Best Strolls

Use Birch State Park when you want shade, park roads, and a clear start point. Florida State Parks lists the park at 3109 E. Sunrise Boulevard, open 8 a.m. to sunset year-round, with admission fees for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. The park drive is listed as 1.9 miles and popular with bicyclists and in-line skaters.

• Best when: you want a paid-entry park walk with shade and facilities
• Address: 3109 E. Sunrise Boulevard
• Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year
• Website: https://www.floridastateparks.org/HughTaylorBirch

Stay inside Birch for the shorter nature walk. Florida State Parks describes the Coastal Hammock Trail as a roughly 20-minute walk through native maritime tropical hardwood hammock, with interpretive signs about the habitat and native flora.

• Best when: you want trees and a shorter nature loop
• Start from: Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
• Note: large pavilions, Banyan restrooms, and North End restrooms are listed as closed for construction; accessible restrooms are available in the Concession Building
• Website: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/hugh-taylor-birch-state-park/experiences-amenities

Riverwalk is the downtown waterfront option. The city parks listing names Riverwalk Linear Park at 20 N. New River Drive with waterfront walkway, benches, picnic tables, restrooms, and a gazebo. Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale describes the district as a 2.5-mile linear walk along the New River on the north and south side.

• Best when: you want a downtown New River walk
• Address: 20 N. New River Drive
• Hours: closed from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.
• Website: https://www.parks.fortlauderdale.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/50/1243

Las Olas is the urban stroll: shops, restaurants, art galleries, museums, and boutiques along one of Fort Lauderdale’s best-known corridors. The Las Olas Association describes the boulevard as connecting toward the beach, which makes it the pick when you want storefronts and people-watching instead of a park loop.

• Best when: you want an urban walk with food, shops, and galleries nearby
• Start around: Las Olas Boulevard downtown
• Website: https://www.lasolasboulevard.com/

For the oceanfront option, use the city beach and Las Olas Oceanside Park listings. The city lists Fort Lauderdale Beach with waterfront and waterfront walkway amenities, and Las Olas Oceanside Park at 3000 E. Las Olas Boulevard with a walking path, park benches, restrooms, outdoor showers, bicycle rack, splash pad, open areas, and waterfront access.

• Best when: you want a beach walk with park facilities nearby
• Address: Las Olas Oceanside Park, 3000 E. Las Olas Boulevard
• Hours: Las Olas Oceanside Park is listed as open 6 a.m. to midnight
• Website: https://www.parks.fortlauderdale.gov/beach/beaches