• The Florida panther's watchful gaze- Courtesy- Ralph Arwood

    Big Cypress

    National Preserve Florida

There are park alerts in effect.
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  • Annual 60-Day ORV Closure for Wheeled Vehicles

    Beginning at 12:01 am Monday, June 3, the annual 60-day recreational ORV closure for all units of the Preserve that allow for wheeled ORV access will begin. The closure will be lifted on Friday, August 2. More »

  • Campground Closures

    Beginning Monday, May 13 through Friday, August 16 camping will be available at the Midway Campground and the “loop” in the Bear Island Campground within Big Cypress National Preserve. All other established campgrounds will be closed. More »

  • Interstate 75 Mile Marker 63 Closure

    Beginning summer of 2013 the rest area and backcountry access at mile marker 63 will be closed due to construction. More »

Doing Business With The Preserve

Providing Commercial Visitor Services
If you are a business operator and want to conduct business within Big Cypress National Preserve you are required to obtain a commercial use authorization permit (36 CFR Sec. 5.3). Failure to obtain this permit may result in the issuance of a fine and/or removal from the Preserve. As in any other unit of the National Park System, commercial visitor services may be provided only by those holding an authorization from the National Park Service.

Larger visitor service operations are provided under concession contracts. Smaller, single-service businesses are issued commercial use authorization, if certain requirements are met.

 

Note: If you are a nonprofit organization without taxable income, under the new National Park Service guidelines you are not required to obtain a commercial use authorization. However, you are required to obtain a special use permit.

Did You Know?

Airboat traveling through wet prairies.

Airboats are one of the approved ways to access remote areas of Big Cypress National Preserve. Remember, all off-road vehicle access requires a valid permit, and visitors operating ORVs need to know the legal areas they can operate.