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Florida Trail along a canal south of Clewiston

Florida Trail, Seminole

56.2 miles. Stretching from the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation to Lake Okeechobee, the Florida Trail Seminole section traverses a vast agricultural region, the former Everglades. Hiking is on roads and levees.

Florida National Scenic Trail  |  Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, Clewiston
( 26.256229, -81.086823 )      56.3 miles

Florida Trail, Seminole section

56.2 miles.    Clewiston, Fort Lauderdale, & Naples


Encompassing both the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation and a network of levees through vast agricultural lands south of Lake Okeechobee, this region is a study in contrasts to the natural habitats of the Big Cypress Swamp.

Within the reservation – which can only be hiked by obtaining a permit in advance – you will walk past working cattle ranches and the renowned rodeo grounds.

Established in the 1940s, the reservation formalized the residences which the Seminole had here for more than a century.

North of the reservation, you are in lands that look nothing like they did before 1909. These were the Everglades, a vast sweep of sawgrass prairies, tree islands, and pond apple thickets.

Dynamited, dredged, and diked, it is now a landscape that isn’t real, just like the expanses of Midwestern prairie turned to cornfields.

Only Rotenberger WMA at the Deerfence Canal provides a peek into how rich with birds and wildlife the region once was.

Some hikers complain that this section is one long roadwalk, and indeed, you’ll be walking beside roads in the reservation and atop levees for the entirety of this section of trail.

It’s a cultural immersion rather than a natural one, where the levees provide panoramic perspectives on cattle ranches and sugar cane fields.


<< Big Cypress Okeechobee >>


Resources

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover Florida Trail small coffee table 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.


Hiking Tips

To hike across the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, you must fill out and file a “hold harmless” form provided by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

Download and fill out this form in advance of your hike. It must be sent in to the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Keep a copy of it with you when hiking.

Never camp on top of the levees. Trucks drive down them at all hours.

While walking past sugar cane fields, you may see plumes of smoke, fire, and ash. Sugar cane is burned right before harvesting to minimize the amount of plant matter collected.

Avoid camping next to sugar cane that is in flower, as burns occur 24/7.

Alligators are common in the canals. If you do need to filter water, don’t do so at dawn or dusk, when you might be mistaken for a deer.

Avoid filtering water near culverts as well, since alligators often den inside them.

Wear a bright orange shirt or vest during hunting seasons in Rotenberger WMA. Check the FWC website for hunting season dates.

Be sure to stay at either Billie Swamp Safari or Big Cypress RV Resort & Campground while on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation.

Not only is random camping forbidden, but the continued relationship between the Florida Trail and the Seminole Tribe of Florida is enhanced by your economic impact while hiking the trail across the reservation.

At Billie Swamp Safari, lodging is in chickees, the Seminole version of a cabin. Tent campers should continue to Big Cypress Campground and ask about the camping area for Florida Trail hikers. They also have cabins for rent.

Trail Map

Florida Trail Seminole section map

Guthook GuidesGuthook Guides GPS-based maps and logistics for hiking the Florida Trail. Available for iPhone and Android.


Along the Trail

Billie Swamp Safari

Billie Swamp Safari

With airboat and swamp buggy rides as well as interpretation of native species, Billie Swamp Safari is an attraction providing immersion into the Big Cypress Swamp, ancestral home of the Seminole Tribe since the 1800s..

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki

Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki

Set in a 60-acre cypress dome on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum of Seminole culture provides an introduction to the tropical outdoors of natural South Florida’s swamps in which the Seminole Tribe has lived for more than a century.


Trail Segments

19.3 miles. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation
8.5 miles. L3 Canal Access to STA-5
13.2 miles. STA-5 to CR 835 Wayside
15.2 miles. CR 835 Wayside to Lake Harbor


Recent Articles

Mr. Blister amid the cattle ranches

Walking the Reservation

January 12, 2014

It’s been over 10 years since I walked into Billie Swamp Safari and backpacked out of the reservation to Lake Okeechobee. With the announcement that the route of the Florida Trail would shift back to the original roadwalk I missed doing back then, and our plans to meet up with thru-hikers beyond the swamps, I …

JK driving the support van

Time behind the wheel

January 20, 2013

JK continues around Lake Okeechobee – a part of the trail he’s done before on the Big O Hike – as part of the support crew for the FT hikers new to the region.

All Articles & Hikes Interactive Map

Category: Backpacking, Florida Trail, Hikes, South Florida, TrailsTag: Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, Clewiston, Florida Trail, Florida Trail Biking, Fort Lauderdale, Locations, Naples

Have an update? Contact us.

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Our Florida Trail Books

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

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
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

Florida Trail large coffee table book cover of trail down swamp causeway under ancient pines

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.

Learn More

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.

Get the App!

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

  • Florida Trail Overview
  • Plan your Hike
  • Choose the Right Gear
  • Best Scenic Hikes
  • Best Backpacking Trips
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  • Eastern Continental Trail
  • Florida Trail in South Florida
  • Florida Trail in Central Florida
  • Florida Trail in North Florida
  • Florida Trail in Northwest Florida
  • Florida Trail for Scouting
  • Florida Trail Adventures
  • Florida Trail Updates

Florida Trail by Section

Porter Lake, Apalachicola National Forest

Florida Trail, Apalachicola

Florida Trail, Apalachicola
Florida Trail Big Bend view

Florida Trail, Big Bend

Florida Trail, Big Bend
Florida Trail Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Big Cypress

Florida Trail, Blackwater

Florida Trail, Blackwater
Florida Trail Nokuse

Florida Trail, Central Panhandle

Florida Trail, Central Panhandle
Eglin Weaver Creek

Florida Trail, Eglin

Florida Trail, Eglin
Florida Trail Kissimmee

Florida Trail, Kissimmee

Florida Trail, Kissimmee
Florida Trail at Rice Creek

Florida Trail, Northeast Florida

Florida Trail, Northeast Florida
Juniper Prairie Wilderness

Florida Trail, Ocala

Florida Trail, Ocala
Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail

Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail
Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Okeechobee
Florida Trail at Forever Florida

Florida Trail, Orlando

Florida Trail, Orlando
Florida Trail Seashore Dunes

Florida Trail, Seashore

Florida Trail, Seashore
Florida Trail along a canal south of Clewiston

Florida Trail, Seminole

Florida Trail, Seminole
No Name Creek

Florida Trail, Suwannee

Florida Trail, Suwannee
Cypress Lakes Preserve

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

Florida Trail, Western Corridor

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