Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park protects the largest strand swamp in North America — a 75,000-acre linear forested wetland stretching through Collier County near Copeland, Florida. Established in 1975, this is where the Everglades get wild. The park holds the continent’s largest concentration of native royal palms and the greatest diversity of native orchids in North America, including the extremely rare ghost orchid made famous by The Orchid Thief.

The main attraction is the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk off US-41, a 2,500-foot elevated walkway threading through an old-growth bald cypress swamp draped in bromeliads and resurrection ferns. It’s one of the most atmospheric walks in all of Florida. Deeper into the park, the unpaved Janes Scenic Drive runs 11 miles through the strand, offering glimpses of white-tailed deer, black bear, and Florida panthers — one of the last viable populations in the world. Guided swamp walks led by trained naturalists take you knee-deep into the strand’s interior, where you’ll wade through tea-colored water searching for orchids and wildlife. These fill up fast; book early.

There are no developed campgrounds within the preserve. Nearby Collier-Seminole State Park and Big Cypress National Preserve offer camping options within a short drive.

Visit between November and April when water levels drop, temperatures cool, and mosquitoes retreat. Summer means standing water, intense heat, and bugs that mean business. A 4.6-star rating from nearly 700 visitors confirms what regulars already know: this is old Florida at its most untouched.

Explore Nearby

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