Cypress Creek Natural Area and
Historic Jupiter-Indiantown Trail Phase I
Now Open
At this time, public access is only allowed NORTH of Indiantown Road due to environmental restoration activities.
Region: Northern Palm Beach County
Size: 2,083 acres
Hours: Daily from sunrise to sunset
Location
North and south sides of Indiantown Road (State Road 706) near Jupiter Farms Road, approximately one mile west of Florida's Turnpike. The main portion of the site is located on the north side of Indiantown Road, east and west of Gulfstream Citrus Road. A smaller tract is located on the south side of Indiantown Road, east of Jupiter Farms Road. Parking is available at Gulfstream Citrus Road and Indiantown Road.
Public Use Facilities
Facilities include parking area, shade shelters, observation platforms, horse hitches and a pitcher pump well, bicycle racks, and kiosks with educational exhibits. Bicycling, hiking, and horseback riding are allowed only on the multi-use Historic Jupiter-Indiantown Trail.
Site Information
The natural area contains seven native Florida ecosystems: mesic flatwoods, wet flatwoods, hydric hammock, wet prairie, depression marsh, dome swamp, and blackwater stream. Restoration activities include removing invasive nonnative vegetation, filling six miles of ditches to restore the hydroperiod, changing the elevations of shell mining pits to encourage revegetation by native wetland plants, and improving the Old Indiantown Road grade (now known as the Historic Jupiter-Indiantown Trail) for use as a multi-purpose trail. The natural area is part of the Northeast Everglades Natural Area and serves as a buffer for the Loxahatchee Wild and Scenic River. Lands in the natural area were acquired by Palm Beach County from 1995 to 2010. State Florida Forever matching funds were provided for four of the acquisitions through the Florida Communities Trust. The natural area is managed by Palm Beach County.
Plants
Plant species observed on the site include spatterdock, horned bladderwort, giant leather fern, common buttonbush, roughhair witchgrass, fireweed, skyflower, water hickory, sugarberry, and Florida royal palm.
Wildlife
Animal species observed on the site include fiery skipper, eastern narrowmouth toad, pine snake, limpkin, peregrine falcon, barred owl, wild turkey, Bachman's sparrow, white-tailed deer, and round-tailed muskrat.
Links
Coastal
