Ulumay Sanctuary
Nature preserve
716 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Sallicio · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Merritt Island
11% of Merritt Island’s land is conserved: 1,242 acres
1,364 acres are parks and preserves, 39 per 1,000 residents. 14 miles of mapped trail cross Merritt Island, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Ulumay Sanctuary (2.6 mi), Veteran's Memorial Park (0.7 mi), Rotary Park Merritt Island (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #97 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,242 acres · of 17.0 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,364 ac
39 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
62%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
2.8 mi lanes · 7.1 mi paths
Highest peak
36 ft
Honeymoon Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 12 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Merritt Island?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Merritt Island have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Merritt Island is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #97 of 638 in Florida. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Merritt Island’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land39 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,364 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home62% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 82%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 85%
Water is more than half of Merritt Island’s area (29 of 46 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Ulumay Sanctuary, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Veteran's Memorial Park
Park
65 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rotary Park Merritt Island
Park
39 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Intracoastal Waterway Park
Park
10 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Ulumay Sanctuary716 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
Veteran's Memorial Park65 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsRotary Park Merritt Island39 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsIntracoastal Waterway Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsKelly Park East11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsKiwanis Island Park26 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKelly Park West26 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsOsteen Park3 acres
DirectionsWatts Park2 acres
DirectionsMargaret & Danny Strickland Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,242 conserved acres
11% of Merritt Island’s land. Water is left out: Merritt Island has 17.0 square miles of land and 29.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Merritt Island’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,242 ac
Local Conservation Area · 1,166 acLocal Park · 76 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary Local Conservation Area | County | 1,166 | Open |
| Rotary Park-Merritt Island Local Park | County | 39 | Open |
| Kiwanis Island Park Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | County | 6 | Open |
| Osteen Park Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
| Watts Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
Things to do
27 places to go in Merritt Island
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Merritt Island
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Merritt Island
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Merritt Island
12 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Merritt Island
Rocket Launch View PointIn Rocket Launch Viewing Area
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Merritt Island
Honeymoon Hill36 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
48Tennis
16Baseball
11Basketball
5Soccer
1Equestrian
1Football
1Volleyball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Merritt Island: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.5 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.5 | 13.9 | 13.8 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.3 |
| High (°F) | 70 | 73 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 87 | 90 | 89 | 88 | 83 | 77 | 73 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 7.7 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 4.5 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
December is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 7.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Merritt Island →
Next door
Merritt Island and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Melbourne50 miNorth Merritt Island18 miMerritt Island14 miRockledge13 miCocoa Beach9.5 miCocoa8.2 miIndian Harbour Beach3.9 miSouth Patrick Shores1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merritt Island | 11% | 0.8 | 39 | 62% | A− |
| Cocoa Beach | 58% | 2.0 | 152 | 99%+ | A+ |
| South Patrick Shores | under 1% | 1.2 | 1 | 92% | B− |
| North Merritt Island | 20% | 1.1 | 233 | 68% | A |
| Indian Harbour Beach | 4% | 1.9 | 7 | 98% | A− |
| Rockledge | 3% | 1.0 | 10 | 61% | B |
| Cocoa | 2% | 0.6 | 8 | 79% | B− |
| Melbourne | 8% | 1.1 | 9 | 58% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Merritt Island
Where can I hike in Merritt Island?
The longest trail networks: Ulumay Sanctuary, 2.6 miles; Veteran's Memorial Park, 0.7 miles; Rotary Park Merritt Island, 0.5 miles; Intracoastal Waterway Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Merritt Island is conserved land?
11% of its land, against a typical 3% for a Florida town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Merritt Island’s trails?
Ulumay Sanctuary and Veteran's Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Merritt Island?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of painted or protected lanes and 7.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Merritt Island?
11,753 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Merritt Island or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,364 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Merritt Island have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #97 of 638 in Florida. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Merritt Island neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →