Trails
Refuge trails, boardwalks, and kiosks provide family-friendly wildlife viewing areas. The refuge has few hills and offers easy walks without losing any of the nature-experience opportunities. We manage approximately seven miles of trails, including the three-quarter-mile Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessible Centennial Trail. Need help navigating? Print your own trail map or pick up one of the Pelican Island brochures when you arrive on the refuge.
Bird鈥檚 and Joe鈥檚 Impoundment聽rrails聽are very similar, although Bird鈥檚 trail allows for bank fishing opportunities on the lagoon side. Blue聽crab,聽red聽drum,聽snook聽and聽tarpon are among the most popular catches.聽This three-mile loop begins at the trailhead located near the informational kiosk near the public restrooms and winds its way around聽salt marsh habitat and mangrove habitat along the lagoon side.聽聽The聽trailhead is located at the聽informational kiosk near the public restrooms. (North Jungle trail)聽聽
Trail Length (mi)
2.72
Trail Difficulty
Easy
View Trail
This trail meanders for聽three-quarters of a mile聽through restored wetlands, tidal聽mangroves, and hydric hammocks. During your stroll, look down! The trail incorporates聽more than聽569聽engraved planks 鈥 one for each refuge in the system established between 1903 and the present, spaced throughout the length of the boardwalk. Each engraved plank includes the refuge name, its state or territory and establishment year.Along the trail are聽interpretive panels聽highlighting聽the significant accomplishments of the refuge system for wildlife conservation in America, and聽the people who made it happen. This trail incorporates gently inclining slopes and eight-foot-wide paths allowing universal accessibility.聽It also features an聽18-foot-tall observation tower, located among the mangrove and cabbage palm fringe of the Indian River Lagoon, which provides the closest land-based聽opportunity to view Pelican Island. The tower includes two mounted spotting scopes for viewing the Pelican Island rookery.The trailhead is located at the Pelican Island聽viewing聽area聽parking lot (11455 Jungle Trail, Vero Beach, Florida,聽32963)聽
Trail Length (mi)
0.35
Trail Difficulty
Easy
Suitability
Wheelchair friendly
About a mile into the聽three-mile Joe Michael Memorial Trail, enjoy an expansive salt-marsh observation deck that is frequented by a variety of shore birds, wading birds, waterfowl and raptors.聽It鈥檚 a聽great place to sit and watch the聽osprey dive for fish!聽聽The trail is part of the managed mosquito impoundment, fringed with mangroves and the Indian River Lagoon. The impoundment water levels are managed聽seasonally, and聽is a favorite spot for feeding wading birds such as the聽roseate聽spoonbill,聽reddish聽egret, and herons as well as shorebirds like the American聽oystercatcher,聽sanderling, and a variety of聽sandpipers.聽Trailhead is at the base of the Centennial Trail.聽
Trail Length (mi)
2.54
Trail Difficulty
Easy
View Trail