Permeable Trail Through Nature Reserve

The nature observation trail at Rookery Bay is a barrier free pathway through one of Florida’s most scenic and environmentally sensitive areas. 

Maintaining a stable walkway through a popular nature reserve in a notorious soft-soil area was challenging. Accommodating barrier free access as well as minimizing the environmental disturbance compounded the challenge. 

Visitors come to Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve to enjoy thousands of acres of the subtropical mangrove forested estuary, its marshes and inhabitants. When creating the pathway through the reserve, Engineer Michael Schwier at LPA Group, Inc., Tallahassee, FL chose the Presto GEOPAVE® system to stabilize the trail surface. 

The GEOPAVE structure stabilizes and maintains the permeability of open-graded aggregate infill and is ADA wheelchair accessible. Over 15,000 sq ft. (some 2,800 units) of GEOPAVE material was installed on the winding pathway.