Explore the earliest landscapes and inhabitants of the Indian River area.
This site offers 2.8 miles of hiking trails that guide visitors through palm hammock, mangrove forest, and marshlands along the Indian River. A short, accessible Discovery Loop provides a fascinating introduction to the Native American history of the area. It features interpretive panels and open-air exhibits describing the dramatic changes in the landscape that have occurred since the Ice Age as well as life-size depictions of the imposing prehistoric animals—mammoths, mastodons, giant tree sloths, and the large, tank-like glyptodonts—that once roamed here. Hands-on exhibits illustrate the lifeways and habitations of the Native American communities that inhabited this area through the centuries. Close to the parking lot a path leads to an ancient Native American burial mound, partially excavated in 1895 by the early archaeologist Clarence B. Moore. It offers a close-up view of one of the many shell mounds that lined the banks of the Indian River.
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