Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park

About Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park

By the ULTIMATE Naples Editorial Team

A long, narrow swamp forest east of Naples, with royal palms, cypress and a remarkable variety of wild orchids. Here is how to explore it.

A thread of forest

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park covers about 125 square miles in Collier County, from Alligator Alley (Interstate 75) south to the mangroves and salt marshes of the Ten Thousand Islands. It protects most of the Fakahatchee Strand, a long, narrow band of swamp forest that follows a slow channel of water through the Big Cypress Swamp. It lies just west of State Road 29, beside Big Cypress National Preserve and the Picayune Strand State Forest.

Palms, cypress and orchids

The strand is famous for its plants: royal palms rising above the canopy, bald cypress, bromeliads and ferns, and a remarkable number of native orchids. The wildlife is just as rich. Threatened and endangered species here include the Florida panther, wood stork, black bear, fox squirrel and Everglades mink, alongside deer, wild turkeys, alligators, sandhill cranes, roseate spoonbills and bald eagles.

The Fakahatchee is a “strand”: a thread of forested swamp following a slow-moving channel of water through the Big Cypress.

Ways in

The easiest introduction is the boardwalk at Big Cypress Bend, on the Tamiami Trail, which leads into old-growth cypress. Janes Scenic Drive, an eleven-mile unpaved road from Copeland, runs deep into the strand, with walking routes along old logging trams. Ranger-led swamp walks are offered in some seasons.

Our advice: walk the Big Cypress Bend boardwalk early in the morning, then drive Janes Scenic Drive slowly, stopping often to look and listen.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park before you go.