Best Hiking Trails in West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach, Florida — updated August 22, 2026
Marsh boardwalks, pine flatwoods and levee paths within a short drive of downtown West Palm Beach, ranked by how much actual trail each one gives you.
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Hiking in West Palm Beach means flat ground, wet ground and shade that comes and goes: cypress hammock, pine flatwoods, sawgrass marsh and levee-top paths, most of them county natural areas open sunrise to sunset with no fee gate. The trade-off is exposure, so the practical move is early morning. Below, the places with real trail mileage come first, and the large multi-use parks, which people mostly use for other things, come last.
1. Hog Hammock Trail
The most complete hiking route on this list: roughly four miles round trip at Grassy Waters Preserve, built from a one-mile loop, a two-mile loop and a one-mile spur, so you can pick your distance at the junctions. It rates 4.7 from 266 reviews, a settled number for a trail this specific. The City of West Palm Beach lists hours of 7:00 am to 5:30 pm and a hotline at (561) 822-2222; other sources give slightly different opening times, so check before an early start. Dogs are not allowed. Open year-round, address 8537 Northlake Blvd.
2. Winding Waters Natural Area
A 548-acre restored wetland off N Haverhill Road, with trail running through both woodland and marsh. It holds 4.6 from 517 reviews, enough volume to trust. Visitors describe it as well kept and about an hour's walk, which makes it the right choice when you want quiet ground rather than a half-day outing. It is on the Florida Birding Trail, so bring binoculars. Open daily, sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year. Parking is off Dyer Boulevard, half a mile west of Haverhill Road, not at the Haverhill address itself.
3. Okeeheelee Nature Center
The hiking half of Okeeheelee, with its own trail system through pine flatwoods and wetland, separate from the ballfields and boat ramps. It rates 4.8 from 287 reviews. The important scheduling detail: the trails are open daily from sunrise to sunset, but the center building keeps much shorter hours, Wednesday through Friday 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm and Saturday 10:00 am to 4:30 pm, closed Sunday through Tuesday. If you want the exhibits or staff advice, come Saturday morning. If you only want to walk, any day works. Phone 561-233-1400.
4. Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area
A 772-acre pine flatwoods site just west of the city, with two entrances: the main one at 110 Nature's Way and a north entrance at 13500 40th Street North. The 4.5 rating rests on only 93 reviews, so treat it as promising rather than proven, though the county maintains it as a full natural area rather than a park. No pets and no bicycles, which keeps the trails to walkers. Open sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year. Phone 561-233-2400.
5. SWA Greenway Trail System South Entrance
Levee-style trail on Solid Waste Authority land at 6600 45th Street, open sunrise to sunset seven days a week. Evidence here is thin: 4.7 from just 27 reviews, so the score is not settled. What reviewers do report is wildlife, including alligators around a wooden bridge some distance south of the entrance, which is reason enough to keep your distance and keep children close. Trails can close for inclement weather, high winds or other hazards, so call 561-697-2700 if conditions look rough. The SWA also posts critter-cam footage from the trails.
6. Dyer Park
A large county park on N Haverhill Road built over a former landfill, which gives it something almost nothing else in Palm Beach County has: elevation change. It rates 4.6 from more than 1,600 reviews, one of the better-tested numbers here. Reviewers point to wide open ground, benches and public restrooms throughout, and heavy use by cyclists, so expect shared paths rather than a solitary walk. Hours are sunrise to sunset, with lighted courts and permitted athletic fields open until 10:00 pm. Phone (561) 966-6600.
7. Okeeheelee Park
The biggest and busiest option, at 4.8 from more than 5,900 reviews, which makes the rating about as proven as it gets locally. It is included with a caveat: this is a full recreation complex with golf, water-ski lake, ballfields and courts, so the walking is more paved loop than backcountry trail. For hiking proper, head to the nature center side. Hours are sunrise to sunset, with lighted facilities running later and seasonal variation. There is a grill on the golf side; call the pro shop at 561-964-4653 for its hours rather than assuming.
What we left off
No chains or closed businesses were removed. We did drop a second Okeeheelee listing that shares the same 7715 Forest Hill Blvd address as the main park entry, since it is the same site rather than a separate destination.