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Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

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Prairie Loop Trail

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

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park  |  Okeechobee
( 27.584209, -81.045357 )      5.6 miles

Home of dark skies and wide open spaces, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park protects a portion of Florida that you have to go off the beaten path to enjoy. On a visit to the park, the Prairie Loop Trail is a must.

A side trail off the main orange-blazed Florida Trail that connects with the campgrounds flanking the park office, the Prairie Loop Trail offers a more intimate look at a changeup of habitats.

Prairie Loop Trail island of palms
Looking out from the palms at the midpoint of the loop

Resources

Florida Trail Hikes book cover The Florida Trail Guide book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Florida Trail history book
Full details on this hike, including a trail map, are in our full-color guidebook Florida Trail Hikes.
 
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.

Guthook GuidesGuthook Guides GPS-driven map-based guide to the Florida National Scenic Trail with thousands of waypoints from The Florida Trail Guide. Works offline. For iPhone and Android.


Overview

Location: Okeechobee
Length: 5.6 mile loop
Trailhead: 27.584209, -81.045357
Address: 33104 NW 192nd Ave, Okeechobee
Fees: $4 per vehicle, $2 pedestrian
Restrooms: at the visitor center
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 863-462-5360

Open 8 to sunset daily. Leashed dogs welcome but not recommended due to the alligator population along along Military Trail. You will walk past several warning signs before the sloughs where the alligators congregate.


Directions

 
At the junction of SR 60 and US 441 just west of Florida’s Turnpike at Yeehaw Junction, head south on US 441 for 18 miles to NW 240th St (CR 724). A brown sign points the way to the state park.
 
Meet NW 176th Ave (CR 700A) after 12 miles. It connects to US 98 at Basinger. Continue another mile straight ahead. The road makes a 90-degree turn north onto NW 197 Ave. Continue straight ahead for another 7.9 miles, passing through the park gate and two trailheads. The road makes a 90-degree turn west. In 1.4 miles, it reaches the parking area at the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park ranger station.

Hike

Following the orange blazes of the Florida Trail along Military Trail, a dirt road that stretches west to the horizon, this hike starts from the park office.

Continue past the equestrian campground and through the gate. Straight ahead, the trail leads towards a treeline of cabbage palms, the predominant tree in this prairie.

Military Trail alligator marsh
Alligator flag marks a marsh along Military Trail

Warning signs about alligators are due to the sloughs that Military Trail passes through. Some of the alligators here are quite large.

At 2.1 miles, meet the blue-blazed Prairie Loop Trail at a trail junction. Turn left. The old ranch road is unmistakable. Just keep following it through the broad open prairie.

Prairie Loop Trail wetland
This part of the trail rounds a wetland in the open prairie

At the next trail junction, walk into the shade of the oak hammock. It’s here you’ll find the park’s primitive campground and its three sites, at 2.8 miles.

Prairie Loop Trail campground
Campsite 1 of the three campsites at the primitive camping area

On the far side of the hammock, the Prairie Loop continues with a sharp left off the main trail. It works its way across open prairie to meet a palm hammock along a wetland.

Prairie Loop Trail palm hammock
Meeting the palm hammock on the return part of the loop

By 4.6 miles, the trail climbs a small rise and follows an old streambed. It crosses the waterway and comes to another trail junction. Turn right and continue along the blue blazes.

The trail leads you into the equestrian campground to finish the loop. Meet the Military Trail and walk back along it to the park office.


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos from the Prairie Loop Trail


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Starvation Slough Cathedral South

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

Prairie on a cattle ranch at Micco

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 Chandler Slough East

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

Backpackers at Chandler Slough

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.


Trail Map (PDF) Reserve Campsite Official Website

Category: Backpacking, Day Hikes, Florida Trail, Hikes, Loop Hikes, South Florida, TrailsTag: Basinger, FT Kissimmee, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, Okeechobee, Primitive Camping

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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 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

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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