State Parks and Nature With Your Dog

Florida's state parks welcome leashed dogs on most trails and in picnic areas but keep them off the beaches, and Everglades National Park keeps pets off every trail. The easiest nature walk with a dog is Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, about five minutes from the house, and Broward County's parks fill in the rest. Here are the rules, park by park, checked in September 2026.

How the Florida State Parks pet rules work

Florida State Parks says that in most of its parks, well-behaved pets on a six-foot, hand-held leash, or otherwise under physical control, are welcome on hiking trails, in picnic areas and in campgrounds. The limits are the same everywhere:

• No pets on beaches, boardwalks or playgrounds, or in bathing areas, cabins, park buildings or concession facilities.
• In coastal parks, pets stay off the sand and out of the water so they don't disturb shorebirds, sea turtles or their nests.
• Never leave a pet unattended, and pick up after it every time.
• Each park can add its own limits, so ask at the ranger station if you are unsure about a trail.

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

Hugh Taylor Birch State Park (3109 E. Sunrise Blvd.) is the closest state park to the house, about five minutes by car. It opens at 8 am and closes at sunset every day. The park's Friends group puts the rule simply: pets on a hand-held leash no longer than six feet, well behaved and under control at all times. That covers the park's roads and picnic areas and, under the statewide rule, most hiking trails; ask at the entrance station if you are unsure about one. The beach is off-limits to dogs, as are boardwalks, playgrounds and park buildings. For everything else the park offers, see our Hugh Taylor Birch State Park guide.

Mizell-Johnson and Oleta River

At Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach, about 25 minutes south, pets are not allowed on the beach or along the natural shoreline of any waterway in the park. Elsewhere they must be on a six-foot, hand-held leash and well behaved, never left unattended, with droppings picked up and put in the trash.

Oleta River State Park, about 35 minutes south in Miami-Dade County, follows the same statewide rules: leashes no longer than six feet, and no pets on the beach, boardwalks or playgrounds, or in bathing areas, cabins, buildings or concessions. The park has a 3-mile paved trail and miles of mountain bike trails; check with the park about which ones suit a dog.

Broward County parks

Broward County's rule is short: dogs stay on a non-retractable six-foot leash at all times, and they are not permitted in nature centers or natural areas. That means Fern Forest Nature Center is a trip to make without the dog. The county does list leashed dogs as welcome at parks including Tree Tops Park in Davie, Markham Park in Sunrise, Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach and Easterlin Park in Oakland Park, about 15 minutes from the house.

For off-leash time, the county runs two leash-free dog parks, Barkham at Markham Park and Woofing Waters at Quiet Waters Park, which closes seasonally. Both charge a daily fee or membership and want proof of rabies vaccination showing the date. Fort Lauderdale's own city parks have allowed leashed dogs since November 2024; the dog parks guide has the details.

Everglades National Park and Big Cypress

The National Park Service allows pets in Everglades National Park only on roads open to public traffic, in roadside campgrounds and picnic areas, and on the maintained grounds around park facilities. Pets are not allowed on any trail, whether boardwalk, paved or unpaved, which rules out the Anhinga Trail, and not on unpaved roads or the Shark Valley tram road. The leash limit is six feet, and you cannot leave a pet unattended. With a dog, the Everglades is a scenic drive with stops, not a hike.

Big Cypress National Preserve, farther west on the Tamiami Trail, is similar. Its rules, updated in July 2025, allow pets in campgrounds, picnic areas, grassy areas by the parking lots and at pullouts along the paved scenic drives, but not on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry or in visitor centers. If you want a real walk in the woods with your dog, Hugh Taylor Birch and the county parks above are closer and more welcoming.

Alligators and fresh water

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is clear on this: keep pets on a leash and away from the water's edge, and never let them swim in fresh or brackish water, even for a few minutes. To an alligator a dog can look like prey, and alligators are most active between dusk and dawn. If an alligator seems to threaten people or pets, call the FWC's Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286). There is more on heat, storms and wildlife in Keeping Your Dog Safe in South Florida.

Parks and their dog rules

Drive times are from the house without traffic; rules were checked in September 2026.

Park	Dogs allowed	Dogs not allowed	From the house
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park	On a hand-held six-foot leash in most of the park	Beach, boardwalks, playgrounds, buildings	About 5 min
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park	On a six-foot leash away from the water	Beach and natural shorelines	About 25 min
Oleta River State Park	On a six-foot leash	Beach, boardwalks, playgrounds, buildings	About 35 min
Broward County parks (Tree Tops, Markham, Quiet Waters, Easterlin)	On a non-retractable six-foot leash	Nature centers and natural areas, including Fern Forest	15 to 35 min
Everglades National Park	Roads, roadside campgrounds and picnic areas, grounds near facilities	All trails and boardwalks, unpaved roads, Shark Valley tram road	1.5 to 2 hr
Big Cypress National Preserve	Campgrounds, picnic areas, scenic-drive pullouts	Boardwalks, hiking trails, backcountry, visitor centers	About 2 hr

After a day out, the dog-friendly beaches are the other way to cool off, and the outdoor shower at the house takes care of muddy paws.

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