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Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
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Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

The Urban Escape

Fort Lauderdale

Photo: Korall / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0

3109 E. Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

  • Walking trails
  • Lagoon
  • Beach access
  • Scenic views
  • Picnic areas
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Official LMGT meetup

Good To Go

Saturday, September 12, 2026

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Can't make the official Park Hop? No problem. Visit this park on your own, complete the quest and add it to your Park Passport.

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Park vibes

  • No vibes yet — be the first to say how it feels out there.

Your park quest

3 simple things

  • Move

    Walk the Coastal Hammock Trail loop, then take the tunnel under A1A toward the beach.

  • Discover

    Photograph the freshwater lagoon or Birch's Art Deco home, Terramar.

  • Reflect

    Standing between the city and the ocean, write one thing you are grateful for.

  • Discover

    Ride or walk the 1.9-mile park drive in the posted one-way direction, then stretch in the shade of the banyans.

  • Discover

    Take the pedestrian tunnel under A1A with your group and swap one favourite Fort Lauderdale memory on the sand.

  • Discover

    Bonus: paddle or spot wildlife on the freshwater lagoon before the beach gate closes 30 minutes ahead of sunset.

Start this quest

Discover this park

Slip through the gates on A1A and the city disappears into a tropical hardwood hammock that runs almost to the Atlantic. The land was owned by Chicago attorney Hugh Taylor Birch, who began buying oceanfront here for about a dollar an acre in 1893 and built his Art Deco home, Terramar, on the estate in 1940. He gave the land to the state, and it opened as a park in 1941. Today you can paddle the lagoon, walk shaded trails past herons and raccoons, or cross straight over to the beach — a barrier-island oasis inside a busy resort city.

Source

Did you know?

Hugh Taylor Birch began buying oceanfront land here for about $1 an acre in 1893.

Source

What can you find?

A gentle scavenger hunt. Stay on the trails, leave everything where it is, and enjoy the looking.

  • A view of the water that makes you stop walking
  • A tree older than the buildings around it
  • A native bird going about its day
  • A quiet spot you would come back to

About this park

A rare stretch of coastal hammock tucked between the Intracoastal and the ocean. Wide shady trails, a freshwater lagoon and an easy walk to the beach make this the perfect first stop.