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

    Big Cypress

    National Preserve Florida

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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 »

Canoe Trails

Click here for a general map.

You may download .kml (Google Earth) and .gdb (Garmin Map Source) files of canoe trails within the Preserve. You may want to download the Google Earth program to view these files. Additionally, you can down load GPS Bable which allows you to convert .kml files to an appropriate file for you GPS unit.

Refrences to non-U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) products do not constitute endorsement by the DOI. By viewing the Google Maps on this page the user agrees to these terms set forth by Google.

.kml of Big Cypress National Preserve canoe trails. (04142011)

Garmin GDB of Big Cypress National Preserve canoe trails. (04142011)

Turner River Paddling Trail
Distance: 9.93 miles
Paddling time: 4 ½ to 7 hours

Variations: add half an hour to take-out at the NPS Gulf District Ranger Station via paddling along the Chokoloskee causeway

Difficulty: moderate

Entry point: at U.S. 41 paddling access site west of Turner River Road

Takeout point(s): Chokoloskee Island or the NPS Gulf District Ranger Station

What you'll see: cypress strand, sawgrass prairie, intertidal mangrove trees

Watch out for: airboats crossing trail in the lower prairie, powerboat traffic

Halfway Creek and Halfway Creek Loop Paddling Trails
Distance: 7.28 miles
Paddling time: 4 to 5 hours

Variations: the Halfway Creek Loop adds 3.7 miles and 2 hours

Difficulty: moderate

Entry point: Seagrape Drive, 1/4 mile west of the Big Cypress National Preserve Headquarters in Ochopee

Takeout point(s): NPS Gulf District Ranger Station or Chokoloskee Island

What you'll see: sawgrass prairie, coastal mangrove forests

Watch out for: commercial airboat traffic

Lefthand Turner River Paddling Trail
Distance: 3.65 miles
Paddling time: 3 to 4 hours

Variations: plan to use the incoming and outgoing tides to help

Difficulty: easy to moderate

Entry point: Chokoloskee Island or the NPS Gulf District Ranger Station

Takeout point(s): Chokoloskee Island or the NPS Gulf District Ranger Station

What you'll see: intertidal mangrove forest

Watch out for: commercial airboat and powerboat traffic

Sandfly Island Loop Paddling Trail
Distance: 3.73 miles
Paddling time: 3 to 5 hours

Variations: add an hour for windy conditions or if you fight the tides

Difficulty: easy to moderate

Entry point and takeout point: the NPS Gulf District Ranger Station in Everglades City

What you'll see: intercoastal mangrove tree islands, oyster banks, brackish marine environment, open bay

Watch out for: strong winds in the bay, very shallow and muddy bottom with sharp oyster shells, wakes from commercial crabbing boats and recreational powerboats that may capsize your boat

Did You Know?

An anhinga drying its wings.

The anhinga is a commonly seen bird in many areas of Big Cypress National Preserve, and other park areas in Florida. However, within the United States of America, the bird is never really seen beyond Florida. Anhingas cousins are more commonly seen in South America and Africa.