This place is Florida, or at least the Florida I grew up knowing. During my late teenage years, I visited this place weekly. There are lots of turkeys, eagles, deer, snakes, gators, and wild boar living in the area. Its very popular with hunters.

Mosquitoes!!

On Hwy 76, towards Indiantown, there is a mass burial graveyard of over 1,600 unidentified people who lost their lives in western Palm Beach County as the result of an unnamed Category 5 hurricane in September, 1928.

Camping is free, but when I used to come here there was a $2 day use fee. I haven’t been able to figure out if there still is. However, I still see the iron ranger in recent pictures.

Family Campground:
You can get to the family campground by entering DuPuis through Gate 1; this road is Jim Lake Grade. The sign for the Family Campground is approximately 1 mile down on the left side of the road. There are 16 campsites. At each campsite there is a picnic table and a fire ring. There is no potable water available and there is one port-a-let located at the campground.

Equestrian Campground:
The equestrian campground is located at Gate 3 location. Camping with a tent or a recreational vehicle permitted. Primitive camping facilities include a shower, restrooms, public pay phones, 30 stalls and 15 paddocks. No water or electrical hook-up provided.

The DuPuis Management Area is a 21,875 acre multi-use natural area located in northwestern Palm Beach and southwestern Martin Counties. The property is interspersed with numerous ponds, wet prairies, cypress domes, pine flatwoods, and remnant Everglades marsh. The area provides miles of hiking and horseback trails, an equestrian center, graded vehicle roads, backpack and group campsites, and seasonal hunting. Recreational. DuPuis is far from urban areas, and its dark night sky lends itself to excellent star gazing.

At this site you can explore the visitors’ center with interpretive displays, walk the nature trail and butterfly garden; fish from the partially covered pier; take a 15-mile, self-guided auto tour; picnic or enjoy primitive group and family camping. There are 22 miles of hiking trails, including a segment of the Ocean to Lake Trail (part of the Florida National Scenic Trail), and an equestrian campground with 40 miles of horseback riding trails. Special Saturday events or water resource programs are offered. Learn about these by calling (561) 924-5310.

Prior to District acquisition in 1986, the property was a ranch for Dutch white-belted cattle, sheep and goats. By 2001, more than 6,500 acres of wetlands on DuPuis were restored through a three-step program. Land managers plugged old drainage ditches, repaired a levee at the southern boundary to restore former Everglades marsh and reconnected a portion of the flow from the adjacent J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area.

Archeological sites of early American Indians date to 500 B.C. Much later, the Seminole Indians used the DuPuis region as a refuge during the Seminole Indian War of 1835, but living on the land proved difficult. Hundreds of starving Indians were captured and sent to Oklahoma. The area became known as “The Hungryland.”

For More Information: Call DuPuis at (561) 924-5310

Notes:
On certain hunting days the DuPuis property is closed to general use, which means all uses except hunting. Such uses include the auto tour, camping, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, and fishing. However, the visitors’ center is open for scheduled lectures and visiting hours even when the property is closed for general use. Please check the DuPuis calendar link below for scheduled hunting dates.

Dogs are not allowed in the DuPuis Management Area.

Dupuis.pdf

Scenery level:  

Noise Level: