Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park

Cycling around Fakahatchee Strand in Florida Everglades

????‍♀️???????????????????????? Have you experienced the subtropical wilderness of The Fakahatchee Strand? The linear swamp forest is a nice place to explore 'Old Florida' by bicycle. Ride along old logging tramways into the tropical hammock. The Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park is the largest state park in Florida and is home to a variety of plant and animal species that can be found nowhere else in the continental United States. It is the orchid and bromeliad capital of the continent and the home to Florida panthers, white-tailed deer, black bears, alligators, and much more!

Janes Memorial Scenic Drive is the main access point to the majority of hiking and biking trails in the park. Janes can be accessed from State Road 29 and is an 11-mile dirt road extending from the park visitor center in Copeland to Fakahatchee's border with Picayune Strand State Forest. All of the trails in the park are cleared tram roads that were created when the land was logged in the 1940s through the 1960s. The two most popular hiking trails are the East and West Main trams. The West Main tram is located 4 miles down Janes from the visitors center. The trail passes through 2 miles of strand swamp before opening up into a beautiful marle prairie. The East Main tram is located 2 miles further down Janes and extends 10 miles, north to south, connecting Janes to the Jones Grade trail at the north end of the park. The East Main tram is great for hiking and biking and passes through the central slough, one of the most beautiful places in the park.

2016 Everglades Utras

Are you an ultra-runner? A half-marathoner? Looking for a great trail race in South Florida? EVERGLADES ULTRAS has a place saved just for you! Join us in Copeland, FL, near Everglades City, for the sixth annual EVERGLADES ULTRAS trail races at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. This is the Real Deal, Folks! We guaranty you've never run anything like it. But register early: the overall runner limit for 2017 will be 300.

The race venue--the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park--is a Florida treasure. It is a beautiful and diverse wilderness located between Alligator Alley and Tamiami Trail in the Florida Everglades. It is the largest state park in Florida covering 80,000 acres, and features a wide variety of Everglades habitats—bald cypress swamp lowlands, grassland prairie, tropical hardwood hammocks and pine rock lands. This preserve is protected with great care and attention to detail.

Racers have seen panthers, bears, deer, snakes, and plenty of alligators while running this great venue.