Florida Trail, Big Cypress

42.2 miles. The wildest and most remote section of the Florida Trail, the Big Cypress Swamp is like no other place to hike in Florida.

Crossing Big Cypress National Preserve, it leads hikers through ghostly savannas of ancient, bonsai-like cypress.

Backpacker vanishing into forest of tiny trees

Standing amid a vast expanse of stunted cypress is both eerie and overpowering

It traverses vast sawgrass prairies, karst plains, and lush cypress strands and domes.

Once the trail reaches Interstate 75, its character changes. While the hiking is easier, there is a daunting array of wildlife, including a gauntlet of massive alligators.

Ibis in a pond apple swamp along Nobles Grade

Covering more than a million acres, the Big Cypress Swamp is a rain-fed system which flows southwesterly.

It’s a seasonal river a few inches to a feet feet deep and nearly 40 miles wide, nourishing the mangrove fringe along Florida Bay.

Water permeates the karst bedrock of Big Cypress

Man-made obstructions, including highways and canals, impede the natural wash of water across this tropical landscape.

The swamp is home to the highest concentration of orchid and fern species in the United States.

Backpacker with pack vanishing into a landscape of tiny white trees

Backpacker in a cypress savanna

Winding deep into the wilds of Big Cypress National Preserve, this is the most remote section of trail in the state of Florida.

The landscape is likened to the savannas of Africa, but also has pockets of botanical beauty enveloped in thick humidity like a rainforest.

Bromeliads growing in a cypress strand

Hiking here means ankle-to-knee deep wading for several days. Day hiking options are limited to out-and-back wades from the trailheads.

Overnight trips can be launched on loops that lie north of the two trailheads providing access to this section.

Camping on a slightly elevated pine island

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Hiking Tips

To get a handle on water depths in Big Cypress, it’s worth looking at the volume of controlled outflow passing under US 41 from the canal along the highway, and compare it to the historic data on the graphs.

This one is to the WEST of Oasis and this one is to the EAST of Oasis. The greater the recent flow, the deeper the swamp will be.

Do not bring your dog with you. Dogs are not permitted on the Florida Trail in Big Cypress.

Wear a bright orange shirt or vest during hunting seasons. Check the FWC website for hunting season dates via the link at the bottom of this page.

Bright colors help to be seen by fellow hikers, too

You will get your feet wet hiking this portion of the Florida Trail.

Waterproof boots are of no use since water will occasionally be over the tops of your boots and will get trapped inside.

Man facing camera immersed in water to shins

John wading a cypress strand

Hammock hangers will appreciate their significant advantage over tents in this section.

No matter which you bring, tent or hammock, don’t expect to pack it dry for the duration of your hike through Big Cypress.

Rubber-band a coffee filter around the intake of your water filter. It will eliminate most of the fine silt present in the water.

Clear water with a floating bubble of frog eggs that look like a heart

Expect other surprises, like floating clusters of frog eggs

You may find yourself field-stripping and cleaning your filter more than once on this section otherwise.

Don’t rush. It’s a beautiful and unusual place for a backpacking trip, worth savoring along the way.

Taking a break on a pine island at Mile 6

Trail Map

Trail Segments

Wet pine savanna beyond an orange blazed pine

Florida Trail, Big Cypress South 30.3 miles. Traversing a vast wilderness in the wet wilds of Big Cypress National Preserve, the southernmost segment of the Florida Trail is the toughest backpacking trip in Florida

Florida Trail, Big Cypress North 11.9 miles. The northern portion of the Florida Trail in Big Cypress is very different from the southern part, more elevated and shady with several outstanding backcountry campsites.

Side Trails

These trails intersect with the linear Florida Trail in Big Cypress.

Roberts Lake Trail 8.2 miles. Now the Roberts Lake Trail, the former Loop Road to Oasis section of the Florida Trail is now blazed blue. It is where sawgrass and cypress meet, where the Everglades and Big Cypress blend.

Walking through wet areas helps cool you down

Tamiami Trail Triathlon 3.0 miles. Trying the hiking portion of the Tamiami Trail Triathlon in summer is a little crazy, but we wanted to check it out. The swamp is lovely, but the loop uses a rough OHV road

Big Cypress North Loop Traverse a vast mosaic of pinelands, prairies, and cypress swamps on a spectacularly scenic loop along the Florida Trail developed and maintained by the Florida Trail Association.

Public Lands

The entirety of the Big Cypress section is within Big Cypress National Preserve.

Big Cypress National Preserve Protecting nearly three quarters of the million-acre Big Cypress Swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve is Florida's second largest and most remote wilderness.

Connections

Continuing your hike to the north and south. The Florida National Scenic Trail starts northbound from Oasis Visitor Center, but to the south is a largely roadwalk route to Key West that is part of the Eastern Continental Trail.

Shallow water with mangrove-lined islands beyond

Eastern Continental Trail A hiking route spanning more than 4,800 miles along the East Coast, the Eastern Continental Trail spends nearly 1,300 miles crossing Florida from its southern terminus at the Southernmost Point in Key West.

Florida Trail, Seminole Stretching 56.2 miles from the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation to Lake Okeechobee, the Seminole section crosses a vast agricultural region, with hiking on roads and levees.

Suggested Articles

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Crossing Big Cypress It’s Florida’s roughest, wettest, weirdest backpacking trip, best done with friends. Sandra tackled it as the final piece of her 1,110-mile section hike of the Florida Trail, end-to-end.

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JK signs in at Oasis (photo: JoNell Modys/Naples Marco Island Everglades CVB)

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Hiking trail with backpack in foreground

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Tents pitched in a clearing in a tropical forest

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