Southern Boulevard (U.S. 98)
Loxahatchee

Website

The first thing to know about this place is the scenery is as mundane as the name. It's basically 6,600 acres of mostly water surrounded by a series of levies. The second thing is all that water attracts birds. Lots of them. So many that the Audubon Society of the Everglades offers tours on weekends with permission of the site's owner, the South Florida Water Management District. The third thing is its somewhat odd hours — sunrise to sunset, but only Friday through Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday you're out of luck

STA 1E, as it's known, is one of five areas that SFWMD owns and the closest to urban areas. It sits west of Lion Country Safari Road on the south side of U.S. 98, a.k.a. Southern Boulevard. The entrance is well-marked but you've got to keep your eyes peeled. There is ample parking, a kiosk and rudimentary toilet facilities. STA 1 is open to hiking, biking, birding, fishing and photography.

During our visit, we spotted whistling ducks, moorhens, great blues, least bitterns, great white egrets, killdeer, stilts, red-winged blackbirds and more. We also saw a few alligators. Note: the map below shows the intersection of Southern Boulevard and Lion Country Safari Road. STA 1E is the green area to the south; the entrance is to the west of the intersection.