Overview: At 450 acres, Chapel Trail Nature Preserve is one of the largest municipally run natural areas in South Florida. It's also one of the oldest, dating back to the 1990s. Chapel Trail is almost entirely marsh, although there are some wooded areas along the perimeters. A 1,650-foot boardwalk makes for easy walking. It is linear, however, making a walk from the parking lot to its terminus and back about three-fifths of a mile.
The boardwalk is well marked with interpretive signs. Figure about an hour's stay at minimum to take Chapel Trail in. Consider it a destination for an leisurely hike if you're in the area or a pit stop on your way to other destinations.
Chapel Trail Nature Preserve also protects one of the most significant archeological sites in Broward County, with evidence of human use dating back 3,000 years. You can't access the site but glaze upon the landscape, and with a little imagination you can see these early Floridians hunting, fishing and going about their daily lives.
History: Chapel Trail is inextricably tied to the massive mixed use Chapel Trail commercial and residential development that dominates western Pembroke Pines. Plans for the Chapel Trail project date back to the 1970s when developers formulated plans and assembled the needed land. With the project, Pembroke Pines officials saw the opportunity to create both green space and an environmental buffer zone. Chapel Trail Nature Preserve opened in 1994.
Within the southern section of the preserve lies the Buzzards Roost archeological site, which dates roughly 1000 B.C. to about 1760. This part of Broward County was a series of small tree islands in the greater Everglades. Buzzards Roost, which is about 3.4 acres, was one of these island and served as both settlement and burial ground for the Tequesta pre-Tequesta peoples. The site disappeared during the 20th century, the result of efforts to drain this part of the Everglades. It was rediscovered in the 1960s; archeologists surveyed it in the 1970s and again in the '90s.
What You'll See: Chapel Trail is an ideal place to find wading birds doing their thing in the marsh and song birds in the trees, especially during the cooler months. Snakes, frogs, turtles, alligators, marsh rabbits and even deer are among the 120 species Pembroke Pines officials say might be encountered here.
Amenities: Besides the boardwalk, Chapel Trail Preserve has ample parking, restrooms and a canoe/kayak launch. In normal times, the city rents canoes on Saturdays, but as of this writing, that has been suspended. Check the website (link above) for updates.
Nearby: Chapel Trail Preserve is perhaps 10 minutes away from the The Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area, which can be accessed via Broward County's Everglades Holiday Park long U.S. 27. A little more adventurous? The Shark Valley unit of Everglades National Park is about a half hour's drive via U.S. 27 to Chrome Avenue to U.S. 42.
Of Note: The preserve is open dawn to dusk Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Chapel Trail Preserve is free to visit.
Cover Photo: We saw more anhingas during our visit to Chapel Trail Preserve than any other bird species other than perhaps the purple swamphens. This guy — and it is a male — sat near the canoe launch having just eaten lunch.
The boardwalk is well marked with interpretive signs. Figure about an hour's stay at minimum to take Chapel Trail in. Consider it a destination for an leisurely hike if you're in the area or a pit stop on your way to other destinations.
Chapel Trail Nature Preserve also protects one of the most significant archeological sites in Broward County, with evidence of human use dating back 3,000 years. You can't access the site but glaze upon the landscape, and with a little imagination you can see these early Floridians hunting, fishing and going about their daily lives.
History: Chapel Trail is inextricably tied to the massive mixed use Chapel Trail commercial and residential development that dominates western Pembroke Pines. Plans for the Chapel Trail project date back to the 1970s when developers formulated plans and assembled the needed land. With the project, Pembroke Pines officials saw the opportunity to create both green space and an environmental buffer zone. Chapel Trail Nature Preserve opened in 1994.
Within the southern section of the preserve lies the Buzzards Roost archeological site, which dates roughly 1000 B.C. to about 1760. This part of Broward County was a series of small tree islands in the greater Everglades. Buzzards Roost, which is about 3.4 acres, was one of these island and served as both settlement and burial ground for the Tequesta pre-Tequesta peoples. The site disappeared during the 20th century, the result of efforts to drain this part of the Everglades. It was rediscovered in the 1960s; archeologists surveyed it in the 1970s and again in the '90s.
What You'll See: Chapel Trail is an ideal place to find wading birds doing their thing in the marsh and song birds in the trees, especially during the cooler months. Snakes, frogs, turtles, alligators, marsh rabbits and even deer are among the 120 species Pembroke Pines officials say might be encountered here.
Amenities: Besides the boardwalk, Chapel Trail Preserve has ample parking, restrooms and a canoe/kayak launch. In normal times, the city rents canoes on Saturdays, but as of this writing, that has been suspended. Check the website (link above) for updates.
Nearby: Chapel Trail Preserve is perhaps 10 minutes away from the The Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area, which can be accessed via Broward County's Everglades Holiday Park long U.S. 27. A little more adventurous? The Shark Valley unit of Everglades National Park is about a half hour's drive via U.S. 27 to Chrome Avenue to U.S. 42.
Of Note: The preserve is open dawn to dusk Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Chapel Trail Preserve is free to visit.
Cover Photo: We saw more anhingas during our visit to Chapel Trail Preserve than any other bird species other than perhaps the purple swamphens. This guy — and it is a male — sat near the canoe launch having just eaten lunch.
