Swamp Walks

One of the wildest and most wonderful aspects to hiking in Florida is the availability of swamp walks through many habitats in Florida. These watery wades immerse you in habitats found nowhere else on earth. I’ve had the pleasure of leading treks through the Big Cypress Swamp, where the rain-fed swamp of crystal-clear water is a wonderland of orchids and bromeliads, and wading rugged Bradwell Bay, a wild place near Tallahassee. These hikes offer the wild side of Florida – and best to experience that with a few friends or on a guided trip when you plan your trek.

  • Collier-Seminole Hiking Trail Collier-Seminole Hiking Trail - Created by the Florida Trail Association, the Collier-Seminole Hiking Trail is one of South Florida’s most beautiful trails, but it’s not for the inexperienced hiker. Wilderness savvy is in order, as you’ll be wading the [...]
  • Estero Scrub Preserve State Park Estero Scrub Preserve State Park - One of the tougher places to hike in Southwest Florida, Estero Scrub Preserve State Park, established in 1966 as Florida’s first aquatic preserve, has several loops through wet flatwoods and tidal marshes along the rim [...]
  • Florida Panther NWR Florida Panther NWR - In addition to the very gentle 0.4-mile Leslie Duncan Memorial Trail that starts at this trailhead, a longer 1.3 mile loop appeals to hikers willing to get their feet wet while they feel a real [...]
  • Bradwell Bay Florida Trail, Bradwell Bay - You’re guaranteed to get wet on Florida’s roughest, wildest swamp walk on the Florida Trail in Bradwell Bay, a wild place where hiking with friends is a smart idea. Situated south of Tallahassee, the Bradwell [...]
  • Florida Trail, Corbett [view slides] Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake: Corbett WMA - Seen on your GPS or a satellite photo, Corbett WMA appears to be wetlands, wetlands, and more wetlands. But this popular wildlife management area west of West Palm Beach is a place of superlatives: vast [...]
  • Florida Trail between DuPuis and Corbett Florida Trail, Ocean to Lake: DuPuis to Corbett - Deep in the heart of the Ocean-to-Lake Greenway, this 9.7 mile segment of the Florida Trail bridging DuPuis Reserve and Corbett WMA is one of the most wild and scenic treks in southeastern Florida. It’s [...]
  • Pine lily at Picayune Strand Picayune Strand State Forest – Sabal Palm Trail - Take a walk on the wet side—built by Boy Scouts, this slosh through swampland celebrates the preservation of a segment of the Big Cypress Swamp that was once a part of the biggest real estate [...]
  • Pine savanna at Triple N Ranch Triple N Ranch - With a rugged but well-marked loop trail traversing landscapes both panoramic and intimate, Triple N Ranch WMA protects more than 16,000 acres of wide open pine savanna, grassy prairies, cypress domes, and the cypress-lined floodplain [...]