Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park

Reviews, get directions and contact details for Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park

Address: 8120 SE Paulson Ave, Stuart, FL 34997, USA

Phone: (772) 546-2771

Website

State: Florida

Zip Code: 34997

Reviews

I have been to Atlantic Ridge a number of times to hike and have found these reviews misleading.  This is a beautiful park to hike, but it is not for everyone.  Why?  Because there are no visitors centers, no well blazed trails, no concessions, etc.  This is a preserve, for wildlife.  There are trails but you need to be comfortable with reading an aerial or trail map (if you can find a trail map, good luck!).  Use your phone to guide you.  There are few or any people here.  You have to call Jonathan Dickenson State Park to get the gate combo (keep that number if you get lost and need a rescue) on the Paulson Ave. entrance, then pay your entrance fee at the iron maiden, then park in an open lot, with a port-a-lay and picnic table nearby if you are lucky.  Many trails are on firebreaks in sugar sand.  Hot in the summer, and some trails under water in the rainy season.   The mostly palmetto-pine habitat is rather unshaded.  Bring plenty to eat and drink.

That said, it is peaceful and has a relaxing, solitude beauty.  Yearly bird migrations bring diversity for bird watching.  There is not much in the way of water, just some creeks and ditches, maybe a pond or two in the rainy season.  You may see deer, gopher tortoises, bobcats, and the like, but don't expect them everywhere.  I always see something interesting.  This winter the south ditch dried up and there was a prehistoric looking alligator gar of almost 3 feet laying dead and becoming nourishment for black vultures before our approach scared them off.  And two prescribed burns within a couple of weeks of a recent hike made for an alternate view of the preserve's natural beauty contrast with charred black vegetation.  Expect solitude, but it is not for everyone.

 10 years ago (20-04-2017)

Used to go horseback riding out here. Never very busy and it's well-kept but it's mostly for the animals and not humans , which I think is great

 10 years ago (29-11-2016)

Awesome place to see a lot wildlife. 

 10 years ago (01-02-2017)

Closeby, natural area

 9 years ago (22-07-2017)

I grew up here and so glad that they turned the beautiful river I grew up on into a state park

 12 years ago (21-04-2015)

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Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park

Reviews, get directions and contact details for Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park

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