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.
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Overview
Location: Lakeport
Length: 10.4 miles
Trailhead: 27.061016,-80.972176
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land Manager: Army Corps of Engineers
Phone: 863-983-8101
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 from the Indian Prairie Canal parking area, follow the entrance road 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 growing profusely along the Florida TrailUnpaved, 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 north from Lake Okeechobee, Indian Prairie is a massive prairie ecosystem dotted with clusters of cabbage palms on slightly higher ground.
Ranches and marshes along Indian PrairieOn 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, 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 along this hike except at the campsite. Open ranchland gives way to a residential area in the distance as you pass the second bench.
The S-127 lock at sunriseReach 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.
The community of Buckhead Ridge adjoins the trailAs 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 RidgeTurning 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.
Crossing the SR 78 bridge over the Kissimmee RiverNo matter which recreation area in Okee-tantie you end at, this is the northernmost point along the Okeechobee section.
It’s here that hikers have three different directions in which they can proceed along the Florida Trail.
To follow the Florida Trail northbound, cross SR 78 and stop at Scott Driver Recreation Area for water and restrooms before heading along the Kissimmee River.
Florida Trail, Kissimmee Following the Kissimmee River for 112 miles, this is a scenic section of the Florida Trail with levees, woods, river views, open prairies, and cattle ranches.To follow the Florida Trail southbound towards Big Cypress, head back to the starting point of this hike at Indian Prairie to proceed south along the west side of the lake.
Or continue past Okee-tantie Recreation Area to pick up the Florida Trail southbound on the east side of the lake at the sheltered picnic bench lakeside.
Southeast / North / Southwest
Florida Trail, Okeechobee to Okee-Tantie 3.8 miles. On the sweep of Lake Okeechobee shoreline between Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River, expect some of the best birding along the lake as you walk along the dike.
Florida Trail, Okee-tantie to Platts Bluff 14.9 miles. Panoramic views across cattle ranches and the channelized Kissimmee River are the highlights of this connector from Lake Okeechobee to natural lands north of Okeechobee.
Florida Trail, Lakeport to Indian Prairie 11.9 miles. In the sweep of the Herbert Hoover Dike past Lakeport, the Florida Trail overlooks the vast western marshes of Lake Okeechobee.Suggested Articles
Section Hiking the Florida Trail Section hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail provides some logistical challenges, but a sense of satisfaction in being able to complete an 1,100-mile walk across Florida at your own pace.
Thru Hike the Florida Trail A thru-hike in Florida takes sixty to ninety days across a surprising diversity of landscapes not found on other long distance trails in the United States.Explore More!
Learn more about the Okeechobee section of the Florida Trail
Florida Trail, Okeechobee Looping around one of America's largest lakes, the 112-mile Okeechobee section of the Florida Trail provides panoramic views from atop the Herbert Hoover Dike.Recreation Areas
Recreation areas at the north end of this hike
Okee-Tantie Recreation Area Where the Kissimmee River pours its waters into Lake Okeechobee, Okee-Tantie Recreation Area offers access to the river and a wild marshy stretch of lakeshore.
Scott Driver Recreation Area Providing access to the Kissimmee River, C. Scott Driver Recreation Area is also an important trailhead for the Florida Trail along Lake Okeechobee.Slideshow
See our photos from hiking and biking this section
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring nearby
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 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.
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. 
Okeechobee Battlefield Historic State Park Okeechobee Battlefield State Park protects a part of the landscape where the Battle of Okeechobee occurred during the Second Seminole War on Christmas Day, 1837.
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