Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve

I met up with some fellow members of the Project Management Institute for a guided tour of the Guana trails. The guided tour is offered free to the public every first Saturday of the month and I highly recommend it. What a beautiful place! We learned the history of the preserve, its inhabitants, both animal and vegetation. It was a plantation many years ago, but when leaving the area, the British took apart all the structures for reuse. The path we took led to the Matanzas river shore. There was a picnic table for resting or eating. It was such a lovely view on the shoreline. If you love nature and want to get some exercise, I highly recommend checking out the trails. The majority of the trails were covered with overgrown trees, which offered shade from the hot Florida sun. You can also fish and kayak. There's something for everyone here. You can bring your dog as long as they are leashed. Bring $3 for parking. Bring exact change as there is no one at the entry booth. Pick up an envelope at the booth, tear off the tab and put it in your front window, and place the envelope with the money into the metal box. I can't wait to go back and check out more trails!

The Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) National Estuarine Research Reserve Visitors Center consist of interactive exhibits, classrooms, outdoor teaching area, aquariums...and I am sure there is more! There are many educational prospects. I didn't realize until our most recent visit that the reserve covers over 74,000 acres of coastal lands here in northeast Florida. They focus on education and preservation...and there is something for all ages. Anyone is welcome to stop in at any time during opening hours and you do not have to have an appointment. However, classes are available and even camps for the kids. GTM is huge and consist of the visitor's center, research & learning center, fishing ramps, parks, walking trails, beach and much more. All of it is important and this research center is a small portion, but I feel it is the hub of GTM reserve. It is 1 of 29 National Estuarine Research Reserves in the country. They share and provide their vast research, knowledge and understanding of the diversity of not only the estuary, but the plant and animal life as well. Humans are an important part of the future landscape here, and everywhere, and they help us understand how we can make a difference and what affects we have. This ecosystem is preserved...we all can enjoy and help to protect it for the future. We have visited the GTM Research Reserve several times. The classes they have for the teens & kids are absolutely amazing, but as adults we need to pay attention too. It's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks...we all need to work together after all. The entire staff is helpful, friendly and quite inspiring. I would recommend to anyone to visit the research center if you are in the area. Parking is free at the "actual" research/visitors center and there is a huge parking lot with ample parking (it's just a little hilly). There are also clean restrooms inside and a water fountain.

Hikers, bikers, horse riding folks, dog walking fur-parents and photographers unite! This place has enough hiking trails to keep you busy all day! Fishing is popular along the river and there is also a boat launch available. I would love to drag my kayaks out and explore the river from the water. So far I have only hiked- I haven't made it through all the trails yet, but I am working on it. Another month or so and the butterflies should be out which will make for fun photos. I have gotten muddy here hiking out by the intercoastal and sinking into oyster bed mud up to my knee. Almost lost my shoe! Leave it to me to get dirty. I love wandering through the woods and love the live oaks that Florida wilderness provides. We got up close and personal with an armadillo on this trek! We also chatted up another couple who saw a bobcat and boars this past week! Get out in nature!

Open during COVID with social distancing rules in place. Check their website for the latest updates. This nature preserve is relatively new (1999) and is run by the Florida Dept of Environmental Protection. The Reserve is also part of a federal research program through NOAA. Off of A1A, you pull into the marsh area along Guana River Rd. There's a nominal parking fee that gives you all-day access. In the Reserve, you can fish or go hiking around on six different color-coded nature trails. There are maps of the trails at the trailhead as well as ones you can take with you. I thought the trails here were fabulous. A couple of them are quite longer than most nature trails you find in Florida. Most visitors opt for the shortest trails: Green, Yellow, Orange. We did the 3.3 mi Purple Trail. It was fantastic. We saw ospreys, tons of armadillos, a tortoise, and tons of other wildlife. It was quiet and peaceful with hardly anyone else on the trail. At several points, there are informational placards on the work that has been done to help restore the habitat within GTM. I highly recommend visiting GTM to get outside and appreciate nature. They've done a fantastic job making this reserve user-friendly for hiking, fishing, and bird watching.

Beautiful well maintained and a real gem in the middle of nowhere. Clean bathrooms, trails and maps and just a delight!