Getting To Big Cypress National Preserve
- By Rebecca Latson - January 16th, 2025 1:31pm
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The vast landscape of Big Cypress National Preserve seen along the Tamiami Trail / NPS file
Freshwater to saltwater, swamps to estuaries, tropical to temperate, Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida preserves and protects five different habitats, 360 animal species, 851 species of vascular plants, and a colorful history of people and places, all within the 729,000 acres (295,016 hectares) of land neighboring the more well-known Everglades National Park.
Established in 1974 as this country’s first national preserve, this landscape offers not only an education in nature and history, but also a long list of activities in which visitors can engage, from bicycling, to birdwatching, to paddling, to hiking, to hunting, and even a little ORVing.
Some of the trails are a little different here: they are wet (depending upon the time of year), and you can hike established paths or create your own route into unmarked territory. “Wet walk” through a cypress dome (which is actually a water-filled depression), or bring your canoe or kayak to explore a river trail.
Two scenic roads run through Big Cypress, allowing you to enjoy the scenery and watch for wildlife, so have your cameras ready for the photo ops offered. As a matter of fact, this national preserve is a photographer’s dream, with opportunities to not only photograph 190 bird species including raptors, songbirds, and birds living and roaming Big Cypress’ wetlands, but also American alligators and the endangered Florida panther. Sunrises and sunsets are glorious over the vast landscapes of wetlands, prairies, pinelands, and cypress swamps extending as far as the eye can see. Bring along your macro or telephoto lens for close-up shots of one or more of the flowers you might spot, including the rare ghost orchid, one of 72 species of plants listed as endangered or threatened.
If you enjoy music and the arts, Big Cypress hosts an annual Swamp Heritage Festival with cultural demonstrations, hands-on activities, music, and exhibits. Throughout the year, there are various art exhibits and artist demonstrations.
Feel like tagging along with a ranger? Big Cypress National Preserve offers day programs on foot, canoe, or bike, and astronomy programs to view the constellations within some of the darkest night skies in the eastern United States.
Speaking of night skies, you can pitch a tent or park your RV beneath the stars at any of eight campgrounds scattered throughout the preserve.
While visiting Big Cypress, embark on a little side trip or two to next-door Everglades National Park, or drive a little under 60 miles (96.6 km) to Biscayne National Park and take a ranger-led snorkeling tour of coral reefs and even a shipwreck. If you are in the mood for shopping, fine dining, or quaffing a brew or two, Miami is about 50 miles (80.5 km) away from the preserve.
It’s an overcast day in March, and my shoes are wet. Not just damp, like I’ve dashed from the car to the house in the rain, but as wet as wet gets. I’m up to my ankles in a marl prairie—a freshwater prairie with water seeping in and across it—deep in the backcountry of Big Cypress National Preserve. Aside from the voices of my companions, the only sounds I hear are the wind rustling through the cypress trees, the calls and squawks of soaring birds, and my own sloshing steps.
To read more of this Feature Story by Traveler correspondent Kim O'Connell about her visit to Big Cypress, click here.
Whether you just plan on spending a few hours, or intend staying a day or two, there is plenty to see and do, both within and around Big Cypress National Preserve. The pages below will help you plan and prepare for a trip there, and you might even learn something new.
Traveler’s Choice For: birding,photography,paddling,wet walks
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