Cypresses Galore

In search of the Big Cypress

It’s the 2.2-mile loop through the heart of Rice Creek Swamp that makes this section of the Florida Trail so special. Reaching the beginning of the loop, you’ll follow the orange blazes forward and start crossing bridges. And more bridges. The bridges – each carefully numbered – carry you across breaks in the old dikes that once defined the impoundments in which rice was grown. Around you is the floodplain forest, filled with cypress. Maple-leaf winged dragonflies flit from cypress knee to cypress knee. You pass a junction of creeks on the right, with a spring just off out of site. Rice Creek parallels the trail, its clear flow over a sand bottom stained by tannins. Slash pines rise like columns supporting the canopy. A quarter mile into the loop, you reach the yellow-blazed cross trail leading off to the left. If you’re looking for the shortest possible hike, use it to cross the swamp and turn left at the end of it to make the loop. But I recommend you stick to the orange blazes—a real delight is in store.

The cypresses get larger. Off on the right, you’ll see a double-trunked cypress. On the left, past bridge #9, the hollowed out charred remains of an ancient cypress that you could take shelter inside in a pinch. Nearly a mile into the loop, you come to the boardwalk, adjoined by a sign with a green tree painted on a white background. Turn right and follow it to the end. If the swamp is as it should be – wet – you’ll look out across a floodplain of knees to see the base and the rising column of the eighth largest cypress in Florida. As of March 2007, it stood at 107 feet tall, 24 feet 9 inches in circumference, and a crown spread of 48 feet by 42 feet. This cypress is BIG. If the swamp is dry, it’s possible to climb down and walk over to it—but mind the poison ivy.

Continuing around the loop, you’ll pass the stumps of more big cypresses as the habitat transitions with a small amount of elevation. Wild citrus thrives in the cool understory beneath sweetgum, Florida maple, and ironwood. The orange blazes break off and lead away from the loop, carrying the Florida Trail southward. To continue your day hike loop, keep heading straight. The trail makes a sharp left at a large, old live oak to cross a bridge with a sign “Oak Hammock Trail.” A blue blazed side trail on the right leads to the primitive campsite, a pleasant shady spot with picnic table and pitcher pump. A second side trail on the right leads to what used to be the parking area for this loop. Continue straight, and you’ll end up at the beginning of the loop. Turn right to backtrack your route, reaching the trailhead after 5.2 miles.