Hiking in South Florida is one of the most interesting things you can do but is often overlooked thanks to the glorious beaches and watersports activities available to us here. Taking an airboat into the Everglades is usually the only way people experience this magnificent and wild Florida landscape, if at all.
Yet hiking into the Everglades can be brilliant fun and it’s also one of the few free things to do in South Florida. Just don’t do it in August, as you most likely won’t enjoy it unless you don’t mind getting your feet (and possibly more) wet, and being eaten alive by mosquitos. Some people hike here in August, believe it or not.
I am not one of them.
As I am writing this from the comfort of my airconditioned home in August, longing for the temperatures and humidity to give us just a little break, I can’t wait to get back out there. Winter is coming, just keep the faith, and here is a little adventure that is great for those months when the heat and humidity are letting up a bit.
I got the idea for this hike from the Florida Rambler website, it is my go-to when I am stuck for things to do. Check it out.
Accessing The Mighty Florida Trail Right Off Alligator Alley
I have written about some other trails in State Parks around South Florida, for example here and here. The Florida trail is somewhat different though, magnificent and in parts quite wild, wet, and unhospitable. It runs the massive length of about 1000 miles from Big Cypress through the center of the state, ending in Pensacola in the panhandle.
Most of us won’t have the time or inclination to ever want to complete the whole thing. However, why not get a little taster of it? Being able to “hop” on the Florida Trail right off Alligator Alley makes it an easy day-trip from either the west or the east coast metro areas.
Stepping into the Big Cypress National Preserve, even if just for a day, gives you a distinct feel of “wilderness” and being immersed into the real Everglades. You don’t feel like a tourist here but more like an explorer. And best of all: you won’t ever see more than a couple of people all day, if you’ll see any at all.
The Florida trail can be accessed quite easily at the Collier County Rest Area at Mile Marker 63, right off Alligator Alley, a little over half-way on your way from Fort Lauderdale to Naples. It couldn’t be more convenient, could it?
Our Experience Of The Florida Trail In Big Cypress
One day in April we decided to head out there and see what the Florida trail is all about. I was training for a long-distance walk in the UK, so needed to get some miles under my belt.
We parked our car at the Big Cypress MM63 parking lot which is on the other side of the actual Collier County Rest Area. In the parking lot you will already notice the large gate leading to the northbound section of the Florida Trail. On the opposite side of the road (south side of Alligator Alley) you can get on the southbound Florida Trail section. We decided to do the northbound trail as I had read several accounts of the southbound part being wet and swampy, even in winter.
It did seem a bit eerie on the morning we went, almost abandoned, with only the sound of Alligator Alley behind us and the sounds of nature in front of us…
There were a couple of other cars there as we got there, but you do get the feeling of heading out into the wilderness all by yourself as soon as you open the gate. Yes, even right next to Alligator Alley.
Just past the gate you will see a map to photograph as well as a wooden stand to sign in and out of the trail, both of which I would encourage you to do. You can’t really get lost if you decide to stay on the main trail, following it in and out. However, if you want to do the loop pictured on the map or venture off-trail for a while, definitely carry a picture of the map. Also, it seems prudent to have some type of orientational device even if it is just a compass and/or GPS.
I don’t know about you, but it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling to at least have a rudimentary idea of where I am at any given point during the walk.
The Hike Into Big Cypress Preserve
I say that with as much love as I have for the Everglades and trails (and Florida), but you might at first find the trail fairly unremarkable at the beginning. It’s a straightforward clear path through a variation of wood and brush habitats, and with the vegetation being quite high, you don’t see much at first.
Thanks to a wide trail that seems well maintained, this part is easy to hike and great for people with a variety of abilities. I would recommend long pants and good walking boots nonetheless, if not for comfort (we all just want to wear shorts, don’t we?!) then at least for the protection they offer from unwanted creepy crawlies and yes, snakes.
I did get a little paranoid after we saw and heard a small rattler just a couple of feet away in the grass. I am sure most of the snakes run from humans before we have a chance to hear or see them, but I still felt better wearing long pants and boots.
The deeper you get into the trail, the more fascinating it gets. Soon you will lose the car sounds from Alligator Alley, and you will hear a concert from critters and birds alike. We saw a plethora of butterflies and insects such as very large grasshoppers. We also heard a lot of ominous rustling in the bushes (snakes, lizards, raccoons?) and the whole experience seems to develop as you walk along. Soon it’s easy to forget your day-to-day life out here in this relative wilderness, just concentrating on the trail and the sounds.
It really is a great way to experience the “real” Florida away from theme parks and the beach.
Spot the Gator
You can make this as adventurous as you want. We were quite conservative, especially after seeing and hearing the rattlesnake, and never strayed off the main path. There is the possibility to walk a short loop as well as a larger loop several miles long, or indeed going off into the wilderness altogether. We saw some people doing just that, seemingly going off into the brush.
As long as you are prepared, have the right equipment and lots of water, well why not? You can walk as many miles as you want and for the really adventurous there are primitive camp sites here too.
Have you hiked on any part of the Florida Trail? What are your thoughts?