WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — The 2026 Palm Beach County Natural Areas Festival is set for Saturday, Jan. 31, from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Winding Waters Natural Area, 6161 Haverhill Road, West Palm Beach. The event is free and geared toward families, with hands on exhibits, guided activities, wildlife presentations, and outdoor tours planned across the afternoon.
The festival is hosted by Palm Beach County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management, which manages the county’s Natural Areas System. The department is using the event to highlight what it describes as more than 31,000 acres of protected natural areas across the county, and to encourage visitors of all ages to get outside and explore what is available for hiking, biking, paddling, birdwatching, stargazing, and nature photography.
For Boca Raton readers, this is a chance to see a county natural area up close without committing to a full day trip. Winding Waters Natural Area in West Palm Beach is the festival site, and the schedule is built for drop in visitors, with activities starting shortly after the festival opens and continuing through a sunset hike near the end of the event.
The lineup includes free guided land tours led by ERM staff, with sign-ups handled the day of at the registration table on a first come, first served basis. Scheduled options include a 1:30 p.m. gopher tortoise hike, a 1:30 p.m. scavenger hunt, and a 1:45 p.m. session titled “What Did You Catch in the Trap?” Later in the afternoon, ERM lists a 2:45 p.m. “History of Winding Waters Walk,” followed by a 3:30 p.m. gopher tortoise hike and a 4 p.m. history walk.
The festival also includes a free 5K fun trail run, but registration is required in advance through Eventbrite.
Kayak tours are part of the day as well. ERM lists a 1 p.m. tour that requires advance registration on Eventbrite. Additional kayak tours at 2:45 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. are scheduled as day-of sign-ups at the registration table, first come, first served.
Yoga sessions are also on the schedule, with pre-registration encouraged through Eventbrite or the option to sign up the day of, first come, first served. The yoga lineup includes “Inhale Nature: Breath Work & Hatha Yoga” at 2:30 p.m., “Enhance Nature: Seated Restorative Yoga” at 4 p.m., and a 5 p.m. session listed as “Breath Work, Movement & Sound.”
One of the most unusual parts of the program is a prescribed burn demonstration. ERM’s Prescribed Fire Burn Crew is slated to conduct activities beginning at 2:30 p.m. with pre-burn components, followed by a 3 p.m. burn operation, and a 5 p.m. post-burn hike. The county describes the burn demonstration as a way for visitors to learn how fire is integral to natural areas, with ERM’s burn boss and crew stationed at the hike meetup area.
The festival schedule also includes a 2:45 p.m. “Python Capture” presentation focused on invasive species control in Florida. That session is listed as being led by staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at the hike meetup area.
A sunset hike is planned for 5:30 p.m. ERM describes it as a final wrap up of the festival with a view of the sunset over the water.
For families, the Kids Zone runs the full length of the event from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The county lists live animals, face painting, touch a truck, a bioblitz, games, Smokey Bear, and arts and crafts as part of the area’s programming.
Additional offerings listed for the day include a native plant sale, wildlife features, food trucks, a passport game with prizes, interactive environmental exhibitors, an exotic pet amnesty component, and a wildflower seed giveaway.
The county notes that Palm Beach County natural areas are home to hundreds of plant and animal species, including gopher tortoises, alligators, snail kites, and numerous wading birds. The festival is designed to showcase both the beauty and the importance of these sites through activities that blend recreation with education.
Visitors can attend without registering, but the county notes that optional registration is available to receive updates and reminders. Advance registration is required for the 5K fun trail run and for the 1 p.m. kayak tour.
For more information and registration links, the county directs the public to its festival page.
See the event website for more details: Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management
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