Nesting Sea Turtle Walks at Hobe Sound Nature Center

Turtle Walks at
Hobe Sound Nature Center

Reservations made earlier
here than anywhere else--in April!

Turtle Walks at
Hobe Sound Nature Center

Reservations for turtle walks are taken beginning April 1 and usually fill in several weeks. They can be made online or by calling (772) 546-2067. There is a $5 cash donation fee (or $6 with a credit card). Both are bargains. The turtle walk program is offered Thursday and Friday evenings at 8 pm starting May 25th and lasting until July 21. Thirty people are allowed to sign up for each walk, with no minimum age restrictions.

Compared to many other locations, this is a very generous amount of time. Participants are advised to bbring bug spray and water and wear comfortable walking clothing and shoes. Each turtle walk group is limited in size and participants may need to be able to walk at least 300 yards in soft sand.

An evening starts at 8pm at the Hobe Sound Nature Center for participants to register. A program is presented at 8:30 pm.. During this time, a scout is out searching for a nesting loggerhead. The walk begins at 9 pm on the Hobe Sound Public Beach. Waiting lists are also taken in case of last-minute cancellations.The Hobe Sound Nature Center, located at the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, conducts turtle walks in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Turtle depositing her eggs

The actual walk to the turtle is normally less than a half-mile. You wait in the relative luxury of a covered pavilion with restrooms and drinking fountain until the scouts locate a turtle.

Once a nesting turtle is located, it usually takes about an hour to view the entire process including egg laying and nest covering. Then, now matter how early, the turtle walk is over. Only a single turtle watch is held each evening.

Contact Information: Call 772-546-2067. Nature Center office hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 am to 4 pm on Sunday. Website

Directions: From I-95, take Exit 96 (Hobe Sound) and proceed East for 7 miles to U.S. Highway One. Turn right (South) on U.S. 1. The Nature Center is 2 miles on the left, north of Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound; 13640 S.E. Federal Highway (U.S. 1), Hobe Sound, Florida 33455.

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