The city of Titusville, located along Florida’s Space Coast at the entrance to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Canaveral National Coast to the east, is already known as a world-class birding destination. But considering the more than 88,000 acres of wilderness and wildlife conservation lands to the west of the city, and the excellent birdwatching and hiking spots within the city itself, Titusville can rightly be called “Nature’s Downtown,” a paradise. for bird watchers and outdoor adventurers.
You would think that a city of 40,000 inhabitants and directly across from the Kennedy Space Center would not be a city, while you could have many opportunities to enjoy Florida as it was 100 years ago, but considering that Titusville is the only city on the continent. along Florida’s Space Coast, which has the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore as beachside neighbors, some already consider it a world-class destination for bird watching, and when visiting them, You will see that it is no wonder these sites are included on the Great Florida Birding Trail. Miles of kayaking and 7 hiking trails offer the most adventurous opportunities for a great adventure in Florida, but are just scratching the surface of Titusville’s nature-based tourism opportunities.
What really sets Titusville apart, and is often overlooked, is the St. Johns River Basin, home to one of America’s “Niles.” This watershed provides an extensive development buffer between Titusville and the greater Orlando area, our closest major city west of Titusville. Most of these lands are within state or county conservation lands and offer a multitude of outdoor adventure opportunities.
In fact, a drive from Titusville to State Road 46 west to the small town of Geneva, then southwest to Chuluota, southeast to Christmas, and then back to Titusville on State Road 50, will never be more than five minutes from a bird watching or a hike. rental. You’ll pass 12 separate public properties spanning 88,679 acres of birdwatching and hiking, and many of these properties also offer boating, kayaking, ATV or mountain biking, fishing, seasonal hunting, and drive-accessible primitive camp or camp, mountain biking, hiking trails, or kayaking, and again, many of these are listed on the Great Florida Birding Trail.
Within the city of Titusville, it has the Brevard County Environmental Hazard Program’s flagship property, the Enchanted Forest Sanctuary, another Great Florida Birding trail location, with over 300 acres of hiking trails. Several lesser-known hiking and birding spots include the 44-acre Dicerandra Sanctuary with a plant that is only known to exist in the Titusville area, Dicerandra Thinicola, and a population of Florida Scrub Jays near the northwestern section of the property. adjacent to the well in the southern area of the city. fields. Wuesthoff Park offers more hiking and bird watching, and another even smaller property tucked away within Titusville, the Six Acre Walking Trail, offers a brisk walk through sandy pine habitat and surprisingly good bird watching for migrants from late weekends. from fall to early spring. The Titusville Well-fields Trail is a multi-use paved trail that winds through 300 acres of native bushland habitat that offers birding by foot, bike, and wheelchair. Fox Lake Park, also on the Birding Trail located along the west side of the city offers the opportunity to spot birds normally associated with freshwater habitats such as Limpkins and also has residents Sand Hill Cranes. Blue Heron Wetlands, just west of Titusville on State Road 50, offers excellent bird watching along the berms that line the city’s sewage treatment ponds and is another Great Florida Birding Trail list. At the north end of Titusville, the Chain of Lakes Storm Water Park offers 3 miles of paved trails and bridges around a meandering stormwater lake overlooking restored wetlands, an Indian River Lagoon observation tower, and another great site of Florida birding trails. .
Titusville’s Indian River Lagoon Waterfront features several parks along the coast of the most biologically diverse estuary in the United States offering opportunities to see many species of waterfowl and wading birds, as well as West Indian manatees, Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, and the occasional American alligator. Some of these are also sites along the Great Florida Birding Trail.
While many cities the size of Titusville are suburbs of even larger cities, Titusville, surrounded by conservation land, is more of a Florida Nature suburb and can rightly be called “Nature’s Downtown,” large enough to have hotels of quality, RV parks. , campgrounds, restaurants, and even some nightlife for visitors to enjoy, but not big enough to fight traffic just to enjoy the area.
For more information on bird watching or other outdoor activities in the Titusville area, visit http://www.spacecoastoutdoors.net, click on your preferred recreational activity in the top menu and select “Space Coast North “in the locations menu. and then scroll down for information on each property, including GPS coordinates and links to satellite images for each listing.
Happy bird watching!
