Turkey Creek Sanctuary
Nature preserve
140 acres4.8 mi of trail
Red TrailTurkey Oak TrailSand Pine Ridge TrailHammock Loop Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Excel23 · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Palm Bay
Palm Bay has 53 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Turkey Creek Sanctuary (4.8 mi), Grapefruit Bike Trails (1.2 mi), Fred Poppe Regional Park (0.7 mi). 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 766 acres are parks and preserves, 5.9 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns · #351 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
1,660 acres · of 86.7 sq mi of land
Trails
53 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
766 ac
5.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.4 mi
7.2 mi lanes · 2.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
4 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Palm Bay have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Palm Bay is ahead of 44% of U.S. towns, #351 of 638 in Florida. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Palm Bay’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (53 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land5.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (766 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13CParks close to home46% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 44%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 45%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Palm Bay ranks #370 on Outdoors.
Park acres per resident are where Palm Bay trails most U.S. towns: 5.9 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 148,092 people share 766 acres.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. 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 Turkey Creek Sanctuary, with 4.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Grapefruit Bike Trails
Park
28 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fred Poppe Regional Park
Park
209 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Veterans Memorial Park
Park
19 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Castaway Point Park
Park
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 24 parks & preserves
Turkey Creek Sanctuary140 acres · 4.8 mi of trail
DirectionsGrapefruit Bike Trails28 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFred Poppe Regional Park209 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Knecht Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCastaway Point Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Goode Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRiviera Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Lynne Manion Nungesser Park23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Palm Bay
DirectionsArc Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Three Forks Conservation Area936 acres
Liberty Park36 acres
Fred Lee Park20 acres
DirectionsSt. Sebastian River Preserve State Park17 acres · Florida State Parks
Palm Bay Paintball Park10 acres
Lynnbrook Park10 acres
DirectionsMcGriff Park10 acres
Grant Flatwoods Sanctuary9 acres
Oakwood Park5 acres · City of Palm Bay
Oak View Park3 acres
Inspiration Park2 acres
Pollack Park2 acres
Madden Park2 acres
DirectionsSacrifice Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,660 conserved acres
3% of Palm Bay’s land. Who manages Palm Bay’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners945 ac
Town or city690 ac
County13 ac
Regional Water Districts1 ac
Not recorded15 ac
State Resource Management Area · 945 acLocal Park · 560 acPrivate Conservation · 146 acState Conservation Area · 13 acUnknown Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| three Forks Conservation Area State Resource Management Area | Private owners | 945 | Open |
| Palm Bay Regional Park Local Park | Town or city | 210 | Open |
| Turkey Creek Sanctuary Private Conservation | Town or city | 130 | Open |
| Riviera Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Liberty Park Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Grapefruit Trail Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| West Oaks Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Mcgriff Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Fred Lee Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Veterans Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
41 places to go in Palm Bay
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Palm Bay
Gardens at Waterstone
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Palm Bay
Playground at Knecht ParkIn Knecht Park
DirectionsPlaysmart Playground
DirectionsPlus 27 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Palm Bay
Fred Poppe Regional Dog ParkIn Fred Poppe Regional Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Palm Bay
Canoe DeckIn Turkey Creek Sanctuary
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Palm Bay
Picnic PavilionIn Turkey Creek Sanctuary
DirectionsPicnic TablesIn Fred Poppe Regional Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Palm Bay
Group CampingIn Fred Poppe Regional Park · Brevard County Parks & Rec
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.0 miUnpaved · 6.2 mi
Red Trail0.6 mi
Turkey Oak Trail0.5 mi
Sand Pine Ridge Trail0.5 mi
Hammock Loop Trail0.4 mi
Alwar Avenue Southwest0.4 mi
Garvey Road Southwest0.4 mi
Scrub Trail0.3 mi
Yellow Trail West0.3 mi
Pinta Terrace0.3 mi
Hibiscus Avenue Southwest0.3 mi
15 more trails
Goodreau Avenue Southwest
0.3 miBanyan Street Southwest
0.3 miConkling Avenue Southwest
0.3 miOlivia Street Southwest
0.2 miAndros Avenuen Southwest
0.2 miBolton Avenue Southwest
0.2 miBaron Avenue Southwest
0.2 miYellow Trail East
0.2 miBimini Avenue Southwest
0.2 miHeron Road Southwest
0.2 miWindy Cove Street Southwest
0.2 miNovak Street Southwest
0.2 miWiseman Street Southwest
0.1 miWisham Street Southwest
0.1 miKrome Street Southwest
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
33Basketball
30Tennis
26Baseball
12Soccer
9Golf
9Pickleball
5Softball
4Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
St. Joseph's Catholic ChurchBuilding · listed 1987
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Palm Bay: 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 | 13.7 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| High (°F) | 72 | 75 | 78 | 82 | 86 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 84 | 78 | 74 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 4.6 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 7.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Palm Bay →
Next door
Palm Bay and its neighbors
Palm Bay has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Bay | 3% | 0.6 | 6 | 46% | C+ |
| Grant-Valkaria | 24% | 0.3 | 756 | 70% | A |
| Malabar | 21% | 2.3 | 472 | 67% | A+ |
| Melbourne | 8% | 1.1 | 9 | 58% | B+ |
| West Melbourne | 3% | 0.7 | 9 | 63% | B− |
| Micco | 5% | 0.9 | 11 | 87% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Palm Bay
Where can I hike in Palm Bay?
The longest trail networks: Turkey Creek Sanctuary, 4.8 miles; Grapefruit Bike Trails, 1.2 miles; Fred Poppe Regional Park, 0.7 miles; Knecht Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Palm Bay is conserved land?
3% 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 Palm Bay’s trails?
Turkey Creek Sanctuary and Grapefruit Bike Trails don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Palm Bay?
9.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.2 of painted or protected lanes and 2.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Palm Bay?
84,294 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Palm Bay or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,679 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Palm Bay have?
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #351 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 Palm Bay 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 →