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Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

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Florida Trail Buckhead Ridge

Florida Trail, Indian Prairie to Okee-Tantie

10.4 miles. Along the vast marshes that buffer Buckhead Ridge, the sweep of the Florida Trail past Indian Prairie leads up to the mouth of the Kissimmee River

Florida Trail, Okeechobee  |  Okeechobee
( 27.061016,-80.972176 )      10.4 miles

Mounds of moonvine and palmetto-dotted prairies leave strong impressions when you walk this windswept section of the Florida Trail between the Indian Prairie Canal and the Kissimmee River.

Homes swarm a portion of the original lakeshore, the high ground of Buckhead Ridge, behind the wall of the dike near the S-127 lock. But the rest of the scenery is decidedly wild, the footpath still the rough earthen dike underfoot.


Resources

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover Florida Trail history book

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.

 
Guthook GuidesGuthook Guides GPS-driven map-based guide to the Florida National Scenic Trail with thousands of waypoints from The Florida Trail Guide. Works offline. For iPhone and Android.


Overview

Location: Lakeport
Length: 10.4 miles
Trailhead: 27.061016,-80.972176
Fees / Permits: none
Restroom: none
Land Manager: Army Corps of Engineers
Phone: 863-983-8101
 
Just like all other segments of the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee, there is no shade save at the covered benches provided. This is one of the rare remaining unpaved sections, rough underfoot with shellrock atop the dike.
 
Due to dangerous bacterial growth in the lake in recent years, backpackers should obtain water from potable sources at trailheads or from taps on water control structures and locks.

Directions

 
The southern trailhead for this hike is the parking area along the south side of Indian Prairie Canal, the Indian Prairie boat ramp in Lakeport off SR 78 just south of the bridge over the canal. Follow the dirt road down along the canal to the well-defined parking area. Do not block the boat ramp.
 
You can use the parking areas at Okee-Tantie Recreation Area or Scott Driver Recreation Area for the northern end of this hike. Scott Driver is open 24 hours, but Okee-Tantie is day use only.
 
Alternatively, if you do not want to roadwalk along the SR 78 highway bridge over the Kissimmee River, squeeze a vehicle in along the approach to the levee on either side of the highway on the Buckhead Ridge side of the river. Do not block any gates. Parking on the south side of the river, if possible, saves you a quarter mile walk and the unnerving feeling of cars passing by at high speed on the bridge.

Hike

Starting out from the Indian Prairie Canal parking area, follow the entrance road back towards SR 78. Because there is no parking area on the north side of the canal, it’s necessary to cross the highway bridge over the canal to start your hike.

By the time you get to that gate, you’ve finished the first half mile. It feels like you’re retracing your steps in an mirror as you walk back along the canal out to the levee along the lake’s rim.

Moonvine Moonvine growing profusely along the Florida Trail


Unpaved, the trail has a rough natural surface and can be overgrown through this section. The limestone jutting from the two track atop the levee often contains fossils.

Stretching northward from Lake Okeechobee – and now firmly part of the lake as well, since the waters have been low on the west side for decades – Indian Prairie is a massive prairie ecosystem dotted with clusters of cabbage palms on slightly higher ground.

Ranches and marshes along Indian Prairie Ranches and marshes along Indian Prairie


On the lake side, you’ll see them out there among a vast expanse of marsh. On the inland side, ranchers ditched and drained the prairie to provide pasture for cattle.

Still, the clusters of palms are evident, including where they form a rim along the original lakeshore. After 4.8 miles, you reach the first of several covered benches on this section. This one looks out over the lakeshore side of the prairie.

The benches provide the only shade you’ll find along this hike. Open ranchland gives way to a residential area in the distance as you pass the second bench.

S-127 lock at sunrise The S-127 lock at sunrise


You reach the community of Buckhead Ridge at the S-127 lock at 7.4 miles. This is the only potential exit point off the hike until it comes to the Kissimmee River several miles ahead.

From this point on, the residential area is the view to the left, while the sweep of marshes continues on the right. After a while, residences are obscured by vegetation along the Rim Canal.

Buckhead Ridge The community of Buckhead Ridge adjoins the trail


As the levee begins to curve away from the lake, you’ve reached the basin where the Kissimmee River flows into Lake Okeechobee. Passing a final covered bench, keep alert within the next mile for the Buckhead Ridge campsite.

At 9.4 miles, this campsite is off the levee down where the grass meets treeline, towards the Kissimmee River. Be aware that airboats and other noisy boats pass by behind it in the night.

Campsite at Buckhead Ridge Campsite at Buckhead Ridge


Turning due north to follow the Kissimmee River, the levee leads you right up to SR 78. It’s here you have to roadwalk over the Kissimmee River bridge to continue.

Use caution. Traffic moves at high speed and does not expect pedestrians or cyclists. On the opposite side of the river is Okee-tantie.

SR 78 bridge over the Kissimmee River Crossing the SR 78 bridge over the Kissimmee River


No matter which of the two recreation areas in Okee-tantie that you end at – Okee-tantie Recreation Area south of SR 78 or Scott Driver Recreation Area north of SR 78 – this is the northernmost point along the Okeechobee section.

It’s here that hikers have three different directions in which they can go along the Florida Trail: northbound along the Kissimmee River, eastbound towards Okeechobee, or back southwest the way you arrived here, from Lakeport.

EASTBOUND: Okeechobee to Okee-tantie
NORTHBOUND: Okee-tantie to Platts Bluff
SOUTHBOUND: Lakeport to Indian Prairie Canal


Explore More

Slideshow

Our slides from hiking and biking this segment of the Florida Trail


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Harney Pond Canal Recreation Area

Harney Pond Canal Recreation Area

Discover uniquely wild panoramas along Lake Okeechobee with a walk on this paved trail in Lakeport

Backpackers at Chandler Slough

Florida Trail, Chandler Slough West

3.7 miles. It looks like a mountain ridge from a distance, but Chandler Slough is a ribbon of cypress strand through the flat Okeechobee prairies. Follow its rim through beautiful oak hammocks and soggy marshes.

Taylor Creek

Taylor Creek STA

Encompassing the ancient shoreline of Taylor Creek and man-made marshes, this wetlands park is a gem for birding and wildlife watching just north of Okeechobee.

Florida Trail Yates Marsh

Florida Trail, Yates Marsh

3.3 miles. Weaving between oak hammocks and pastureland along the Kissimmee River, Yates Marsh is not a wet walk but a pleasant linear hike.



Learn about the Big O Hike around Lake Okeechobee.
 
Official Website

Category: Backpacking, Biking, Day Hikes, Florida Trail, Hikes, Off Road Biking, South Florida, TrailsTag: Birding, Florida Trail, Florida Trail Biking, FT Okeechobee, Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee, Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, Lakeport, Primitive Camping

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The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideThe comprehensive mile-by-mile guidebook to planning section and thru-hikes along the entire length of the Florida Trail. 356 pages, $19.95 + tax and shipping.

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Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail HikesFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail, plus nine of the best section hikes. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

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Discovering the Florida Trail

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Our virtual walk along the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

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The Florida Trail

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Our history of the first 50 years of the Florida Trail, from its founding in 1966 to becoming a National Scenic Trail to volunteer efforts today.

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The Florida Trail App

Comprehensive logistics and offline maps all in one: The Florida Trail Guide is now also an interactive map-based mile-by-mile app by Guthook Guides.

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Florida Trail Updates


Get periodic recaps of changes to the Florida Trail, which we accumulate between editions of our guidebook. Find all official Trail Closures & Notices here.

Hiking the Florida Trail

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Florida Trail by Section

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No Name Creek

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Cypress Lakes Preserve

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