile loop and in lots on the west side of the loop. There are restrooms, drinking water, pavilions and picnic tables, canoe, kayak and paddle board rentals, a visitor's center, restaurant, a butterfly garden, a meditation garden, fishing along the Intracoastal, trails, boat docks along the Intracoastal Waterway, a stop on Fort Lauderdale's water taxi and more. For a complete list, check the park website.
Nearby: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is in a heavily developed part of Broward County, and there are few significant parks or preserves nearby. There are the public beaches along A1A, of course. Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach is perhaps a 15 or 20 minute drive south along A1A. Ann Kolb Nature Center is farther south along Sheridan Street in Hollywood. One suggested stop: Bonnet House and Gardens a few blocks south of the park on Birch Street.
Links: The Institute for Regional Conservation's inventory of plants for Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is here. The Great Florida Birding Trail's take on Hugh Taylor Birch is here. The Friends of Birch State Park is here. The most recent management plan for Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (August 2020) is here.
Of Note: There is an admission fee to enter Hugh Taylor Birch State Park that varies: cars with a single passenger, $4; cars with up to 8, $6 dollars; pedestrians and bicyclists, $2. Fees are as of this writing (March 2025). Check the website for updates. The park is open from 8 a.m. until sundown.
Cover Photo: A peninsula cooter stretches his legs while lying on a log on the banks of Long Lake. We took this photo from atop the bluff that parallels the lake. Second Photo: One of the massive ficus trees we encountered during our hike through Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. This is, we believe, an Indian banyon tree. There are a number of exotic trees within the park either possibly dating back to the time when Hugh Taylor Birch owned the property or the offspring of one of his plantings. Third Photo: The entrance to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park along busy A1A. A section of the beach across the street is part of the park, though managed by Fort Lauderdale.
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park features two major habitats, 60 acres of tropical marine hammock, the last remaining stand in Broward County, and 56.17 acres of of estuarine tidal swamp, aka a mangrove swamp. The tropical marine hammock is also one of the largest in South Florida. A paved two-mile road loops through and provides easy access to every corner of the park. A hiking trail cuts above Long Lake — what we've dubbed the Bluff Trail — while several trails weaves through the interior. The western limits of park is bounded by the Intracoastal Waterway.
Yet another surprise: there is an old railroad trestle that crosses over Long Lake. A remnant of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad? Nope. The state built the railroad in 1965 to haul tourists through the park. Although the last train crossed the trestle decades ago, there are plans to use it to carry a boardwalk over the lake. One other item of note: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park has a small section of beach across busy A1A.
History: In 1893, Chicago lawyer Hugh Taylor Birch, then counsel for John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Co., came to Palm Beach along with friend Henry Flagler, also with Standard Oil. Birch then sailed south with business partner John McGregor Adams in search of land for a winter time getaway when a storm forced them to take shelter on Lake Mabel in the vicinity of what is now Port Everglades. The two men separated, with Birch going north, eventually buying 180 acres of land at the site of what is now the park, while McGregor kept to the south, buying land in the vicinity of what is now Las Olas Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Birch would go on to build a home on his land he called Terramar, now the park's vistor center. Birch died in 1943 and donated the land to the state in hopes of preserving the natural beauty he had grown to love as the surrounding land became more and more developed. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park opened in 1949.
What You'll See: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park almost literally revolves around a two-mile asphalt loop road that begins as you enter the park and ends as you exit it. The loop, by foot, by bike, by car, provides access to every part of the park. It also provides parking. As you first drive through the park, you'll notice that both sides of the road are heavily wooded. Park your car and walk toward an opening in the woods on the eastern side of the road and you'll come across the Bluff Trail (our name for an otherwise unnamed trail) and you'll immediately come across the old railroad trestle above Long Lake.
There are several places to access the Interior Trails (our name for the) and hike through the tropical marine hammock and the mangrove swamp. The trails are a bit rugged and can be mucky depending on tides and time of the year. There are some absolutely huge ficus trees, gumbo limbo, seagrape, false mastic, paradise trees and and more. Check out Long Lake for wildlife and the beach area to the right a short distance beyond the ranger station. The seawall and areas along the Intracoastal are great places to picnic, fish, kick a ball around, meditate or just plain relax.
Amenities: Hugh Taylor Birch offers plenty of parking along the two mile loop and in lots on the west side of the loop. There are restrooms, drinking water, pavilions and picnic tables, canoe, kayak and paddle board rentals, a visitor's center, restaurant, a butterfly garden, a meditation garden, fishing along the Intracoastal, trails, boat docks along the Intracoastal Waterway, a stop on Fort Lauderdale's water taxi and more. For a complete list, check the park website.
Nearby: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is in a heavily developed part of Broward County, and there are few significant parks or preserves nearby. There are the public beaches along A1A, of course. Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach is perhaps a 15 or 20 minute drive south along A1A. Ann Kolb Nature Center is farther south along Sheridan Street in Hollywood. One suggested stop: Bonnet House and Gardens a few blocks south of the park on Birch Street.
Links: The Institute for Regional Conservation's inventory of plants for Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is here. The Great Florida Birding Trail's take on Hugh Taylor Birch is here. The Friends of Birch State Park is here. The most recent management plan for Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (August 2020) is here.
Of Note: There is an admission fee to enter Hugh Taylor Birch State Park that varies: cars with a single passenger, $4; cars with up to 8, $6 dollars; pedestrians and bicyclists, $2. Fees are as of this writing (March 2025). Check the website for updates. The park is open from 8 a.m. until sundown.
Cover Photo: A peninsula cooter stretches his legs while lying on a log on the banks of Long Lake. We took this photo from atop the bluff that parallels the lake. Second Photo: One of the massive ficus trees we encountered during our hike through Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. This is, we believe, an Indian banyon tree. There are a number of exotic trees within the park either possibly dating back to the time when Hugh Taylor Birch owned the property or the offspring of one of his plantings. Third Photo: The entrance to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park along busy A1A. A section of the beach across the street is part of the park, though managed by Fort Lauderdale.
