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Fire Activity
Currently there is fire activity within the Preserve. More »
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Campfire Ban in Effect.
Due to severe fire conditions campfires restrictions are currently in place. More »
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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 »
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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 »
Stairsteps Unit Designated Trails
The Stairsteps Unit is broken into various zones. Zone-2 allows for off-road vehicle use by Swamp Buggies and all-terrain vehicle. Dispersed camping is allowed. You may drive to a location along a designated trail nearest the camping spot you prefer, park along the shoulder of the trail, in such a manner that does not impede travel by others, and carry your camping equipment to the site. Currently, there are 6 miles of primary and .5 miles of secondary trails within the unit. Zone-3 currently allows for off-road vehicle use by Swamp Buggies and all-terrain vehicles. Dispersed camping is allowed, as described above. The unit currently has 3 miles of primary and .5 miles of secondary trails. Zone-4 can be accessed only by airboats. Airboats may access designated camp areas. This zone currently has 57 miles of designated trails. To view a low resolution map (11" x 17") of the trails of all zones in the unit that allow off-road vehicle access click here. |
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Did You Know?
The great white heron is very similar to the great white egret. However, look closely and you will see that the heron has yellow legs, while the egret has black legs. The great white heron is found only in south Florida in the United States. It can also be found on several caribbean islands.