Big Cypress Backcountry Access
By December 15, all public comments are due on the new Big Cypress Backcountry Access Plan. Here's our analysis of it and our opinions, along with a discussion of backcountry and wilderness in Florida.
Big Cypress North Loop
Big Cypress National Preserve 14.9 milesTraverse a vast mosaic of pinelands, prairies, and cypress swamps on a spectacularly scenic loop along the Florida Trail developed and maintained by the Florida Trail Association.
Big Cypress South Loop
Big Cypress National Preserve 16.2 milesExplore a grand mosaic of sawgrass prairies, cypress swamps, and pinelands on a 16.2 mile remote backcountry loop along the Florida Trail starting at Oasis Visitor Center.
Crossing Big Cypress
It’s Florida’s roughest, wettest, weirdest backpacking trip, best done with friends. Sandra tackled it as the final piece of her 1,110-mile section hike of the Florida Trail, end-to-end.
Crossing the Big Cypress Swamp
John's hike across Big Cypress to lay down a GPS track for The Florida Trail Guide (and later, FarOut) was his first experience at backpacking with wet feet.
Florida Trail Southern Terminus marker installed
Since its debut on a hand cart this January during the thru-hiker season kickoff at Oasis Visitor Center, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the permanent placement of the Florida Trail Southern Terminus marker in Big Cypress National Preserve. The marker …
Florida Trail, Big Cypress North
Big Cypress National Preserve 11.9 miles11.9 miles. The northern portion of the Florida Trail in Big Cypress is very different from the southern part, more elevated and shady with several outstanding backcountry campsites.
Florida Trail, Big Cypress South
Big Cypress National Preserve 30.3 miles30.3 miles. Traversing a vast wilderness in the wet wilds of Big Cypress National Preserve, the southernmost segment of the Florida Trail is the toughest backpacking trip in Florida
Hiking with two new friends
JK discovers that the weird rash on his legs since hiking south of Lake Okeechobee isn't poison ivy at all, but something much more rare and creepy, a parasitic invasion.
In the Dark
After our wonderful reception at the I-75 rest area, several hikers decided to backtrack a bit and camp. I decided to push on and try for a few more miles. I was rested and filled with good food. It wasn’t long after I made it through the north …
Kicking off Hiker Season with Primrose
The first of our explorations with Primrose in 2014 starts off with helping to see off a large number of this year's Florida Trail thru-hikers from Oasis Visitor Center.
New Florida National Scenic Trail terminus dedicated
This morning marked the first time that Florida Trail thru-hikers could get their picture taken in front of a terminus marker as found, say, on Springer Mountain in Georgia or Mt. Kathadin in Maine. Although the monument isn’t in place yet – …