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There be gators here - somewhere - and not the football playing kind.
Tree Tops Park
South Florida has some wonderful country parks, but they’re not well advertised. Perhaps in the bustling market of Miami entertainment, modest public efforts cannot compete in terms of glamour. But for a relatively inexpensive family afternoon, and another chance to reconnect with nature, your local park is a good deal.
Sick with cabin fever and having a few hours to kill, I decided to mosey up the road to Treetop Park, a Broward County Park in Davie, off Griffon Road. The park is on the Pine Island Ridge, 350 acres of land that include Broward County’s highest elevation above sea level – a modest 27 feet. (I’m not counting the artificial mountains of filth you see from the turnpike, landfills many of us have re-christened “Mt Trashmore.”)
There are a number of activities you can enjoy at Tree Tops. There are lengthy equestrian trails for the horse crowd. Numerous picnic sites seem popular for weekend children’s birthdays. There was a pond for catch and release fishing, in which I noticed several juvenile largemouth bass. At the pond are rentals for canoes and pedal-boats. During weekends there are pony-rides for children, and there are several nature trails for the casual amble.
I’m here to check out the trails. But first, I stop at the main park building, which is a drive up the road from the entrance. Inside there is plenty of useful literature, including maps of the park and a very interesting wall exhibit on the Seminole medicine man Abiaka (Sam Jones) who lead his people in several clashes with the U.S. Military.
The park is a bit crowded on a Saturday, with a birthday party at nearly each pavilion. It disappoints me that while kids are jumping around in artificial bounce-houses brought to the park, there are none on the paths, climbing trees, running through fields, or fishing in the pond. The park is large enough that tranquility is preserved, but I would be happier to hear the laughing voice of a child on a path ahead – assurance that there might be a future generation who treasures the mystery of the wild.
The nature paths here are modest – not very long, smooth underfoot with grass or sand, and marked at their entrance but mysteriously unmarked once you start on them and come to their multiple forks. Luckily, the paths occupy such a small section of the park its impossible to get lost. I have two highlights to my walk – getting to a boardwalk over a wetland/marsh, where I suppose the wildlife viewing might be superior, and also walking up an observation tower.
The brief boardwalk walk is the most picturesque section of the park, and I get a few good photos of the sky reflected in the lily-pond. A sign warns me of alligators at the water’s edge, but all I can see is a curious chicken turtle that pokes his yellow-marked head up at me, suddenly plunking down when I bring my camera near for a close-up. A few common moorhens glide over the pond waters and fish of undetectable species and size make ripples in the pond.
The observation tower is deeper into the jungle, and I find it is a bit curiously placed – amidst live oaks taller than the tower, there is little to observe but the neighboring trees. It does give you a close look at the epiphytes (air plants) living off the live oak trees. And a bit of good exercise in mounting the stairs.
As cool weather approaches, take advantage of our country parks with weekend family outings or, if you want a quiet afternoon, a quick weekday adventure. Hiding in the interior gloom to avoid a summer swelter is no longer an excuse to avoid the outdoors.
For more info: 954-370-3750 or 954-537-2844(TTY) Park hours on website at www.broward.org/parks. Cost $1.50 per person on weekends / weekdays free. Location 3900 SW 100th Ave, Davie.
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- appropriate clothing (layered, self-wicking, some water resistant)
- reliable source of fire (flint and steel, waterproof matches, butane lighter)
- purified water
- maps (know where you are)
- compass
- modest first aid kit
- emergency shelter (tarp, groundcloth, tent)
- non-perishable, high energy food (energy bars, dehydrated meals)
- spare change of clothing in waterproof container
- quality sleeping bag (last line of defence)
