Big Cypress National Preserve
The freshwaters of the Big Cypress Swamp, essential to the health of the neighboring Everglades, support the rich marine estuaries along Florida's southwest coast. Conserving over 729,000 acres of this vast swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve contains a mixture of tropical and temperate plant communities that are home to diverse wildlife, including the Endangered Florida panther.
About under an hour from Miami by car.
Alerts
- InformationNPS ↗ORV Permits Sold Online
Starting May 1st, 2026 ORV permits will only be able to be purchased online. Please visit the link to learn more.
- InformationPark Passes
Park passes, including: America the Beautiful, Veteran, Lifetime, etc., are UNAVAILABLE for purchase/pickup within Big Cypress. Shark Valley Visitor Center (Everglades) is the closest location to Big Cypress for purchase.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Big Cypress is a Fee Free Park!
Hours
| Big Cypress National Preserve | Daily · All Day |
When to go
March draws the most visits here and September the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Bear Island Campground | 40 sites | |
| $10 a night · Sites 1-12 are open year-round. Sites 13-40 are open August 15-April 15 · 40 reservable | ||
| Burns Lake | 14 sites | |
| $24 a night · The campground is open August 15 through April 15. | ||
| Gator Head | 9 sites | |
| $10 a night · The campground is open from August 15 through April 15. · 9 first-come | ||
| Midway Campground | 36 sites | |
| $30 a night · Open year round · 36 reservable | ||
| Mitchell's Landing | 11 sites | |
| $24 a night · Open August 15 through April 15 · 11 reservable | ||
Show all 8 campgroundsHide
| Monument Lake | 38 sites | |
| $28 a night · Open August 15 through April 15 | ||
| Pinecrest | 4 sites | |
| $30 a night · Open Year-round · 4 reservable | ||
| Pink Jeep | 9 sites | |
| $10 a night · Open August 15 through April 15 · 9 first-come | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Nathaniel P. Reed Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Nathaniel P. Reed Visitor Center is a facility that was designed with energy conservation in mind, making maximum use of renewable resources. The visitor center offers indoor and outdoor exhibits related to the history of the Big Cypress Swamp, as well as printed materials and an introductory film…
- Oasis Visitor CenterPassport stamp
Built in the 1960s, this building was once a private airport with a hanger and restaurant. It was rather eye-catching from the road due to the passenger plane mounted to its roof as decoration. Later it was a service station.
Explore
Things to do
- Stargazing in Big Cypress
Dark skies are essential natural, scientific, cultural, and economic resources. National Park sites, including Big Cypress National Preserve, are home to some of the last remaining dark skies in the country and are committed to protecting the night…
Opens on the Park Service site - Florida National Scenic Trail2-5 Days
This 36-mile contiguous section of the Florida National Scenic Trail is the southernmost portion of trail. This moderately strenuous hike can be difficult to traverse at certain times of year.
Opens on the Park Service site - Nathaniel P. Reed Visitor Center5-60 Minutes
The Nathaniel P. Reed Visitor Center offers exhibits, bathrooms, picnic areas, a short boardwalk, and visitor information materials that will help orient the first-time visitor and provide the latest information on conditions to returning visitors.
Opens on the Park Service site - Fire Prairie Trail1-3 Hours
This five-mile long out and back trail is a great way to see the sawgrass prairies of Big Cypress National Preserve. Good for all skill levels, this trail provides unique viewing areas of some of the more elusive wildlife here.
Opens on the Park Service site - The Deep Lake Trail30-90 Minutes
This one-mile moderate hike to Deep Lake is a unique experiences. Deep Lake is over 95 feet deep, and the deepest lake in south Florida. Leave yourself about an hour to complete the trail.
Opens on the Park Service site - Turner River/Wagonwheel/Birdon Scenic Drive1-2 Hours
This 16-mile loop drive is a great way to get away from the traffic along Highway 41, and take a slower drive through the Preserve. It offers the opportunity to see some of the many plant and animal species that call this place home.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 11Hide
- Loop Road Scenic Drive1-3 Hours
This 24 mile long drive, on a mostly unpaved gravel road, is a great scenic drive through the cypress swamp. See a variety of plant and wildlife species, while getting a closeup look at the park's namesake cypress trees.
Opens on the Park Service site - Gator Hook Trail2-4 Hours
This moderately strenuous hike is a highly-immersive experience. Journey into the Gator Hook Strand. Walk through water that is ankle to knee-deep. See alligators, snakes, birds, bromeliads (air plants), and mature cypress trees.
Opens on the Park Service site - Oasis Visitor Center Boardwalk5-10 Minutes
This short boardwalk is a great viewing platform of alligators, birds, turtles, and fish.
Opens on the Park Service site - H.P. Williams Wayside Park10-30 Minutes
H.P. Williams Wayside Park is located immediately off of Highway 41. It includes a short boardwalk, picnic areas, and restrooms.
Opens on the Park Service site - Kirby Storter Roadside Park15-60 Minutes
This immersive boardwalk will take you into a cypress strand. Good for the whole family, this boardwalk is open daily from an hour before sunrise until an hour after sunset.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- 10:00 AM · free
- Visitor Centers Closed Christmas Day12/25· runs through Dec 25Oasis Visitor Center and Big Cypress Welcome Center
News
- National Park Service Proposes Expanded Off-Road Vehicle Access in Big Cypress National Preserve ↗2026-10-01
The National Park Service is proposing updates to special regulations for Big Cypress National Preserve that would make way for implementation of the 2010 Addition Lands General Management Plan (GMP).
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Monroe StationBuilding · Ochopee · 7.5 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the South
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBarred Owl 3× · Eastern Fox Squirrel 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 195 birds, 35 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn Owl · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech Owl · Great Horned Owl · MERLIN · Northern Harrier · Osprey · PEREGRINE FALCON · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-tailed Hawk · Snail Kite · Swallow-tailed Kite · Turkey Vulture · White-tailed Kite
Waterfowl & wadersAMERICAN COOT · AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN · American Bittern · American Wigeon · BROWN PELICAN · Black Rail · Black-crowned Night-Heron · Blue-winged Teal · Cattle Egret · DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT · Fulvous Whistling-Duck · GLOSSY IBIS · Great Blue Heron · Great Egret · Green Heron · Green-winged Teal · Hooded Merganser · KING RAIL · Least Bittern · Little Blue Heron · Mottled Duck · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Reddish Egret · Ring-necked Duck · SNOWY EGRET · Sandhill Crane · Tricolored Heron · Virginia Rail · White Ibis · Wood Duck · Wood Stork · Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Black Skimmer · Bonaparte's Gull · Caspian Tern · GREATER YELLOWLEGS · Killdeer · Laughing Gull · Least Sandpiper · Least Tern · Lesser Yellowlegs · Long-billed Dowitcher · Pectoral Sandpiper · Piping Plover · Royal Tern · SOLITARY SANDPIPER · Semipalmated Plover · Short-billed Dowitcher · Spotted Sandpiper · Stilt Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper · Wilson's Plover · Wilson's Snipe
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Ground-Dove · Mourning Dove · NORTHERN BOBWHITE · Rock Dove · WILD TURKEY · White-crowned Pigeon · White-winged Dove
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · PILEATED WOODPECKER · RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER · Red-cockaded Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAMERICAN REDSTART · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Robin · Anhinga · BALTIMORE ORIOLE · BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER · BLUE-HEADED VIREO · BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE · BROWN THRASHER · BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH · Bachman's Sparrow · Bank Swallow · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Black-necked Stilt · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Bobolink · Brown-headed Cowbird · CAPE MAY WARBLER · CAROLINA WREN · CLIFF SWALLOW · Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow · Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Common Grackle · Common Moorhen · Common Myna · Common Nighthawk · Common Yellowthroat · EASTERN BLUEBIRD · EASTERN KINGBIRD · EASTERN MEADOWLARK · EASTERN PHOEBE · Eastern Towhee · European Starling · Fish Crow · GRAY CATBIRD · GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER · Grasshopper Sparrow · HOUSE WREN · Hooded Warbler · House Sparrow · Indigo Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Limpkin · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Marsh Wren · Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow · Northern Cardinal · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Parula · Northern Shoveler · Northern Waterthrush · Orange-crowned Warbler · Ovenbird · PAINTED BUNTING · PALM WARBLER · PROTHONOTARY WARBLER · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Purple Gallinule · Purple Martin · RUSTY BLACKBIRD · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Roseate Spoonbill · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · SAVANNAH SPARROW · SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER · Scarlet Tanager · Sedge Wren · Smooth-billed Ani · Song Sparrow · Sora · Summer Tanager · Swamp Sparrow · TREE SWALLOW · Tufted Titmouse · Western Kingbird · Western Tanager · Whip-poor-will · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · Worm-eating Warbler · YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO · YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER · YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER · Yellow-headed Blackbird · Yellow-throated Vireo
Small mammalsBrown Rat · COTTON MOUSE · EASTERN COTTONTAIL · EASTERN FOX SQUIRREL · EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL · EASTERN MOLE · Eastern Harvest Mouse · LEAST SHREW · MARSH RICE RAT · NORTHERN SHORT-TAILED SHREW · ROUND-TAILED MUSKRAT · Southeastern Shrew · black rat · hispid cotton rat · house mouse · marsh rabbit
Marine mammalsWest Indian manatee
PredatorsEverglades mink · black bear · bobcat · eastern spotted skunk · gray fox · northern river otter · raccoon
Hoofed mammalswhite-tailed deer
BatsBRAZILIAN FREE-TAILED BAT · Eastern Big-eared Bat · Eastern Pipistrelle · NORTHERN YELLOW BAT · big brown bat · evening bat
Also on the checklistCommon Opossum · Florida panther · NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO · feral hog
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Canoeing and kayaking in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Big Cypress National Preserve experiences two predominant seasons- wet and dry. RAINY SEASON (May through October) While visiting during this season you may find daily afternoon thunderstorms, high humidity, temperatures in the mid-to-high 80s and a multitude of mosquitoes. DRY SEASON (November through April) Falling water levels within Big Cypress make this a pleasant time to hike, camp, and watch wildlife.
Questions people ask
Does Big Cypress charge an entrance fee?
No. Big Cypress is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
Is Big Cypress open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Big Cypress?
Yes. The Park Service lists 8 campgrounds in Big Cypress: Bear Island, Burns Lake, Gator Head, Midway, and Mitchell's Landing, and more. 6 take reservations through Recreation.gov.
Which Big Cypress campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Dump station: Midway. Electric hookups: Midway.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Big Cypress right now?
2 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: ORV Permits Sold Online; Park Passes.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Big Cypress?
2,262,731 recreation visits in 2025, number 42 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Big Cypress?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Is Big Cypress good for stargazing?
Yes. Big Cypress is a certified International Dark Sky Park.
Source: Dark sky parks
What is the weather like at Big Cypress?
Big Cypress National Preserve experiences two predominant seasons- wet and dry. RAINY SEASON (May through October) While visiting during this season you may find daily afternoon thunderstorms, high humidity, temperatures in the mid-to-high 80s and a multitude of mosquitoes.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
