56.2 miles. 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.
Established in the 1940s, the reservation formalized the residences which the Seminole had within the Big Cypress for more than a century.
The Florida Trail follows established roads and adjoining pathways past working cattle ranches, orange groves, a cultural history museum, and the renowned rodeo grounds.
North of the reservation, the hike is through a landscape forever altered. Once the Everglades, a vast sweep of sawgrass prairies, tree islands, and pond apple thickets, it was dynamited, dredged, and diked starting in 1909.
Now it is given over to agriculture, primarily sugar cane fields. It’s a man-made expanse similar in nature to the Midwestern prairies turned to cornfields, except the levees provide panoramic expanses of ranches and fields.
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. You will walk beside roads and atop levees for the entirety of this section of trail. The Seminole section is a cultural immersion rather than a natural one.
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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 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.
Random camping within the Seminole Reservation is forbidden. Big Cypress Campground has cabins for rent. Our Florida Trail app includes another privately offered option.
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.
Trail Map
Mileages
Major landmarks between mile 0 at the Seminole Reservation south gate and mile 56.2 at John Stretch Park.
0.0 – Seminole Reservation south gate
5.9 – Billie Swamp Safari
9.4 – Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum
11.4 – Big Cypress Landing
19.3 – Seminole Reservation north boundary
27.8 – STA-5 trailhead and campsite*
41.0 – CR 835 wayside parking
44.0 – L1-E campsite*
55.9 – LAKE HARBOR post office
56.2 – John Stretch Park
* free permit required from South Florida Water Management District for use.
Trail Segments
Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, 19.3 miles
L3 Canal Access to STA-5, 8.5 miles
STA-5 to CR 835 Wayside, 13.2 miles
CR 835 Wayside to Lake Harbor, 15.2 miles
Along the Trail
Billie Swamp Safari With airboat and swamp buggy rides as well as interpretation of native species, Billie Swamp Safari is a nature-based attraction providing immersion into the Big Cypress Swamp.
Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum Set in a 60-acre cypress dome on the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation, Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki is a museum of Seminole culture with an educational boardwalk loop.Connections
These sections of the Florida Trail adjoin Seminole to its north and south.
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.
Florida Trail, Big Cypress A wild, watery wilderness for Florida backpackers, the 42.2-mile Florida Trail in Big Cypress National Preserve is both beautiful and extraordinarily challenging.Recent Articles
Walking the Reservation (1/12/2014) Hiking the Seminole Reservation between L-3 Canal and the Big Cypress Campground is mostly a roadwalk - more dirt roads than paved - but is quite scenic and interesting.
Time behind the wheel (1/20/2013) 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.
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