ECOTOURISM AT ITS BEST WITH JUPITER OUTDOOR CENTER
2/21/2023
Hiking
(Photo/Bill DiPaolo)
Wildlife, beauty, history and adventure await visitors at Riverbend Park. Walk along the miles of hiking trails along the Wild and Scenic Loxahatchee River, visit the Farmstead, and picnic in the shade under a Seminole chickee.
Sign up here for a Pedal & Paddle Jupiter cruises tour.
It’s a wetland wonderland at the Pine Glades Natural Area. Colorful wading birds including roseate spoonbill, great blue heron and white ibis are common visitors. The 6,600-acre park is a favorite for nature photographers.
Look for gopher tortoise, West-Indian manatee, American redstart, little blue heron, yellow-crowned night-heron, osprey, and bald eagle at the Limestone Creek Natural Area. Enjoy the 150-foot fishing pier, an observation platform, a hiking trail from the fishing pier.
In the shadow of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum is Cato’s Bridge, a small drawbridge that links Jupiter and Jupiter Inlet Colony.
JUPITER OUTDOOR CENTER will meet you and your Jupiter cruises group at nearby Sawfish Bay with kayaks, canoes or stand-up paddle boards. You can hire one of JOC’s expert Jupiter cruises guides to lead you on a Jupiter cruises tour or paddle out on your own to Cato’s Bridge, about a half-hour paddle away.
For experienced snorkelers and divers only, Cato’s Bridge is a steep-dropping, fast-moving waterway with lobsters, stone crab, angel fish, tropicals, groupers, hog snapper, shrimp, crabs, rays, turtles, octopus and squid. Listen closely for parrotfish munching on the coral. Keep your eye out for the invasive lion fish, fluttering like butterflies.
At Carlin Park, divers don’t have to go far offshore to find a reef full of blue angels, butterfly fish, rays and grunts. Don’t be surprised if you see a pod of dolphin.
Children will enjoy snorkeling at the kiddie swimming area at DuBois Park. The small lagoon overlooking Jupiter Inlet is only a couple feet deep, great for kids to grab a net and hunt for fish. There are grills and picnic tables, if you want to spend the day.
Calm waters and lots of tropical fish make Coral Cove Park a local favorite. The 15-acre beach, just south of Jupiter Island, is lifeguard protected and has a large picnic area with grills and tables.
Mangrove mystery tour
Mangroves, with their spindly, thick fingers making a root system that anchors them to the bottom, make a safe nursery for snook, bass, jack and other tropical fish.
JOC expert Jupiter cruises guides can take you out to find the local nooks and crannies in a Mangrove Mystery Tour.
Check out our day or night tours. Just ask and JOC will make a Jupiter cruises tour to fit your needs.
JOC also offers moonlight and astronomy Jupiter cruises tours.
Jupiter cruises: kickback time
