Cruickshank Trail at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

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See the Hiking Trails web page for an interactive location map.

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Length: 4.8-mile loop
Time: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy

Typical terrain along the Cruickshank Trail at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Allan D. Cruickshank (1907-1974) was a wildlife photographer and naturalist who was instrumental in creating Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. This trail is named in his honor, and it is the longest trail in both Merritt Island NWR and Canaveral National Seashore. It is accessible only by driving, biking, or hiking the Black Point Wildlife Drive. There is a small fee to use the road regardless of your method of travel. You can purchase a pass at the Merritt Island NWR Visitor Center or at the self-pay kiosk at the start of the drive if you have exact change or a check. See the Merritt Island NWR Visit Us web page for the latest fees.

The Cruickshank Trail is a great place to see birds and possibly an alligator, and it is my favorite trail at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It runs entirely along the top of a dike, so there are either canals, ponds, or marshes surrounding nearly every foot of the trail. The dikes were built to control the Salt Marsh mosquito population. Mosquitoes can potentially lay as many as two billion eggs per acre. Salt Marsh mosquitoes lays eggs in the mud, so flooding the area during breeding season would prevent them from doing so.

The trail forms a loop, and this loop begins right at the parking lot. You have a choice of taking a left and hiking the trail in the clockwise direction or staying straight and hiking in the counterclockwise direction. I chose to go straight, and my review is from that perspective. However, you are free to travel in either direction, as it makes no difference.

Cruickshank Trail Map (click to enlarge)

The trail is completely flat, grassy, and exposed to the sun no matter which way you hike around it. Mile markers give the distances hiked in either direction. According to my GPS, they are accurate.

Typical terrain along the Cruickshank Trail at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Being flat with very little tall vegetation, there is likely to be a nice breeze that will help keep the mosquitoes away. However, there are still plenty of them year-round, so bring insect repellant with you just in case. If there is no breeze, you’ll definitely need it.

The first body of water you will encounter is Black Point Creek (on your right). To your immediate left is a canal, and just beyond the canal and encompassing the entire interior area encircled by the Cruickshank Trail are ponds and marshes.

Black Point Creek in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Pelicans and coots in the marsh along the Cruickshank Trail in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

There is a covered shelter with benches located about every mile-and-a-quarter around the trail, three in all. The first one comes just short of a mile into the hike.

One of three shelters along the Cruickshank Trail in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

One of the little discussed invasive species to the area is the fire ant. Whenever you stop to take a photo or watch birds in the canals and ponds, be sure to first look down at your feet to make sure you are not standing in a fire ant hill. I’ve been the victim of fire ants three times in my life. The fact that I can remember all three should tell you that the experience is not pleasant. While bees and flying insects tend you sting you when you attempt to shoe them away, fire ants bite you just for the hell of it.

A mile into the hike, the trail curves around to the left, and for the next 2.5 miles you will be walking with the Indian River on your right. This is a very large body of water, so it’s not the best place to see birds. Fortunately, the inland marsh is still on your left, and this is where you need to keep your focus.

Marsh encircled by the Allan Cruickshank Trail at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

During my trip around the Cruickshank Trail, I did not see many large birds until the halfway point where the terrain becomes much more open and grassier. For the first mile or so the inner section of the loop is covered in mangroves and other brush. Once the terrain opened up, I saw the highly sought after Roseate spoonbill, along with wood storks, herons, and anhingas. In the mangrove areas the birds tend to be ducks and coots.

Grassy terrain near the halfway point on the Cruickshank Trail at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Roseate Spoonbills at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Roseate Spoonbill at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Blue Heron and Wood Stork at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Great Blue Herron and Ibis at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Turkey Vulture at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Great Blue Heron at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Anhinga at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

I also saw many small crabs crossing the trail back and forth from the Indian River to the marsh.

Crab prepares to defend himself from a hiker on the Cruickshank Trail on Merritt Island

On a mid-March hike around the Cruickshank Trail, I came across a horseshoe crab love-in. The smaller male crab latches onto the back of the larger female and they stroll around while he fertilizes the eggs. There were dozens of horseshoe crabs mating at certain coves, and then I’d come to another cove and there were dozens of dead horseshoe crabs. I wondered if after mating they died, but that’s not so. A horseshoe crab can live up to 20 years, and death has nothing to do with mating.

Horseshoe crab love-in along the Cruickshank Trail on Merritt Island

Horseshoe crabs mating, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

At the 3.6 mile mark on the hike, the trail curves away from the Indian River and proceeds along a wide channel (on the right) for the remaining mile or so. It is along this section that I saw my first and only alligator on the trail, which equals the total I saw along Black Point Wildlife Drive. He was located on the inside of the loop where the marsh is, not in the channel.

Alligator in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

A half mile from the end of the Cruickshank Trail is an observation deck with a spotting scope. From here you can look out over the marsh.

Observation deck on the Cruickshank Trail at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

View of the march from the Cruickshank Trail observation deck

It may just have been the day, but I saw more large birds along the Cruickshank Trail than along Black Point Wildlife Drive. I never saw any spoonbills, storks, or herons along the road, though it is certainly possible that you may see plenty of them when you visit. So, is hiking the Cruickshank Trail worth the effort when you can see plenty of birds from the comfort of your air conditioned vehicle? If hiking five miles is no big deal to you and / or you want some exercise, by all means, hike the trail. I enjoyed it because I never knew what was going to be around the next corner, and in truth, on foot is the best way to see animals. Of course you can walk the Black Point Wildlife Drive, but that is seven miles along a dirt road where cars will pass you by, kicking up dust with each pass. On the Cruickshank Trail you have nice grass to walk on. Drive the road, walk the trail. That’s my recommendation.

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