hobe sound national wildlife refuge

Well maintained nature center with friendly people. Nice exhibits inside. Nice little quiet dog friendly beach on the inter-coastal. The trail is a little hilly and very sandy under foot. Bring binoculars not many creatures will be hanging around the trail.

This wonderful facility is small but they make the most out of the space. There is a great staff of volunteers who give small intimae tours where they actually remove small animaly and birds from there displas and encourage personal interaction as they provide educational discriptions. There are two nature trails that make for and enjoyable stroll where you will see wild life in the wild. Several mils away they also have there own beach. It is worth the short drive to enjoy the Atlantic Ocean.

There is small building that has some live animals and fish tanks. There is also a small gift shop.The short trails were very nice to take. The beach and lagoon are beautiful. You can sit on the benches by the beach and take in the beauty of the bright white sand.The who.e visit was less than an hour. I'm glad we stopped. No fee to see anything, but they take donations.

We discovered it by chance, driving along the 1 the late afternoon, and was a nice surprise: a short trail leading to a small beach with white sand and shells, a further trail heading back in the forest with some panels describing some plants, all quite and pleasant. Visitor center was already closed, and since it was late couldn't complete the last trail loop, pity. Not seen any animal though.

There's a nice, easy trail to walk - a turtle crossed my path and I saw an osprey nest. Go thru the nature center first to learn some info an then get a guide so you know what u are looking at/for on path - everything marked - peaceful.

My first time on a kayak and it was fun. Not fun at first as I didn't set up the seat right. So I was just not in the seat and strained my back. But we landed on the other side spoke with the ranger there. walked to the Atlantic. spent time on the beach, saw old turtle egg shells. Snorkeled a bit and walked back to the kayaks. Set my seat up better for the trip back and that made a lot of difference. So much fun.

Usually, you are overwhelmed in the typical information center, but the folks here know how to bring things to life; especially, at the reptile center. There is a great deal of "easy to digest" information on display and gives the visitor a close view of what to expect in the refuse. A half miles path leads to the shore where you can picnic or fish or just enjoy the narrow beach. A good place to stop to break up your trip up the coast.

Mrs Too and I have already toured the Wildlife Refuges on Assateague and Merritt Islands, and are continually impressed with the obvious love and attention lavished upon their critters by the rangers and volunteers. Hobe Sound is no exception. The visitor center is of moderate size, but attractive and packed from floor to ceiling and wall to wall with extremely well executed displays including many live animals. One of the live acts really knocked our socks off, but I will tell you about that in a little while.Outdoors, there are some short and informative walking trails, plus a boardwalk leading to the long, long beach. There is a life guard tower overlooking the shore, and swimming is quite popular here. Locals and no doubt some travelers as well come here to swim, fish, or simply sit in the warm sun.As with any wildlife area, silence and a bit of stealth will yield a richer experience. The life here is, after all, wild and all of those creatures, great and small, are scared to death of humans. Bald eagles are spotted frequently and there are fur balls and other signs of owls and osprey. The former, of course, are nocturnal and chances of sighting them during the day are slim, unless they are tending to offspring. Walking in sand or very sandy soil can be quite tiring, so always keep in mind as you wander that you are simultaneously increasing your return trip and don’t overtax your legs and feet.Now back to the visitor center. One of the docents, carrying a clear plastic ball about the size of a volleyball, walked up to a cage and removed a skunk, presumably de-everythinged a pet skunk needs modified in order to be bearable and harmless. She opened a door in her plastic bowl, eased the skunk into it and advised her dumbstruck audience that it was time for the skunk to eat. She put the ball on the floor and zoom, that little rascal took off running. Of course, the animal running up the ball on the inside made it roll along the floor and in seconds, and I mean maybe three or four seconds, he, perhaps she, crossed the width of the building, neatly rounded a corner, and disappeared into another room, no doubt the skunk dining room. There is no better word for the show than WOW!! By and large, nature venues like this are a bit tedious for tikes, but skunk feeding will keep them jabbering and giggling for a good long time. A tip of my hat to whoever thought up this stunt! I am sure some very patient and caring individual or individuals put many hours into teaching the skunk to find a meal.

The wildlife refuge has two sections--rhe headquarters area is on the east side of US 1, the Federal Highway, between Hobe Sound to the north and Tequesta, to the south. There is an interpretive museum and a very nice Sand Pine Scrub trail (almost a half mile long) and steps leading down to the Intracoastal Waterway with a narrow beach, where you can take chairs, fish,etc. There is no docking along the beach, but boaters are allowed to beach their boats or anchor off shore. The beach area is at the end of North Beach Road, along the ocean, a few miles to the north of the headquarters. This was once an open area, but a few years ago facilities were developed and there is an entrance fee of $5 per car per day. You can use one of the Park Service passes for entrance such as the Senior pass. At that location are boardwalks leading to the beach, an observation platform, swimming, fishing and portable restrooms. There are no commercial places nearby so bring your own food, water, etc. An excellent beach by the Atlantic Ocean.

Small visitor center with some good information. Center has a few live animals (baby alligator, baby croc, a hawk, an owl, and some other small reptiles) and friendly staff members. There's a short refuge trail that takes about 20-30 mins but didn't see any animals besides a few birds. There's also another trail that leads to the beach but didn't go on it. Everything is free but feel free to drop a buck or two into the donation box. Good place to stretch your legs if you are driving far and need a place to stop.

Nice visitor center with very informative staff. Nice trails and native reptiles available for viewing.

Took the Boat trip down the river. We saw so much wildlife. Alligators galore, turtles and several manatees. One manatee actually performed for us. It was a real thrill.

For a smaller exhibit, it is truly well done. Staff are knowledgeable and friendly. The beach is a gem.

We had a lovely visit at this park. The staff is mostly young people with tons of enthusiasm for the wildlife they take care of. They are knowledgeable and happy to share anything you want to know about the animals they have in the Nature center. Outside we saw an owls nest with baby owls! Mom was supposed to be nearby but we did not see her. I love the trails, you sort of have to go up the trail, some of it has sandy parts but it was easy to hike. I am not the most athletic person but I was still able to go up and down the little hills and down to the little beach area they have below. The beach area is lovely and it has a couple of benches right by the shoreline. There is a wonderful breeze that hits you the moment you clear the trees. The beach in the section we were in is a river, not an ocean beach but still beautiful with wonderful sail boats going by. I saw people of all ages enjoying the park. Even though there is a bit of climbing and going down some stairs it is perfectly manageable, just take your time. I love that the park was not crowded at all, hope you try it soon.

Warm on this pleasant January day. We find the Hobe Observation deck a nice place to get a picture of this deserted WW2 training camp. Several miles down the road (get directions from the ranger, the map isn't sufficiently clear) to the parc we find bicycle, hiking and horse trails. You can go on a wagon ride with a team of horses, or rent a horse and take to the trails with the guide on this Sunday. Better to check if this is only on weekends! Generous camp grounds. We actually saw a sea otter and a submerged 6 foot alligator. Well worth the 6$ fee. A nice place to have the family bicyle off some energy since everything here is flat.