In December, we led our first urban hike and explored the tree-lined streets in Coral Gables and South Miami. The hike started and ended at the University Metrorail Station, so hikers would have the option of using public transportation. Highlights included:

• Matheson Hammock Park, a 630-acre oceanside urban park. The park’s unique features include a man-made atoll pool, which is flushed naturally with the tidal action of adjacent Biscayne Bay.
• Old Cutler Trail, which follows along Old Cutler Road, a natural limestone ridge along Biscayne Bay. In 1883, residents of the farming town of Cutler and Coconut Grove cut the first overland route connecting the two towns. It was subsequently widened to a wagon trail and declared a public road in 1895. 

If you’d like to recreate the hike on your own, check out the route map from our volunteer Leah W.