Last updated on November 23rd, 2024 at 06:45 pm
Amateur astronomers and photographers love the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve in the heart of Florida’s cow country. So do people who want to get away from everything, and I mean everything.
All you have in Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park are broad expanses grasslands with the occasional island of tree hammocks, and birds dipping and diving into and out of the camouflage.
With 54,000 acres of prairie 25 miles from the nearest town, suburban light pollution does not exist on this sprawling savanna, making the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve ideal for stargazing.
There is a catch: Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park closes at sunset.
If you want to observe the twinkling night sky, camping here is the best option. There are three campgrounds: a family campground, another for equestrians, and a restricted area for astronomers known as the “red light district” with five tent sites. There are also three primitive sites along trails for backpackers.
Not a camper?
We met a couple from Tampa who booked a campsite solely for the purpose of photographing the night sky. They were staying in a motel 25 miles away, but reserving a campsite was their only option to obtain the entrance gate combination for nighttime access.
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is so isolated, it’s one of only two “Dark Sky Parks” destinations in Florida, as designated by the International Dark Sky Association. The other is Big Cypress National Preserve.
After-hours permits are available but limited to holders of a Florida State Parks Family Annual Pass. They still must obtain a permit in advance from the park office. Card-carrying members of Friends of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve may also be allowed entrance after dark by calling ahead, according to a ranger we talked to.
Another option: Vero Beach-based Treasure Coast Astronomy Club sponsors outings to the preserve for night viewing.
For amateur astronomers, the best time to visit is around the New Moon. Photographers can find a subject at any time of the month.
Sunrise and sunsets are an amazing sight above the endless sea of prairie grass.
Bird lovers flock here to photograph the rare and endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow or pay homage to the extinct Carolina parakeet, the only parrot species native to the southeastern United States whose last known nesting site was on this prairie.
“As with all locations, you need to pack your patience,” says photographer Dick Scott, who visits the prairie often from his home in Tampa. “There is always something to photograph, but you sometimes have to look for it.”
The colorful Crested Caracara is a big attraction for bird lovers, and you may spot a burrowing owl, Redwing blackbird and seasonal visits of the the swallow-tailed kite and rare white-tailed kite.
“When you are walking the wildlife trails, be very quiet and look carefully and you’ll find many hidden treasures. From tiny flowers to all kinds of insects and small creatures,” Scott said.
“Look at everything, and you’ll come up with some amazing pictures.”
The preserve boasts the most butterfly diversity of any state park in Florida, a broad range of resident and migratory butterflies.
Spring and fall bring bursts of wildflowers throughout the preserve.
If you go it alone into this wilderness, it’s a good idea to stop by the ranger station for trail maps, prairie conditions and warnings.
Best time to visit? For night-sky photography and stargazing, shoot for the new moon, when the sky is at its darkest.
Kissimmee Prairie field guides
If you go, download these field guides (PDF format).
Bird Checklist
Plant Checklist
Butterfly Checklist
Bring your own shade
A wide-brimmed hat if you’re hiking, riding a bicycle or a horse. A pop-up canopy is a good idea if you’re setting up for a day of photography while quietly waiting for the wildlife to come to life. There is shade in the family campground, but nowhere else.
Wear boots if you are venturing off onto the 100-plus miles of multi-use trails for hikers, bicyclists and equestrians. Many trails go deep into what is technically a “dry” prairie, but it’s laced with wetlands and standing water at any time of year. During the summer wet season, even “dry” prairie is soaked.
All this water feeds the abundance of prairie grass, tree hammocks and wildflowers before draining off into the nearby Kissimmee River and its tributaries, down through Lake Okeechobee and eventually through the entire Everglades eco-system, taking a year for its slow flow to Florida Bay.
While the preserve’s park roads offers miles of excellent bicycling, most of the off-road multi-use trails are sandy and, being shared with horses, can sometimes see a lot of churn, a challenge to all but the most experienced off-roaders.
Bicycle rentals are available at the park office for $2 per hour, $6 for 4 hours.
Are we there yet?
When I made a reservation for a campsite here, my only expectation was the night sky. As a resident of urban South Florida, our skies can be colorful but hardly star-filled.
I didn’t even know about this place until I saw a sign pointing to it on an earlier ramble along U.S. 441. I made a point to return on another day, and that day came in March, a few days before the new moon, prime time for stargazing.
As it turned out, the stars that night were partially obscured by cloud cover, but my disappointment was tempered by the dramatic prairie views and a sense of being alone in the middle of nowhere.
Little did I know how far this preserve was from that simple sign on a remote stretch of U.S. 441, halfway between the city of Okeechobee and Yeehaw Junction.
From the nearest point on U.S. 441, you have to drive 22 miles through a procession of cattle ranches, and when you finally reach the main park gate, you’ll still have to drive another five lonely miles on a shell-rock road through the prairie to the ranger station and campgrounds.
Camping on the prairie
The three main campgrounds are clustered around the ranger station and include 16 RV/tent sites in the family campground, 14 equestrian sites for RVs with unshaded paddocks for the horses, and five astronomy pads for tents only.
All of the sites in the family and equestrian campgrounds have water, electric, fire ring and a picnic table. Firewood is available at a lean-to in the campground for $7 a bundle. Proceeds support the work of the Friends of the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve.
The astronomy pads are a restricted space known as the “red light district,” where only red spectrum lights are permitted after dark so as not to interfere with telescopes or photography.
The red-light theme carries over into the family campground, where RVs and tenters voluntarily follow the protocol.
Despite being in the middle of an open prairie, the family and equestrian campgrounds are shady, harbored in a large hammock of live oaks and sabal palmetto, Florida’s state tree popularly known as the cabbage palm.
Kisssimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, 33104 NW 192nd Ave., Okeechobee, FL 34972. Phone: 863-462-5360. Camping fees: $16/night plus a $7 daily fee for utilities, taxes and a $6.70 booking fee. Campground reservations up to 11 months in advance for Florida residents, 10 months for everybody else. Discounts available for seniors. Book online at reserve.floridastateparks.org or call (800) 326-3521.
Primitive camping: Want to really get away? There are two primitive camping sites you reach via a several mile hike. Primitive campsites are available for $5. To reserve a primitive campsite, call the park at 863-696-1112.
