Fort Pierce Inlet State Park

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Fort Pierce Inlet State Park
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Fort Pierce Inlet Fort Pierce Florida photo D Ramey Logan.jpg
USA Florida location map.svg
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Location North Hutchinson Island, St. Lucie County, Florida, USA
Nearest city Fort Pierce, Florida
Coordinates 27°28′59″N80°18′22″W / 27.48306°N 80.30611°W / 27.48306; -80.30611 Coordinates: 27°28′59″N80°18′22″W / 27.48306°N 80.30611°W / 27.48306; -80.30611
Area 340 acres (1.4 km2)
Governing body Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, a 340-acre (1.4 km2) part of the Florida State Park system, is located just north of the Fort Pierce Inlet, on North Hutchinson Island, near Fort Pierce. It consists of beaches, dunes and a coastal hammock between the Atlantic Ocean and the waters of Tucker Cove, an indentation of the Indian River Lagoon. [1]

The Florida State Parks encompass the majority of the lands that fall under the authority of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. There are 175 such locations, including nature reserves, recreation areas, and historic sites. New park lands are added as landowners make gifts of property to the state or localities choose to turn over control of their historic sites to the state. The state park system is divided into five administrative districts.

Fort Pierce, Florida City in Florida, United States

Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Atlantic Coast Florida. It is also known as the Sunrise City, sister to San Francisco, California, the Sunset City. The population was 41,590 at the 2010 census. As of 2012, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 42,645. It was named after the Fort Pierce Army post which was built nearby in 1838 during the Second Seminole War. The military post had been named for Benjamin Kendrick Pierce, a career United States Army officer and the brother of President Franklin Pierce.

Beach Area of loose particles at the edge of the sea or other body of water

A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles. The particles can also be biological in origin, such as mollusc shells or coralline algae.

Contents

Recreational Activities

The primary use of the park is as a recreation area. Activities include fishing, swimming, surfing, picnicking, hiking, and birding as well as scuba diving, snorkeling, and youth camping. Amenities include a half-mile beach, primitive youth/group campground, a paved bike path, playground, picnic area, a nature trail, and a reef about 100 yards (91 m) from the beach.

Fishing Activity of trying to catch fish

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping. “Fishing” may include catching aquatic animals other than fish, such as molluscs, cephalopods, crustaceans, and echinoderms. The term is not normally applied to catching farmed fish, or to aquatic mammals, such as whales where the term whaling is more appropriate. In addition to being caught to be eaten, fish are caught as recreational pastimes. Fishing tournaments are held, and caught fish are sometimes kept as preserved or living trophies. When bioblitzes occur, fish are typically caught, identified, and then released.

Surfing sport that consists of riding a wave

Surfing is a surface water sport in which the wave rider, referred to as a surfer, rides on the forward or deep face of a moving wave, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable for surfing are primarily found in the ocean, but can also be found in lakes or rivers in the form of a standing wave or tidal bore. However, surfers can also utilize artificial waves such as those from boat wakes and the waves created in artificial wave pools.

Picnic an excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors

A picnic is a meal taken outdoors as part of an excursion – ideally in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding an open-air theatre performance, and usually in summer.

Jack Island State Preserve

Jack Island State Preserve, located a mile north of Fort Pierce Inlet State Park on State Road A1A is under the same management as the state park. Jack Island features trails for hiking, biking, and studying nature. At the west end of its Marsh Rabbit Run Trail, there is an observation tower with views of the Indian River and of Jack Island itself.

State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a north-south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns. Part of SR A1A is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway, a National Scenic Byway. A portion of A1A that passes through Volusia County is designated the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail, a Florida Scenic Highway. It is also called the Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway from State Road 510 at Wabasso Beach to U.S. Route 1 in Cocoa. A1A is famous worldwide as a center of beach culture in the United States, a scenic coastal route through most Atlantic coastal cities and beach towns, including the unique tropical coral islands of the Florida Keys. A1A also serves as a major thoroughfare through Miami Beach and other south Florida coastal cities.

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Indian River Lagoon

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St. Lucie Inlet, Florida

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Little Talbot Island State Park

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Fort Cooper State Park

Fort Cooper State Park is a 710-acre historic site in Inverness, Florida, United States. It is located two miles (3 km) south of Inverness, off of U.S. Hwy. 41 on South Old Floral City Road. On June 13, 1972, it was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places. It is also a Florida State Park.

Fort George Island Cultural State Park

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Hontoon Island State Park

Hontoon Island State Park is a 1,648-acre (6.67 km2) Florida State Park located on Hontoon Island between the St. Johns River and the Hontoon Dead River in Volusia County. It is six miles (10 km) west of DeLand, off SR 44, and can only be reached by boat or park-operated passenger ferry. No motorized vehicles, other than wheelchairs, are allowed to be brought onto the island and there is no swimming. The island has pine flatwoods, palm and oak hammocks, bald cypress swamps and marshes. Hontoon Island is surrounded by the St. Johns River, the Hontoon Dead River, and Snake Creek.

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Tomoka State Park

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Known for beautiful beaches, nature preserves and parks, Hutchinson Island consists of two barrier islands on the coast of Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties, Florida. The two islands are separated by the Fort Pierce Inlet and are known as North Hutchinson Island and South Hutchinson Island. North Hutchinson Island is divided into two counties - Indian River County and St. Lucie County. The Indian River county portion of North Hutchinson Island which extends to the Sebastian Inlet is sometimes called Orchid Island, although it is not a separate island. See the Wikipage for North Hutchinson Island for more information.

North Hutchinson Island is an Atlantic coastal barrier island on the east coast of Florida in the United States. The island is known for clean expansive beaches, wildlife preserves, parks, shops and restaurants.

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References

  1. Map of Fort Pierce, etc, 1998, Fort Lauderdale: Dolph Map Co.

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