Peck Lake Park

picnic area

pines

felled pine after 04 hurricane

trail

beehive

lubber on boardwalk

view Peck Lake

Indian River

pond apples

wild flower

mangrove propagules

felled Australian pine

cactus along the river

cactus on Indian River

beach Peck Lake

pavilion

osprey nest Indian Rivers

osprey

palms

mangrove swamp

red mangrove

Indian River

paddlers

Some years back the St. Lucie inlet was further south than its' present location at a spot known today as Peck Lake. A narrow strip of barrier island is all that separates the ocean from the lake. A popular spot for boats to raft-up, from your boat you can cross over the sand dunes and spend time on the ocean side of the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge.

Martin County acquired some land to the west and slightly south of the lake on the Indian River, and turned it into Peck Lake Park. From the picnic area, which is a piney flat-woods environment, there is a ½ mile trail leading down to the Indian River,
(or Intracoastal Waterway). The trail passes through transitional zones as the environment changes from piney flat-woods to hardwood hammock, to mangrove swamp, to tidal zone, to the Intracoastal Waterway. At the river there is a wood-decked pavilion with a great view of the lake and the Indian River.

The photos here were taken in the park, along the trail and on the river. Across the river from the park is the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge. Among the wildlife to be seen in the are are many species of birds, including osprey, pelicans, hawks and herons. Also bobcats, snakes, rabbits, raccoons, opossum and armadillos inhabit the area. Along the river it is common to spot manatee and dolphin, especially in the winter months when the inland waters are warmer than the sea.

Peck Lake Park
in Martin Co. Florida