Reedy Creek Swamp

Reedy Creek

Although the Osceola District Schools Environmental Study Center is only open to the public on weekends, its trails provide an up-close look at more than a dozen old growth cypresses and wildlife along Reedy Creek. With its headwaters in what is now Walt Disney World, Reedy Creek flows sluggishly southward through cypress swamps into pristine Lake Russell, and is one of the northernmost sources of water for the Everglades.

Along the Boardwalk

The most obvious of the park’s three short trails is the 0.5-mile long boardwalk starting at the parking lot. Don’t miss this trail, as it provides your best opportunity for wildlife watching. Sign in at the register and pick up an interpretive guide. As you walk above the swamp, notice the many stumps of large cypresses cut by hand from the 1930s through the 1950s. Royal ferns and leather ferns grow out of niches in the stumps. Some of the remaining cypress knees from the old growth cypresses are up to three feet tall.

Turn right at the fork, following the boardwalk down to Reedy Creek. Scan the near shore carefully, looking for young alligators and water moccasins. Largemouth bass jump for flies, creating splashes every few moments. Anhingas perch in the far trees, spreading their wings to dry. Take the time to savor the creek from the deck, as patches of duckweed drift by, hinting at the sluggish current. In the spring, you’ll see dozens of great blue herons in the trees off to the right, where they’ve established a rookery.