Last updated on February 1st, 2025 at 10:00 am
In the far reaches of Palm Beach County, the Dupuis Management Area is flush with birds, scenic wetlands, cypress forests and pinewoods prairies.
A day trip into these wetlands and forests for paddling, fishing, hiking, off-road bicycling or a casual drive through the refuge is a rewarding outing, even better if you’re camping here.
Get an early start because it’s slow going on unpaved roads once you get there. Picnickers won’t find picnic tables, but they can find some stunning scenery for an afternoon of solitude.
Bring everything you need and leave nothing behind.
If you are looking for a place to camp, you can camp free the Dupuis Management Area, which is under the jurisdiction of the South Florida Water Management District.
Tent campers and tent trailers are allowed in the Family Campground, while RV’s and motorhomes are restricted to the Equestrian Campground.
The campgrounds no longer close during hunting season, according to refuge manager Kim Willis, and the refuge is open all year, 24/7.
BEFORE YOU GO: Be sure to check hunting season dates lower in this story.
Family Campground for tents at Dupuis
The Family Campground is a bucolic oasis one mile deep into the refuge, away from the rumbling farm trucks along the Kanner Highway.
I loved this campground for its scenic beauty and access to trails, both for hiking and bicycling. For kayaking and canoeing, though, you’ll have to drive six miles deeper into the preserve, 13 miles for more satisfying paddling experience.
Only tents and tent trailers are allowed on the 16 spacious sites, which form a ring around a quiet, scenic pond. Many of the sites are shaded, some are waterfront. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring, and there are two composting outhouses available to campers.
No other amenities. No hookups, no showers, although there is a single spigot with drinkable water near the campground host. Generators are not permitted.
Access to the family campground is through Gate 1 off the Kanner Highway. A combination to the gate will be provide when you apply for the special-use permit.
RV Campground is also free
Travel trailers and motorhomes are welcome in Equestrian Campground, which was recently divided into two sections, one for horse owners and the other for everybody else.
The Equestrian section is still dispersed (open-field) camping, but the non-Equestrian section has been improved with picnic tables and fire rings, and each site is marked. There are no hookups in either section. Spigots with potable water are shared.
The campground has a rest room with showers, a stable and a dump station. Generators are permitted but hours are restricted.
Like the Family Campground, you’ll need to obtain a special-use permit at sfwmd.gov to gain access through the campground gate at Gate 3 off the Kanner Highway. There is no fee for camping.
Dark Skies: Dupuis is heralded by amateur astronomers for its dark skies. Slotted in an unpopulated area between Lake Okeechobee and the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, its night sky is free of light pollution, offering a clear view of the heavens, especially around the New Moon.
Hiking and Biking
There is a designated parking area for hikers and bicyclists inside Gate 2, but you are welcome to enter the refuge any time, day or night, to explore the refuge on well-maintained shell-rock roads and the 22 miles of trails maintained by the Florida Trail Association.
There are four loop trails that range from 5 miles to nearly 16 miles.
For a shorter hike, park at Gate 2 and hike one-mile round trip to the old “Governor’s House,” a small structure former owners of the refuge used as a camping cabin. There are picnic tables adjacent to the house. You can also drive to the house on Jim Lake Grade from Gate 1.
All of the marked roads are open to bicycles, but bicycles are not welcome on loop trails, horse trails or the Dupuis section of the Ocean-to-Lake Trail.
A Trail Guide is available for download at sfwmd.gov
Historical note: The Seminole Indians used the DuPuis region as a refuge during the Seminole Indian War of 1835, but living on the land proved difficult. Hundreds of starving Indians were captured and sent to Oklahoma. The area became known as “The Hungryland.”
Kayaks and canoes in Dupuis
Opportunities for kayaking and canoeing are limited and hard to reach.
From Gate 1, take the Jim Lakes Grade to the Dupuis Grade, and follow the shell-rock road for 7.5 miles to the fishing pier, where there is a small open water area bound by marsh. There is not much area to paddle, but it’s excellent for fishing. No motors are allowed.
A better launch is 13 miles south of Gate 1 on the Powerline Grade (turn left inside the refuge at Gate 1). The open-water marsh offers freedom to roam.
Park manager Willis says the marsh is not difficult, fairly easy to find your way back to the launch point, but she says it wouldn’t hurt to bring a GPS. Motors are OK here, and you may encounter a few jon boats.
The alligator population is thick, so exercise caution. Like other wildlife in the refuge, alligators are unlikely to bother you unless you bother them.
Birds and Wildlife
A notable stop on the Great Florida Birding Trail, the Dupuis refuge features mesic oak hammocks, cypress domes, pine flatwoods and wetlands that harbor almost 160 species of birds, from anhingas and warblers to falcons, eagles and owls.
From the main entrance at Gate 1, which is open 24/7, turn left (south) for the 7.5 mile drive to the fishing pier. Along the way, check wetlands for Eastern Phoebes and pines for Wild Turkeys. From the roadside, you may spot Red-cockaded Woodpeckers.
Songbirds are common throughout the refuge.
For a compilation of bird sightings, visit eBird.org, download a bird checklist at myfwc.com, and download a map at sfwmd.gov.
The refuge’s Visitor Center is no longer open, and the refuge’s office is off limits to visitors, but you can call the refuge’s manager at (561) 924-5310, Ext. 3333, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Hunting Season in Dupuis (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025)
Every region in Florida has different dates for hunting season. These dates apply to the Dupuis Wildlife Management Area.
- Archery Season — Sep 13 – Sep 15, Sep 20 – Sep 22, Sep 27 – Sep 29
- General Gun Mobility-Impaired Season — Nov 2 – Nov 3
- General Gun Season — Nov 8 – Nov 10, Nov 15 – Nov 17
- Muzzleloading Gun Season — Oct 11 – Oct 13, Oct 18 – Oct 20, Oct 25 – Oct 27
- Small Game Season — Dec 7 – Jan 26
- Spring Turkey Season — Feb 22 – Feb 23, Mar 4 – Mar 6, Mar 14 – Mar 16, Mar 21 – Mar 23
- Wild Hog-Still Season — Nov 19 – Nov 21, Dec 3 – Dec 5, Apr 12 – Apr 20, May 10 – May 18
A place to stay and things to do nearby
Seminole Inn, Indiantown — Full of charm with a broad porch with inviting rocking chairs, a lobby with a handsome fireplace and a dining room with hardwood floors, a 12-foot pecky cypress ceiling and large arched windows. Each of the inn’s 22 rooms is decorated differently with Old Florida decor. For more information, go to seminoleinn.com or call 772-597-3777.
Martin Grade Scenic Highway. Known locally as “The Grade”, County Road 714 starts at the Beeline Highway (CR 710), north of Indiantown, is a 12-mile scenic highway to Stuart with an oak canopy that passes through ranch lands, wetlands and the Alapattah Flats Wildlife Management Area, myfwc.com/recreation/cooperative/allapattah-flats
Discover more from Florida Rambler
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I’m a few years out from retirement and will be taking more trips here in my home state, probably in the cooler months. I’m in the western mountains in the summers.