A Grand Opening in the swamp! Join the Big Cypress National Preserve and the South Florida National Parks Trust to celebrate the grand opening of the new Big Cypress Welcome Center just east of the intersection of SR 29 and US 41 north of Everglades City in Ochopee. This new welcome center presents the integrated [...]

Rangers at Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve note that this is one of the deepest water starts for Florida Trail thru-hikers that they’ve seen yet. The hiker register bears out tales of extremely deep water in Robert’s Strand. and backpackers who went 10 miles north found waist deep water. It’ll be cold [...]

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission sent out notice this past week that they’re expanding their Burmese python hunting to all hunters on state and federal lands in South Florida - including Big Cypress National Preserve. That’s good news to Florida hikers, since stumbling across one of these monster snakes in the wilds isn’t [...]

Perpetual rain this week (at least in Central Florida) has me thinking about how the rainy season isn’t around the corner anymore … it’s here. While South Florida experiences it more dramatically, we’re getting more than our fair share at the moment. Summer rains mean our wild orchids are coming into bloom, which makes me [...]

The Naples News reports that a teenager from Weston died after being evacuated from the Florida Trail north of Oasis Ranger Station while on a hike Saturday with a Boy Scout troop. The death is under investigation. Preliminary statements point to a medical problem aggravated by strenuous conditions. Read the story in the Naples [...]