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Exploring Okeechobee
A compact small city, Okeechobee retains a historic downtown with a nice plaza of parks lining the old shopping district.
At the Okeechobee Livestock Market, local ranchers host a weekly cattle auction where calves from surrounding ranches are sold.
Visitors come to enjoy the outdoors while fishing on Lake Okeechobee or exploring the surrounding natural areas on foot and by horseback and boating. Boat ramps are found at all of the county parks in the area.
Along the lake, the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail – which the Florida Trail follows – provides excellent access for cyclists and walkers on a paved segment that stretches southeast.
Parks in Okeechobee
Okeechobee has two state parks nearby. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is notable as one of Florida’s largest preserves.
It is also the state’s only International Dark Sky Park, drawing stargazers from around the world.
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Enjoy Florida’s own big sky at the only state park in Florida where starry skies fill the horizon and an extensive network of trails – including the Florida Trail – provides access for exploration
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
While Okeechobee has many small city parks, some of the larger county parks provide access to Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. All of them are great sites for birding.
Cliff J. Betts Recreation Area
Also known as Lake Okeechobee Recreation Area, this waterfront park in Okeechobee offers expansive views of Lake Okeechobee from its shoreline and pier
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
Hiking Okeechobee
Hikes around Okeechobee treat you to the “Big Sky” that only this region of South Central Florida can offer, as well as some of the state’s best birding.
Hikes are in state parks and on water management lands.
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.
Prairie Loop Trail
On a day hike into one of our state’s largest prairies, sample Florida’s own big sky at the state’s first International Dark Sky Park
Kilpatrick Hammock Trail
Sample habitats found around the hammocks that dot the vast Kissimmee Prairie with this short loop around an old homestead site
Rafael Sanchez Trail
Snaking through an oh-so-slender slice of the rocky Okeechobee Ridge, the relict shoreline of Lake Okeechobee, the Rafael Sanchez Trail stays in deep shade for its 5.7 mile traverse of this skinny stretch of forest.
The Florida Trail follows the curve of Lake Okeechobee to the east and west, and heads north along the Kissimmee River.
It affords more than 100 miles of backpacking easily accessed from this community in Florida’s heartland.
Okeechobee is home to the northern junction of the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee.
It is a short drive away from one of the state’s more popular backpacking routes, the 61-mile Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail.
Okeechobee is an excellent central location for day hiking nearby segments of the Florida Trail as well.
Since 1992, the Big O Hike (presently on hiatus) has brought hikers from around the state to do just that.
Kissimmee River segments
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, 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 East
2.7 miles. Burrow deep into the oak hammocks surrounding a beauty spot of the campsite near the Kissimmee River on this short but satisfying 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.
Florida Trail, Micco Bluff
11.4 miles. Ancient riverside forests and picturesque prairie panoramas along the Kissimmee River make a hike to Micco Bluff worth the walk
Florida Trail, Starvation Slough
7.7 miles. Discover a natural cathedral of ancient oaks and palms along a thin ribbon of public land fronting the Kissimmee River floodplain
Florida Trail, Kissimmee Prairie South
13.3 miles. Hike the southern extent of one of Florida’s largest prairie ecosystems while connecting the Kissimmee River with the heart of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Florida Trail, Kissimmee Prairie North
11.4 miles. See why Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is Florida’s only Dark Sky Park along this “big sky” section of the Florida Trail
Lake Okeechobee segments WESTBOUND
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, 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, 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
Lake Okeechobee segments EASTBOUND
Florida Trail, Henry Creek to Okeechobee
8.6 miles. Along the north shoreline of Lake Okeechobee, this paved segment of the Florida Trail is one of its prettiest, offering sweeping views of the lake.
Florida Trail, Port Mayaca to Henry Creek
14 miles. In an arc between ancient natural shoreline and expansive waters, this hike along Lake Okeechobee’s eastern shore offers unparalleled vistas
Biking Okeechobee
Cyclists have easy access to the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, a 112-mile route around the lake, and are permitted to ride the unpaved trails of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park and Taylor Creek STA.
Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail
An overlay on the Florida Trail around Lake Okeechobee, the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail provides a mostly paved cycling and walking route around the second largest lake entirely within the borders of the United States.
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Enjoy Florida’s own big sky at the only state park in Florida where starry skies fill the horizon and an extensive network of trails – including the Florida Trail – provides access for exploration
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.
On the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, the route is discontinuous due to reconstruction of the Herbert Hoover Dike in multiple places. Road detours are necessary to complete a century.
Camping in Okeechobee
Our favorite place to camp near Lake Okeechobee is the Okeechobee KOA.
It is the largest KOA in Florida, with a nice mix of shaded and sunny RV sites as well as camping cabins, cottages, and tent sites.
For more than 20 years, the Big O Hike has used the Okeechobee KOA as a home base, which is how and where we met!
Much farther away from the amenities of town, camping is delightful at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park because of its remote setting and its dark skies. The sunsets and sunrises go on forever.
Other Outdoor Activities
Bass fishing is a huge draw for winter visitors, with many top notch fishing guides running fishing charters out of local marinas.
Along SR 78, Eagle Bay Airboat Rides offers an exciting way to see the marshes that once lined the lakeshore in this region. Cut off from the lake shallows by the Herbert Hoover Dike, Eagle Bay combines open water and lush grasslands teeming with birds.
When we met Sue Arnold many years ago, she had just opened a large butterfly garden at Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a facility she founded for animal rehabilitation.
Volunteers care for both native and exotic wildlife, handling up to 700 animals a year. The hope is always for releasing them back to the wild, but some have become permanent residents, such as Florida panthers rescued from overpopulated zoos.
West of Okeechobee, the Brighton Seminole Reservation is home to one of the oldest and most celebrated Native American rodeos in the United States.
For more than 80 years, local cowboys have been showing off their skills at the annual Brighton Field Day Festival & Rodeo.
Lodgings in Okeechobee
You’ll find long-term rentals and RV parks along the lakeshore itself, a popular destination for snowbirds from Canada.
Several major chain hotels line US 441 not far from the lake.
Dining in Okeechobee
Okeechobee is home to a delightful diversity of homegrown restaurants focused on the bounty of Florida.
Mel Tillis got his start singing at the Speckled Perch, a small steakhouse.
Along Taylor Creek, Cowboys delights with their steaks and barbecue.
Seafood lovers shouldn’t miss Lightsey’s, which started as a small shack along the lakeshore and now occupies a much larger space along Parrott Avenue.
We love the diners, too. Breakfast is always fun at Pogey’s, named for a former sheriff, and Mom’s Place, a bustling speck of a storefront stuffed in a strip mall.
Downtown, Gladys’ Restaurant is the place to savor a cup of coffee.
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