Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is a 180-acre urban park between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This guide covers current opening hours, admission, transport and parking, accessibility, and practical tips for a first-time visit.
This guide was updated in August 2026.
Quick facts
| Opening hours | Daily, 8am to sunset, 365 days a year |
| Admission | $6 per vehicle (up to 8 people); $4 single-occupant vehicle; $2 per pedestrian or bicyclist |
| Address | 3109 E. Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 |
| Nearest transport | Fort Lauderdale city buses stop nearby on Sunrise Boulevard; a car is otherwise easiest |
| Typical visit length | Two to four hours |
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park opening hours
The park is open daily, from 8am until sunset. The Terramar Visitor Center, inside the park, keeps separate hours of 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and is closed on weekends and holidays.
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park ticket prices
Admission costs $6 per vehicle carrying up to eight people, $4 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle, and $2 per pedestrian, bicyclist or extra passenger.
Opening hours and admission fees were checked on the official website and last updated in August 2026. Entrance fees apply at every park gate, including the north gate, beach gate and the Intracoastal boat dock. Picnic pavilions can be rented for $80 per day, plus tax.
How to get to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
The park runs directly along Fort Lauderdale’s East Sunrise Boulevard (State Road 838), between State Road A1A and the Intracoastal Waterway, so it is reachable by car or local bus from most of the city.
Boaters can also reach the park directly from the Intracoastal Waterway, though the park’s floating dock has been closed since 11 May 2026, so check current status before planning a boat visit.
Parking at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
The park has 252 parking spaces across several lots. The Beach Hammock Lot can fill on busy weekends and holidays, but space usually opens up again within an hour or two. Parking is included with admission, though overnight parking is not permitted.
How long to spend at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
Most visitors spend two to four hours, combining the beach, a walk or bike ride along the 1.9-mile park drive, and a stop at the Terramar Visitor Center. A full circuit of the park’s trails and lakes can fill closer to half a day.
Accessibility at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
A free 1-mile audio tour, a beach wheelchair and large-print or audio versions of the park brochure are all available at the ranger station. The quarter-mile Rail Trail is fully accessible, as is the youth camp’s main lodge and one of its cabins.
Inside Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
Hugh Taylor Birch, a Chicago attorney, bought this stretch of oceanfront property for about a dollar an acre starting in 1893, eventually holding 3.5 miles of beachfront. In 1940, at age 90, he built an Art Deco home he called Terramar, and the state took title to his 180-acre estate on 31 December 1941; the park opened to the public in 1949.
The Terramar Visitor Center, Birch’s former home, displays the area’s natural and cultural history inside its original Mediterranean and Art Deco-influenced rooms.
Lake Helen, the largest of the park’s freshwater coastal dune lakes, has offered canoe rentals since the 1950s and remains a quiet spot to watch birds and other wildlife. From 1965 to 1985, a scenic railroad once carried visitors on a three-mile tour of the park, though it no longer operates.
The Coastal Hammock Trail gives a 20-minute walk through one of the last stands of native maritime tropical hardwood hammock left in Broward County, while the Mid Trail passes ornamental plants Birch himself introduced to the estate.
More than 250 bird species have been recorded here, and the park is a stop on the Great Florida Birding Trail. Threatened gopher tortoises and eastern indigo snakes also live within the park, alongside more familiar wildlife such as raccoons and marsh rabbits.
Practical visitor tips
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| Timing | Free ranger-guided walks run every Friday and Saturday from 10:30 to 11:30am, covering a different park habitat each week. |
| Crowds | The Beach Hammock parking lot fills fastest on weekends and holidays, so an early arrival helps secure a spot. |
| Layout | A pedestrian tunnel under A1A connects the park to Fort Lauderdale Beach, so no street crossing is needed to reach the sand. |
| Entry process | A single entrance fee covers every park gate, including the beach gate, north gate and boat dock. |
| On-site logistics | During summer turtle nesting season, use only red LED lighting on the beach in the evening, since white light can disorient nesting and hatchling sea turtles. |
Frequently asked questions about Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is Hugh Taylor Birch State Park suitable for children? | Yes, with a playground, easy trails, live animal presentations and beach access all within the park. |
| Do you need to book tickets in advance for Hugh Taylor Birch State Park? | No, admission is paid on arrival at any of the park’s gates. |
| How do you get to the beach from Hugh Taylor Birch State Park? | Through a pedestrian tunnel under A1A, reachable from the park’s Beach Gate area. |
| Are pets allowed at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park? | Yes, on a handheld leash no longer than 6 feet, though pets are not permitted overnight in the youth camp. |
| Is Hugh Taylor Birch State Park wheelchair accessible? | Yes, with a free audio tour, an accessible quarter-mile trail, and a loanable beach wheelchair at the ranger station. |
Things to do near Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
Fort Lauderdale Beach, reachable through the park’s own pedestrian tunnel, runs directly alongside the park. The Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, a historic estate with formal gardens, is a short walk or drive south.
Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale’s main shopping and dining strip, is a short drive away. John U. Lloyd Beach State Park, another barrier-island state park, is a short drive south in Dania Beach.
What to visit tomorrow
Oleta River State Park, in North Miami, is about 30 to 40 minutes’ drive and is Florida’s largest urban park, with extensive mountain-biking trails alongside Biscayne Bay.
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, on Key Biscayne, is around 50 minutes to an hour’s drive and includes an 1825 lighthouse, the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County.
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, in North Palm Beach, is about an hour’s drive and protects a barrier-island stretch of tropical hammock and mangrove forest.
The Barnacle Historic State Park, in Coconut Grove, is around 45 minutes’ drive and preserves the oldest house in Miami-Dade County still on its original site, set in a similarly preserved waterfront hammock.
Jonathan Dickinson State Park, near Hobe Sound, is about an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half’s drive and centers on the Loxahatchee River through pine flatwoods and mangrove forest.
More South-East Florida travel
- What to expect at the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach and the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach.
- What to see at Flamingo Gardens near Fort Lauderdale.
- 5 reasons to visit Miami on a round-the-world trip.
- Guides to key Miami cultural attractions: Frost Science Museum, Perez Art Museum, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Graffiti Museum, HistoryMiami Museum.
- The best stops on a road trip from Jacksonville to Miami.
