There are by our count, 9 bizillion golf courses in South Florida. Plantation Preserve might be the only one built with a nature trail that runs through it. The linear trail is 1.1 miles long, hard-surfaced and bordered by ponds, canals and wetlands for pretty much its entire length, with the links not far beyond. The golf course is a vital piece of Plantation city history, dating back to 1950 and attempts to convince the Broward County Commission to extend Broward Boulevard, the city's main drag, farther west. The course also occupies a significant archeological site.
History:When Plantation took over the property in 2001, officials wanted to redevelop the golf course in a way that made it useful to more than local hackers, and they wanted to do it in a way that recalled the land's past as part of the Everglades. Thus, the linear trail was born. Parts of it are manicured landscape, parts of it a bit more wild, particularly the wet habitats.
What You'll See: The trail is lined with live oaks, cypress, cabbage palms, wax myrtle, pickerel weed, cocoplum, fire bush, muhlberry, geiger, spider lilly and more. All that attracts lots of birds, including great egrets, limpkins, great blue herons, warblers, cardinals, jays, thrashers, mockingbirds and more.
Amenities: The trail is 1.1 miles long and hard surfaced, wide enough to comfortably accomodate pedestrians, joggers, bikers and rollerbladers, while wheelchair accessible. There are plenty of interpretive signs and markers identifying plants. There are also plenty of places to sit for a bit and enjoy the scenery. There is plenty of parking in the golf course and club lot. Two notes: There are two trailheads, the main entrance off West Broward and a second off Tropical Way. The trail is linear, meaning the farther along the trail you walk, the farther you have to walk back. Out and back the length of the trail is 2.2 miles.
Nearby: This is section of Broward County is not particularly rich nature sites. To the southwest several miles lies Tree Tops Park and Pine Island Natural Area, while Secret Woods Natural Area lies to the southeast.
History:When Plantation took over the property in 2001, officials wanted to redevelop the golf course in a way that made it useful to more than local hackers, and they wanted to do it in a way that recalled the land's past as part of the Everglades. Thus, the linear trail was born. Parts of it are manicured landscape, parts of it a bit more wild, particularly the wet habitats.
What You'll See: The trail is lined with live oaks, cypress, cabbage palms, wax myrtle, pickerel weed, cocoplum, fire bush, muhlberry, geiger, spider lilly and more. All that attracts lots of birds, including great egrets, limpkins, great blue herons, warblers, cardinals, jays, thrashers, mockingbirds and more.
Amenities: The trail is 1.1 miles long and hard surfaced, wide enough to comfortably accomodate pedestrians, joggers, bikers and rollerbladers, while wheelchair accessible. There are plenty of interpretive signs and markers identifying plants. There are also plenty of places to sit for a bit and enjoy the scenery. There is plenty of parking in the golf course and club lot. Two notes: There are two trailheads, the main entrance off West Broward and a second off Tropical Way. The trail is linear, meaning the farther along the trail you walk, the farther you have to walk back. Out and back the length of the trail is 2.2 miles.
Nearby: This is section of Broward County is not particularly rich nature sites. To the southwest several miles lies Tree Tops Park and Pine Island Natural Area, while Secret Woods Natural Area lies to the southeast.
