Howell Park

What a cute little park nestled in Atlantic Beach. Howell Park is not huge, but it has a lot of nice shaded walking trails with streams running through the middle of the park.I was looking to explore some new trails with my dog Simba and I found this spot. I parked across the street at a larger park as parking is limited. There was a crosswalk on Seminole. There were many different trails throughout the park but no signage with directions. So we wondered through the trails for about an hour. Most of the trails end on a residential street. There were a few picnic tables under trees if you are interested in having lunch in the park. I saw several turtles hanging out in the water. This would be a fun nature walk with children and or your pets.

I am torn between 3 and 4 stars on this one. Imagine 3- 4 long trails all running parallel to each other with numerous crossing paths through out and that is the basic gist of this park. Parking is odd. No real parking lot, just gravel sections or dirt sections that people pull in and park haphazardly. I had actual pulled into a dirt area at the south end of the park, where it was obvious others had parked, but it was right next to homes and a residential area! I opted to circle the park instead. On the west side- tucked down a one way street is a loop and sections where people parked. Again- nothing like a real parking lot- just dirt and gravel and cars strewn about. But- I parked, away from the other cars and got out to explore. The paths are wide! Looks like crushed shells are the walkways with plenty of bridges and boardwalks thrown in to cross various waterways and marsh lands. The wood looks newer too- so they must have done a recent makeover. There is a lift station in the center of the park and your nose will pick up the scent associated with it. I walked approx 2 1/2 of the longer North-South loops. Birding would be the biggest thing to enjoy here. I also spotted some turtles too. I encountered a plethora of dog walkers, a few cyclists and only one other hiker. I did pause for a moment and looked to the canopy above to admire all the small birds flitting about. I am so used to watching where I am hiking- to look for trip hazards and other on the ground treasures, it was refreshing to stop and just enjoy the flight acrobatics that were happening above. I feel like this park is a 3.5 star park. More than just 3 but not quite a 4. There are also plenty of picnic tables through to the park- be warned, with all the water it is buggy. There are only a handful of benches though. If you lived right there in an adjacent neighborhood- I could see this as part of your daily routine!

Beautiful green space at the beach. It would be a nice spot to have a picnic. They also have posted information about the vegetation in the area.