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

    Big Cypress

    National Preserve Florida

There are park alerts in effect.
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  • Fire Activity

    Currently there is fire activity within the Preserve. More »

  • Campfire Ban in Effect.

    Due to severe fire conditions campfires restrictions are currently in place. More »

  • 2013 Zone 4 Closure

    Beginning at 12:01 am Monday, April 8, 2013, the Zone 4 airboat access within Big Cypress National Preserve will be closed due to low water conditions. 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 »

04/29/2011 Fire Up-date

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Date: April 29, 2011
Contact: Bob DeGross, 239-695-1107

As of this morning the active fire within Big Cypress National Preserve has burned approximately 5,000 acres in the central portion of the Preserve. Crews from the National Park Service and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service are actively creating fire lines to contain the lightning caused fire and to protect privately owned backcountry camps where necessary.

For safety reasons all primary and secondary trails in the vicinity of the fire are closed to the public. You can find a Google Earth file of the burned area here.

A Type 1 incident management team will begin the management of the fire beginning tomorrow. This team will have the authority to request additional resources to aid in fire suppression as the need arises.

For additional updates go here.

Did You Know?

Ervin at the Gator Hook saloon on Loop Road.

Ervin T. Rouse (1917-1981) wrote one of the most popular fiddling tunes of all time..."Orange Blossom Special"...about the luxury train from Orlando to Miami. He was a resident of the Loop Road area and a friend of the Seminoles.