Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Jonathan Dickinson State Park has so many wonderful things to do all related to the natural beauty of this area.  When we pulled into the camping sites at River Campground, we were wondering why it was so hard to book a reservation here.  It really didn't look that great except for the bathrooms and showers which are brand new.  The campsites were devastated by two hurricanes and the trees and foliage are in recovery mode.   After one day here, we are sold on the place and loving all the activities here and nearby.   The Kimbel Nature Center near our site gave us terrific information.  There are all kinds of hiking trails right here and great bike trails but we didn't bring them this trip.
The River Campground is the place to stay--close to more activities.

The first night here our tornado warnings sounded on both our phones.  I stayed up to 2am waiting to save us.   My cell phone was clutched in my hand but it turned out only to be a mild thunderstorm.  No leaks in the Buggy!  Since then the weather is absolutely ideal--sunny and 78!  

We went on a 2 hour guided pontoon ride up the Loxahatchee River right from the campground.  Must go when the tide is right so you can make it up to see Trapper Nelson's Interpretive Site.  What a hoot this place was!  The "wild man of Loxahatchee" trapped here and built a "tourist attraction" that lured Hollywood stars into his primitive cabin.  He had all kinds of animals out there and was quite a showman dressed in very little and swinging out on vines.  He made a lot of money in the 1930s until 1960s!  We saw alligators, turtles, fish, and birds from the boat and the boat trip was great but the wild man camp ground is what we'll remember.

 

Pontoon boat to Trapper Nelson's

Pete made us a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs which is a novelty because I am the "Queen of Microwave" when we camp.

Breakfast at the campground

The next day was a drive to the Hobe Sound Nature Center which is on Route 1 and about 5 miles away.  Great trail over dunes to the beach--easy walk on sand.  The Center had live animals including a Red Tail hawk and Barred Owl--tethered to a perch right out in the room close enough to touch --so beautiful--and a baby alligator--not so beautiful!  Would love to go here again.

Barred Owl

Red Tail Hawk

National Preserve near JDSP

We continued north on Route 1 and turned right onto Bridge Rd (708) and drove a couple miles until the road ends at the Atlantic Ocean and a beach.  We went left and dead ended into the Hobe National Preserve lot.  We spent the afternoon on the beautiful beach there collecting shells and watching a very eager young man work on his "Skim board" technique while he recorded his attempts on a Go Pro camera stuck on a pole in the sand.  What a lovely day!

Skimboard

Harry and the Natives was the place for breakfast the next day.  Kind of a fun place with funny sayings all over the walls.  It is right on Rt 1A and Bridge St.  Then we drove back onto Jupiter Island and hit the beaches again.  There were all kinds of people surfing and playing in the waves.  A perfect to place to be!

Breakfast at Harry and the Natives... a local favorite

Our ranger guided canoe trip up the Kitching River was great fun.
There were 10 of us with the husband and wife rangers.  A wonderful morning adventure.

Canoeing on the Loxahatchee and Kitching Rivers

On our walk back to our camp, we stopped at the Kimbel center and watched a movie on Florida cowboys.  They were the first cowboys and cattlemen in the United States.  The horses and cattle were brought here to Florida by Ponce de Leon who battled with the local Indians.  The Indians won and due to a rather hasty retreat, the animals were left behind.  This was the beginning of the cattle business in Florida.

Swimming anyone?? No thank you, not with the gators

This park has a swimming beach with a sign "No Lifeguard--swim at your own risk".  However, it seems to me that is the least of your worries.  The other sign says "For Your Safety, do not swim with alligators"!  The ranger told us that people swim there all the time and they sometimes have to chase an alligator away.  But, they don't close the beach unless the alligator comes back!  That's two times too many for us!

We also went to the Loggerhead Marine Center which rescues and rehabs injured turtles.  It is right on Rt 1A and very worthwhile to visit...admission is free.

Our last day here we started the day with bacon and eggs on our camp stove, then hiked the Kitching Nature Trail in the morning and went on a night walk with the ranger.  We all had flashlights and had a great time exploring the park in the dark.

Our last breakfast at Jonathan Dickinson

Tomorrow we leave for Key West!