Florida Trail, South Florida

More than a century ago, the wilderness of South Florida began to be replaced by “progress.” Existing rivers were turned into canals to service agricultural interests.

Ditched and diked and drained, the Everglades that once flanked mighty Lake Okeechobee were dug up and turned into farms, and the “Big Water” itself was ringed with a dike to control its flow.

Starting at Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve, the Florida Trail heads north for 30 miles through one of the last wild spaces of the region.

The trail connects to Lake Okeechobee along roads and agricultural dikes through the northern part of the preserve into the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation and through vast farmlands south of Clewiston.

Reaching Lake Okeechobee, the Florida Trail circles it. Both sides have their own special charm. Backpackers will prefer the rural western side of the lake, where the trail passes through Clewiston, Moore Haven, and Lakeport.

The eastern shore of Lake Okeechobee is fringed with sugar cane fields up through South Bay, Pahokee, and Canal Point. North of Port Mayaca, trailer parks, fish camps, nurseries, and residences edge the Rim Canal.

Just south of Port Mayaca is the junction for the Ocean-to-Lake Trail at the NENA trailhead. Popular with backpackers, this spur trail presents a microcosm of the overall features of the Florida Trail.

It extends 62 miles from Lake Okeechobee to the Atlantic Ocean through a gradient of South Florida’s wild habitats on a greenway protected along most of its length.

Trail Sections

Each of these sections correspond to a smaller portion of the Florida Trail in this region, north to south.

Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail A 61-mile spur of the Florida Trail from Port Mayaca on the east side of Lake Okeechobee through forested landscapes to Hobe Sound Beach on the Atlantic Ocean.

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, 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.

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.