Trip report
Hike in Florida's Big Cypress Preserve
Hiking/Walk DATE: 03/08/2014 - 03/08/2014
Trip/Event Location: Ochopee, FL
US
Trip Leader(s): JPHiker
Max # People: 15
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Easy
We will be hiking the Fire Prairie Trail for a total of 5.2 miles on a fairly easy graded trail, with no elevation gain. Although the Big Cypress Preserve is named for the Big Cypress Swamp,
...We will meet at the parking area for the Fire Prairie trailhead, off Turner River Road.
Directions from Alligator Alley (I-75) are as follows: Take exit 80 (Everglades City/Immokalee) and drive south on Rt.29 past Jerome (about 10 to 12 miles) to the junction with Rt. 837 (Wagon Wheel Road). Turn left (east) on 837. After 2.6 miles you will reach a T intersection. Turn left at the sign for Bear Island Campground, and continue on 837 for another 5.1 miles until it ends at Rt. 839 (Turner River Road). Turn left, and head north for 7.1 miles to the trailhead on the left or west side of the road.
Directions from Tamiami Trail (US 41 eastbound): From the junction of US 41 with Rt. 29 (at Everglades City) go east on the Tamiami (about 6.7 miles) to H.P. Williams Wayside Park/Turner River Road. Turn left and head north on the unpaved Turner River Road (Rt. 839). In 14.4 miles you will reach the trailhead on the left or west side of the road.
From Tamiami Trail westbound: Turner River Road is located 14.7 miles west of Oasis Ranger Station. Keep an eye out for the H.P. Williams Wayside Park, and turn right (north) on the Turner River Road. Follow directions as above.
Trip Report/Photos
One could not have asked for better weather, as seven Florida GO members (David, David, Orlando, Brent, Clarence, Carlos, and Carlos) hiked the Fire Prairie Trail of the Big Cypress National Preserve. Established in 1974, the Big Cypress is a vast swamp just north of Everglades National Park, and is home to a unique mixture of tropical and sub-tropical plant and wildlife. Fortunately for us, the Fire Prairie Trail is in a drier area of the park that resembles a prairie, hence the name of the trail. Though South Florida experienced some heavy tropical downpours a few days earlier, on the day of the hike, we were greeted with cloudless skies, and a very comfortable 75F. The hiking was relaxed and fairly easy, and we soon reached the end of the trail at an old abandoned oil drilling platform. There is no longer any sign of the drilling that was done in the 1970's, except for a slightly elevated rounded area that served us well as a rest stop. Except for one deer that we saw scampering in the distance, we saw very little wildlife on the trail itself. On the approach road, however, there were alligators and over 20 species of birds on the canals and sloughs. Four of us were hungry enough after the hike to take a short detour to Chokoloskee Island, the gateway for the Ten Thousand Islands Preserve, for a well deserved meal at Havana Cafe, where the two Carloses noticed that one of the specials was named Carlos' Stone Crab Enchilada. Of course, it was ordered, and of course, it was spectacular. A fitting ending for a great day.
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