Most visitors to Palm Beach make a beeline for Worth Avenue, the South’s version of California’s Rodeo Drive. But as someone who lives just across the bridge in West Palm Beach, I can tell you that one of the island’s best attractions doesn’t involve shopping at all.
The car-free Lake Trail is where locals go to walk, run, bike and generally remind ourselves how lucky we are to live here. I frequent it myself and always see someone I know; it’s one of my favorite ways to experience Palm Beach beyond its designer storefronts and famously high hedges.
Running roughly 5.5 miles along the island’s western shoreline, the narrow paved path offers unobstructed views across the Lake Worth Lagoon toward West Palm Beach, plus passing yachts, historic estates, towering palms and some seriously impressive landscaping.
There’s no need to tackle the whole thing. I recommend heading north from the Royal Park Bridge for some of the prettiest waterfront scenery, and keep an eye out for the sprawling, almost otherworldly roots of the enormous kapok tree (known as the Big Tree) near the Flagler Museum; it’s a local landmark.
Golden hour is my favorite time to go, when the light is stunning and the island’s regular walkers, runners and cyclists are out enjoying their daily wind-down routine. But early morning, before the Florida sun gets too ambitious, is lovely, too, especially since shade along the trail is limited.
Best of all? Unlike most things in Palm Beach, this particular luxury costs absolutely nothing.