Aerial 360° Panoramic Above Black Point Wildlife Drive.

Black Point Wildlife Drive in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge is a 7-mile one-way drive along a dike road around shallow marsh and pine environments. The drive has several areas where you can pull your vehicle to the side and view the natural Florida scenery and wildlife. There are two areas where you can park and hike trails.

The first spot you will encounter to pull over is at the Wild Birds Unlimited Trail that is a 1/4 mile with two wooden docks for viewing wildlife. You can walk the trail in about 30 mins but you should take your time to view the variety of wildlife. The second area of the Black Point Wildlife Drive where you can pull off is the Allan D. Cruickshank Memorial Trail. This trial is a 5 mile loop and will take you about 2-4 hours to walk. There are a few places you you stop and rest along this trail and take in the natural Florida landscape. The trail is names after Allan D. Cruickshank, a famous wildlife photographer, writer and naturalist who was instrumental in establishing the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge in 1963. If you decide to walk either trail, it is smart to bring water, sunscreen and insect repellent.

I have seen a lot of wildlife while driving and hiking this part of the refuge. Wildlife such as:

• Alligators
• Wild Boar
• Roseate Spoonbill
• Wood Stork
• Ibis
• Egrets
• Florida Scrub Jay
• Blue Heron
• Gopher Tortoise
• Waterfowl
• Osprey

and I have seen many more. The Black Point Wildlife Drive is popular with wildlife photographers, bird watchers and tourist.

Aerial images of Black Point Wildlife Drive

The best time to visit Black Point is in the early morning or the evening with peak wildlife season between October and March. I should also note there is a $5.00 fee for Black Point Wildlife Drive and for Bio Lab Road.

360° little planet video while driving down the Black Point Wildlife Drive using the Theta S 360 camera.