History

In the 1980s, the land that is now Seabranch Preserve State Park was slated to become a golf course community. In 1991, the state of Florida partnered with Martin County to purchase the property, which became a state park in 1992.

Manatee Creek

The waters of Manatee Creek attract many species of birds to the park. Frequent visitors include the sandhill crane, several species of egret and heron, white ibis and the wood stork.

Gomez Trail

Visitors to the park enjoy exploring its unique biological diversity along 4 miles of well-marked hiking trails.

Lupine

Scrub lupine is an endangered biennial or perennial herb with a soft-woody base and stubby appearance. Its stems are silvery, upright or spreading, growing to 3 feet tall.

Stokes Trail

Hikers enjoy a walk through the diverse habitats of Seabranch Preserve State Park. Visitors can see rare sand pine scrub, baygall, tidal swamp and estuarine seagrass beds, four of the most distinctive natural communities in southeast Florida.

Seabranch Preserve holds the distinction of being one of the few intact ecosystems south of Cape Canaveral.

Mangroves

To the east, the Indian River Lagoon supports a mangrove-dominated tidal swamp. The forests of red, black and white mangrove and buttonwood trees provide habitat for juvenile species such as snapper, grouper and snook.

The Indian River is an important foraging corridor for the West Indian manatee.