Favorite boardwalk reopens at Fakahatchee Strand near Everglades City

Last updated on January 6th, 2026 at 02:09 pm

Fakahatchee Strand preserve is the biggest state park in Florida

In a vast, wild, out-of-the-way state park in the Everglades of southern Florida, a boardwalk has reopened that takes visitors through one of the most exquisite ancient cypress forests.

The Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park is now 1.15 miles long, making it a 2.3 miles out-and-back stroll. Most of the trail is on an elevated wooden boardwalk. (There are some hard-packed gravel/sand connector pathways.)

The boardwalk’s nearest neighbor is tiny Everglades City, 10 miles away. Naples is 25 miles northwest. If you’re visiting this corner of Florida, it’s worth taking the time to take this easy hike.

For years, the original Big Cypress Bend was my favorite boardwalk in Florida, full of wildlife, orchids, strangler figs and lush jungle flora. But then Hurricane Ian devastated it in September 2022.

Finally, after 1,247 days, the “original” portion of the boardwalk was rebuilt and reopened in late November 2025.

In the meantime, a new entrance with parking, restrooms and a beautiful breezy interpretive pavilion was constructed and opened in January 2024.

This parking area is now the starting point for the new boardwalk and also connects to the old boardwalk, which ends with a platform overlooking a scenic pond, where you are likely to see alligators, birds and more.

Designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service, the original Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk was built in the 1960s by philanthropist Lester Norris, who owned the land before the Fakahatchee became a preserve.

The boardwalk takes visitors back in time to a tiny slice of ancient cypress forest. It was the rare spot that was spared from logging, thanks to Lester Norris.

The first half of the trail is sunny and wraps around a lake. At a Miccosukee community, the path takes a sharp right turn and where the old boardwalk started, the new one continues on the same route. Those who walked it in the past will remember the picturesque strangler fig along the boardwalk.

There is only one entrance to the boardwalk, at the parking area at 27020 Tamiami Trail E, Naples, 34114. The Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk is open daily from 8 a.m. until sunset. Depending on the time of day, mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and/or deer flies may be present. (We experienced none on a visit on Dec. 12.)

Beyond the boardwalk: Fakahatchee Strand Preserve has so much to offer — hiking! kayaking!

Fakahatchee Preserve is huge — more than 80,000 acres stretching from Alligator Alley to the Tamiami Trail. It is truly wild — it is one of the rare places where visitors occasionally see Florida panthers and black bear.

The preserve has miles and miles of hiking, including dry, easy-to-walk trails through a vast and beautiful cypress forest filled with air plants and wild orchids.

While Fakahatchee Strand is enormous, there is essentially one road that goes into the park, Janes Scenic Drive. It’s a dirt road through a beautiful cypress swamp and it’s closed to vehicles after the first six miles. (It continues for five more miles for hikers and fat-tire bikes.)

At several points along this road, hiking trails head into the woods.

That six-mile-road takes almost 30 minutes to drive primarily because of potholes. But going slow is good because plenty of wildlife is viewed from the road.

All the roads in Fakahatchee Strand are former logging roads used to cut down what was once a vast cypress forest with trees hundreds of years old. Logging in the 40s and 50s spared only a small stand of old growth cypress along what is now the Big Cypress Boardwalk. About 25 miles away, the biggest stand of old growth cypress in the world is preserved as Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp.

The preserves former logging roads create a network of good hiking trails. We hiked on East Main Trail, which starts where cars reach the end of the drivable section of Jane’s Scenic Drive.

East Main Trail is high and dry as it passes through the cypress swamp. While the trees are not the ancient giants of the past, the cypress swamp is luxuriant with ferns, orchids, airplants and knobby cypress knees.

The Fakahatchee is the spot enthusiasts go to see wild orchids. (It was the scene of Susan Orleans best-selling book The Orchid Thief, which became the Meryl Streep movie Adapations. )

This forest is also the site of a large number of stately native royal palm trees. There are many along the East Main Trail, and its strange to see a tree I associate with instant landscaping around suburban McMansions in such a beautiful native forest.

I think a perfect hike is an easy two-mile stroll down East Main Trail to a private cabin that makes a great turn-around destination. The rustic building of old wood and corrugated metal has a sign at the front door proudly identifying it as the Fakahatchee Hilton.

It’s a good place to linger. It’s located on a beautiful pond; a boardwalk connects the cabin to the lake, where we had our picnic on the dock overlooking a half dozen alligators lazily floating and sunning while in the trees several anhingas dried their wings.

It was absolutely silent, except for loud complaints from a big crow atop a nearby cypress.

There is also a picnic table and an outhouse at this location. The trail continues for several miles.

The parks website says the two most popular trails are the East Main, which we hiked, and the West Main trail, which passes through two miles of strand swamp before opening up into a beautiful marle prairie.

Kayaking the East River in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park

You can also explore this vast park in kayak or canoe.

It’s easy to miss the East River. The kayak and canoe launch is tucked away down an unmarked dirt road off US 41/Tamiami Trail and most traffic whizzes by.

Once you find it, though, you’re rewarded with a good launch with several parking places, a picnic table and a portable restroom, all overlooking a beautiful lake.

The lake where you launch is also the site of a spectacular bird rookery. We returned from our kayak tour at sunset and sat in our kayaks in awe of the scene: Hundreds of egrets, herons and an occasional roseate spoonbill streamed in and filled the trees with squawking and grunting and flapping wings, all lit by glorious golden light.

Access to the East River changes periodically, it is recommended to call the park office weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 239-961-1925 to inquire about the latest park policies to access the river.

The East River is a brackish river lined with mangroves. Its a series of narrow twisting mangrove tunnels that widen into small lakes. The mangroves are full of air plants and in the lakes, you’re likely to spot a wide variety of birds heron, egrets, ospreys busily fishing, kingfishers darting about.

There’s a healthy population of shy alligators, including some impressively large specimens, and the waters splash with mullets and other fish as you paddle.

The mangrove tunnels are beautiful and can be fun, but are challenging. You may have to take your kayak paddle apart to have a shorter, more maneuverable paddle in the narrow spots.

If you’re on your own, finding your way on this trail may be a little tricky. It would be good to have the map on your phone or print out this one as reference. And, still, you probably will take some wrong turns into dead ends. On the other hand, cell phone reception is good, so you should be able to use a mapping app to help you find your way.

In late spring, low water levels usually make the river impassable.

Planning your visit to Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park official website.

137 Coastline Drive, Copeland FL 34137
239-961-1925
Admission is $3.

Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk
27020 Tamiami Traill E, Naples
(The two areas of the park are not connected by roads within the park.)

To access the East River Paddling Trail, make a reservation the day before at 239-695-4593. (For weekends and Mondays, call on Fridays.) Only 20 people a day can access this wild river area.

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park has only a handful of employees. There are picnic tables, a small visitor center and restrooms. There is no campground. Within the park, there are hundreds of rustic cabins. Most were originally hunting cabins and since hunting is not allowed, few are used often, according to a ranger at the visitor center.

The Friends of Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park at orchidswamp.org operate highly rated programs in the winter for a fee — guided walks, swamp walks, naturalist-led tram rides. Learn more at their website.

Everglades Adventures at Ivey House offers kayak tours of various Everglades City rivers including the East River.

AdventurePaddleTours.com offers kayak tours in the area, including a “Manatee and Mangroves” tour.

You probably wont see panthers or black bears on your hike, but they’re there. Photographer Jay Staton of Naples has trail cams set up that have captured amazing footage of both, as well as the very rare Everglades mink. See the photos on his Facebook page here.