Created by the Florida Trail Association in the 1970s, the Collier-Seminole Hiking Trail is one of South Florida’s most beautiful trails. It’s not for the inexperienced hiker.
Wilderness savvy is in order, as it involves a wade for the better part of six miles to experience a watery forest like none other, the Big Cypress Swamp.
It’s a real workout to wade through thick cypress strands and across sloughs and splash through wet flatwoods.
Of course, there is high ground too, in the wildflower-dotted prairies, pine islands, and tropical hammocks.
Dry pine flatwoodsResources
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Overview
Location: Naples
Length: 6.5 mile loop
Trailhead: 25.99004, -81.57836
Address: 20200 Tamiami Trail E, Naples
Fees: $4-5 per vehicle
Restroom: At main portion of park
Land Manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 239-394-3397
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome but you may not want them to have their feet wet for hours.
CAUTIONS: Do not take small children on this trail. Unless you visit on a chilly day in the dead of winter, the mosquitoes are fierce.
To protect arms and legs from briars and insects, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a hat; carry insect repellent; and bring a mosquito head net just in case.
This can also be a very wet hike, a slog through ankle-to-knee deep water through several stretches of cypress swamp and streams bounded by thick, sticky mud. Consider spare clothing and shoes to change into after the hike.
Do not attempt this trail during the wet season or after a recent rain. Always consult beforehand with the park rangers as to trail conditions.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: Before you start your hike, you must check in at the ranger station, pay your state park use fee, and inform them you plan to hike this trail.
The ranger will give you a combination to the gate. Let them know if you intend to use the backpacker’s campsite, or they will come looking for your car when the park closes.
Directions
From Interstate 75, take exit 101, Naples / Marco Island. Drive south on CR 951 for 7.1 miles to US 41. Turn left to continue east 8.5 miles to the park entrance on the right, past the turnoff to Marco Island at Royal Palm Hammock. From the east, the Collier-Seminole State Park entrance is 15.5 miles west of the FL 29 / US 41 junction north of Everglades City.
After you check in at the ranger station and receive the gate code, drive 0.8 mile east on US 41. Stop at the gate on the north side of the road, and use the combination to unlock it. Lock it up behind you. Drive along the dirt road until you come to a broad spot next to a pond. Park here but do not block the gate.
Hike
A blue-blazed connector trail starts at the FT sign at the parking area, leading across undulating terrain through stands of sand live oaks in the scrubby flatwoods.
After 0.1 mile, reach a T intersection with the orange-blazed loop. Turn right to hike the loop counterclockwise—the recommended direction, leaving the wettest part of the trail for last.
That doesn’t mean you won’t hit water right away. The trail is the low spot in the forest and tends to be wet.
Wet pine flatwoodsCypress knees as big as footstools poke out of inky water. Emerging from the cypresses, rise into cabbage palm flatwoods.
At a half mile, cross an abandoned forest road and make a sharp turn left at a double-blaze into dense forest. Although narrow, the trail corridor remains distinct.
Emerging from this wet section, rise into a drier prairie. Cypresses close in around the footpath again around 1.3 miles. Keep alert for each blaze through the maze of trees.
Another forest road crosses at 1.5 miles. If you need to cut your hike short, this is your last chance to do so before heading into the heart of the swamp.
It makes the separation between what the park now calls the Flatwoods Trail and the Strand Swamp Trail up ahead.
To hike only the Flatwoods Trail, turn left and walk 1.5 miles back along the road to the gate at the parking area for a 3 mile loop.
Otherwise, cross the road past the FT sign and into the prairie beneath the pines. At 2 miles, cross another road and pass a bench.
A half mile later, reach the 0.4 mile blue blaze to the backpacker’s campsite. Unless you’re spending the night there, continue along the orange blazes.
Walk through a high and dry pine forest before descending into a narrow corridor through a cypress slough, passing another bench at 3.4 miles.
By 4 miles, the loop nears the sound of traffic on US 41. Traverse nother stretch of swamp at 4.5 miles. Watch for a sharp left at a double blaze.
At 5.2 miles, you see Miccosukee chickee huts hiding in the woods. This small village is part of the Miccosukee Reservation.
Wading near the Micosukee VillageRespect their privacy and do not approach the village from the trail. Blazes lead left into the wettest part of the cypress swamp.
Cross a series of sloughs that drain into the mangrove marshes on the south side of US 41.
A long bridge provides safer passage deepest slough at 5.6 miles. The others must be waded. Use a hiking stick for balance in the muck.
Rising into a shady hammock, the trail snakes between laurel oaks and cabbage palms on its way to the centerpiece of this hike.
It is a tiny remnant of the vast royal palm hammock that once covered the high ground between the swamps.
Royal palms tower overhead as the trail winds through the hammock, passing a bench at 5.9 miles, zigzagging between the bases of these regal trees.
Keep alert for a sharp left turn at a double blaze at 6.1 miles, where the trail rises into cabbage palm flatwoods. The wettest part of the hike is behind you.
When you reach the forest road, turn right and follow the dry, easy walk back to the parking area.
After 6.5 miles, emerge at the gate and parking area, completing this tiring but beautiful hike.
Royal palm overheadTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Collier-Seminole State Park
Collier-Seminole State Park Protecting the largest natural hammock of royal palms in the United States, Collier-Seminole State Park opened in 1947 south of Naples along the Tamiami Trail.Nearby Adventures
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