Big Cypress National Preserve was our next stop. Saying we love this area of Florida would be an understatement. There is so much wildlife, the people are extremly nice and there are so many adventurous activities to do. Collier-Seminole State Park cancelled our reservations as they are still recovering from last years hurricanes. So we stayed at Trail Lakes Campground in Ochopee. This campground is run by 4th generation glades family and has the Skunk Ape headquarters on its property. They are only 1/4 mile from Turner River and 10 miles to Everglades City.
Turner River has to be one of our favorite places to kayak. The mangrove tunnels are just teeming with life. There are tillandsias and orchids, birds and otters, alligators and turtles. If you go slow and scan you will find something around every corner.
The Loop Road is another favorite of ours. The 24 mile almost all dirt road is teeming with alligators, birds, and if you look real hard you can find a tree snail. We saw 72 alligators the day we drove it.
The restaurants and seafood markets in the area are also really good and have the laid back old Florida feel. Joanies Blue Crab Cafe, Triad Seafood and Market, Grimm’s Stone Crabs, and HavAnnAs Cafe.
Big Cypress also has ranger led programs and we were able to do a wet walk. The ranger was really good and tied the 7 dimensions of health (physical, emotional, intellectual, environmental, spiritual, social, vocational) with the landscape we were walking through. It was a different kind of wet walk and very enjoyable.
We drove to Marco Island to check on the status of the boat ramp at Caxambas Park. We love kayaking to Kice Island for photography and shelling. The park was damaged in 2022 by Hurricane Ian and last time we were in the area the ramp was closed as they were rebuilding. Unfortunately the park had not open yet. The ramp and store opened on February 15, 2025.
We also visited Fakahatchee Strand State Park, drove down Janes Scenic Drive, mailed a postcard from the smallest post office in the US, hiked Gator Hook Trail, saw what remained of the Kirby Storter boardwalk since it caught fire last October. We were told by the rangers that there are plans to rebuilt the boardwalk but there was no timeframe.
Wildlife sightings: Kingfisher, Boat-tailed Grackles, Great Blue Herons, Alligators, Anhingas, Great Egret, Green Heron, Cooter turtle, Soft Shelled Turtle, Wood Storks, Burrowing Owls, Frigate birds, Cattle Egret, Cormorants, Black Crowned Night Heron, Crows, Tree Swallows, Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures, Pileated Woodpecker, Fox Squirrel, Brown Water Snake, and some type of eel, hawk, Southern White Butterfly, Catbird, Black and White Warbler, Green Anole, Spoonbills
Nature Moments
Ride through a mangrove tunnel
Note: All photos and videos unless otherwise stated are property of Wayne and Margaret Shoemake. If you would like to use any of them please email us at [email protected].