Blowing Rocks Preserve

Blowing Rocks Preserve is a 73-acre Nature Conservancy property on the Atlantic coast of Jupiter Island, a short drive south of Hobe Sound proper. The preserve protects a stretch of barrier island where the shoreline is dominated by an Anastasia limestone outcrop — a craggy, wave-battered rock platform that is one of the largest of its kind on the US Atlantic coast. At high tide, particularly in winter, surf forces through crevices and blowholes in the rock and sends jets of water into the air.

The preserve also protects Indian River Lagoon on its western side, a globally important estuary that supports manatees, sea turtles, and hundreds of bird species. Gopher tortoises live in the upland scrub area between the ocean and lagoon. Sea turtles nest on the beach here in summer — the preserve has an active nest monitoring program. The combination of ocean geology, estuary ecology, and nesting wildlife in a compact area makes this one of the better nature stops on the Treasure Coast.

things to do sight wildlife
A story
The Anastasia limestone formation at Blowing Rocks is one of the largest on the US Atlantic coast and was formed from ancient reef deposits during the last ice age. In winter, when north Atlantic storms drive heavy surf from the northeast, waves force into natural tunnels and channels in the rock and shoot plumes of water 30 to 40 feet into the air — the phenomenon that gives the preserve its name. The violence of the waves during these episodes contrasts sharply with the serenity of the Indian River Lagoon on the preserve's western side.