Since June 30, 2026, there has been no way to rent a boat at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. The Hobe Sound entrance still leads to the Loxahatchee, but the kayaks, canoes and the Loxahatchee Queen are gone. Through this fall and winter, the park is built around two kinds of visitor: people who arrive with their own boat, and people who arrive on foot.
For everyone else, the easiest way to Trapper Nelson's homestead now leaves from Riverbend Park on Indiantown Road in Jupiter, at the top of a paddle route that runs up to 8.5 miles down to the park and stops at the homestead about halfway. If you plan around that, you'll still have a good season at a park that has lost its rental counter.
What stopped on June 30, and what hasn't restarted
The Florida State Parks page for Jonathan Dickinson still lists every concession as unavailable. That covers canoe, kayak and bicycle rentals, boat tours, and the food, drinks, ice and souvenirs that came with them. In July, WPTV reported that the previous operator's contract had expired and that approving a replacement could take months. CBS12 reported that the store and food truck closed along with the rentals.
The state has started looking for a new operator. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection put out a call for business plans for a concession covering boat tours, event management, food and beverage, and recreational equipment rental. Proposals were due by 5 p.m. on Friday, July 10, 2026. More than three months later, the park's own page still lists no new operator and no reopening date. For now, plan any trip as if the rental dock will stay empty.
The land side is shrinking too
Several other parts of the park are also closed or partly closed heading into November.
| Amenity | Status this season | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Canoe, kayak, motorboat rentals | Unavailable | Since June 30, 2026 |
| Loxahatchee Queen and other boat tours | Unavailable | Since June 30, 2026 |
| The park's 11 cabins | Closed for renovation | Starting October 18, 2026 |
| Hobe Mountain Observation Tower | Closed | Boardwalk stays open |
| Kitching Creek Nature Trail | Trail open | Overlook closed |
| River Campground south bathhouses | Closed for renovation | North bathhouse and south family/ADA bathroom with shower stay open |
| Pine Grove and River campgrounds | Listed with reservations | 90 sites and 52 sites |
| Boat ramp | Open | $4 plus tax, on top of park entry |
The tower is the longest-running closure. WFLX reported in September that the Hobe Mountain Observation Tower has been closed to visitors for more than two years over safety concerns. At the end of the last legislative session, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $2 million that had been set aside for repairs and improvements at the park. State Sen. Gayle Harrell told the station, "This is an iconic piece of history that we want to preserve." The boardwalk up through the scrub is still open, so the climb is still there even though the view from the top isn't.
The cabin closure matters most for anyone who hosts visitors. The cabins sleep four to six, take bookings up to 11 months ahead, and gave out-of-town family a place to stay inside the park. With them offline from October 18, the campgrounds are the only overnight option left in the park.
Trapper Nelson's is open, but only by your own boat
The park's best-known destination hasn't closed. Since July, Trapper Nelson's Interpretive Site has been open to personal watercraft Wednesday through Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is closed on Tuesdays. Before June 30, a family without a boat could ride the Loxahatchee Queen upriver. Now the homestead is open to anyone who can get there under their own power.
If you own a kayak, canoe or small boat, the park still works much as it always has. The park says paddlers may use its boat ramp with their own equipment. The ramp fee is $4 plus tax, charged on top of park entry. The river is idle speed inside the park. With no store at the river, pack the water, ice and lunch the concession used to sell.
Riverbend has become the way in
If you don't own a boat, start in Jupiter. Palm Beach County lists Jupiter Outdoor Center as the rental concession at Riverbend Park, 9060 Indiantown Road. Its Riverbend rental page lists single kayaks from $40, tandem kayaks and canoes from $60 for two people, and bikes from $20. Rentals come in two-hour, half-day and full-day blocks, and weekend hours are listed as running until 8 p.m. Riverbend sits on the upper Loxahatchee, the narrow stretch under the cypress canopy, so a rental gets you onto the same Wild and Scenic river from its upstream end.
The outfitter also runs a full-day guided tour that covers the whole river, from Riverbend down to Jonathan Dickinson. It is the closest thing to the old Loxahatchee Queen trip still running. As listed, the day goes like this:
- Check in at Riverbend Park about 10 minutes before the start for gear fitting and a safety briefing.
- Launch onto the upper Loxahatchee under the cypress canopy.
- Stop midday at Trapper Nelson's homestead for a picnic lunch you bring yourself.
- Finish one of three ways. You can paddle the rest of the way to the Jonathan Dickinson boat ramp, paddle to the ramp and board a pontoon for a cruise toward the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, or get picked up by pontoon just past Trapper Nelson's when tides allow.
- Take the shuttle back to Riverbend, whichever ending you chose.
The listing covers the kayak, paddles, life vests, guide and return shuttle. Food, drinks and a dry bag are left to you. The route runs up to 8.5 miles, so this is a full day of paddling, not a quick outing. The third ending, with the pontoon pickup just past Trapper Nelson's, is the one that most resembles the old boat tour.
On foot, the ranger calendar runs the season
The park's ranger programs don't depend on a concession, and they are still on the park's programs page. The Scrub Jay Walk runs October through May on the first and third Wednesdays, 9 to 10 a.m., through the sand pine scrub where Florida scrub-jays live. A Guided Nature Walk goes through the scrubby flatwoods and river floodplain every Friday, 2 to 3 p.m., and the route can be muddy. Nature Explorers, aimed at ages 5 to 14 but open to all, meets on the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. The park lists that program as ending at 11:30 a.m. and Discover Martin lists 11 a.m., so check with the Kimbell Education and Visitor Center before you go. Weather or other conditions can cancel any of these.
Here are the next few weeks, with two nearby dates added:
- Friday, October 30: the park's 2 p.m. Guided Nature Walk. That evening from 5:30 to 7:30, the Hobe Sound Nature Center hosts its Creepy Creature Feature, with animal ambassadors, games, crafts and food from Awesome Empanadas.
- Wednesday, November 4: Scrub Jay Walk, 9 a.m.
- Wednesday, November 11: fee-free day at the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge.
- Saturday, November 14: Nature Explorers, 10 a.m.
- Wednesday, November 18: Scrub Jay Walk, 9 a.m.
Hikers still have plenty of ground. The 1.5-mile Kitching Creek Nature Trail, the 0.5-mile Wilson Creek Nature Trail, the 0.75-mile River Trail and a 9.4-mile section of the Florida Trail's Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail are all listed. So is a 2-mile paved multiuse trail that runs beside the park drive from the main picnic and river area. None of them needed a concession before June 30, and none need one now. For a guest who doesn't paddle, a Wednesday scrub-jay walk followed by the Hobe Mountain boardwalk makes a full morning in the park. Pack your own cooler, because nothing at the river is selling ice.
If your plans for the river this season include a guest, a new boat or the full Riverbend-to-Hobe Sound paddle, Kristen Danzig and Amanda Caracuzzo are glad to share what we're hearing about the park as the concession search continues. Find it. Love it. Own it.
