I’ve been coming out to big cypress National preserve for the last 7 months. From the wet season into the dry season, I watched mother gators foster their young and re-visited them usually in the same vicinity I found them in. I watched the high waters recede over the course of several months, this place is teaming with wildlife. From eastern Diamond back rattlesnakes, water moccasins, bears and I even saw a Florida panther one night. I have lots of great memories from this place. I’m going to miss it. Below are some really neat animal encounters I had in big cypress!

This is a vast area and a unique ecosystem. The things to do are somewhat limited, but the visitor centers provide a good orientation on the preserve, things to do, and wildlife viewing. What I found interesting was how the preserve, reservation, Everglades National Park, and the various state parks and preserves all exist really as one continuous environment.

This is mother nature at her finest! Come to experience wildlife in its element. But remember they call it wildlife for a reason it's wild and it will hurt you. I was told that if you see injured brid with a long beek leave it alone it's really good at poking eye balls out ! Just saying. December 2 is swamp heritage festival in Big Cypress. Come see what life is or was in the swamp. Yes people actually live here in Big Cypress. Come on down! The swamp festival was a hit ! Hope to be back next year.

I love going out here with my telescope to look at stars. I live about an hour and 45 minutes away, but it's totally worth the drive every time. Seriously bring the bug lotion though because the mosquitos find you and never leave. I took some star pics on my cell phone last time, it was so dark no telescope was needed to capture these. Definitely visit here.

It is a wonderful place to see wildlife. We were on our way from Miami to Tampa and we saw this place along the way, decided to take a look at the alligators. We weren't expecting it to be that good, preserved, and natural. You just park and walk along the way. If you're lucky, you can see alligators, birds, turtles, panthers, and some little animals. It is a great place to visit for an interesting afternoon and you can get great pictures of the animals. I am personally against to zoos so these kinda natural and preserved places to see animals in their natural habitat is a great opportunity. And also, it is completely free! Just be prepared for hot weather, bring hats and sunglasses. There are also so many flies around because of the swamps, so be cautious.

Big Cypress National Preserve. The big draw here are the Alligators on the boardwalk. I have had best luck viewing large alligators in the cooler, drier months. Nonetheless Alligators will usually be around. This is about as close as you want to get to Alligators. This location also happens to be the headquarters of the preserve. Additionally the location is the southernmost point of the 1500 mile Florida Trail.

Absolutely beautiful! So much wildlife to see just feet away! There are tons of alligators, egrets, fish… all feeding while you watch the show. This is a must see! Along the Highway are interesting places to visit as well, it’s a must see!

Loved all the boardwalk stops. We drove the loop road in the Cypress Preserve. Many alligators sunning themselves right along the road. The road is rough. You will need to take it slow and your vehicle will need good clearance.

Do Lovely , Peaceful , uncrowded , Natural. Worth every mile a drove to see this gorgeous place. The silence speaks louder than my words. It is a must visit. I camped at this place. Enjoyed greatly. Still speak to everyone that enjoys Nature & Natural.

wonderful! with four or five different stops each with very short and easy to traverse trails. Alligators, birds, and beautiful cypress trees - absolutely worth the one and a half hour drive from Miami! I highly recommend stopping at one of the visitor centers for a map, and any insight from the Rangers on site, they had very good advice on sightseeing.

This place is big! Lots of wildlife to see and lots of different areas to drive and hike through. Still pretty wet in a lot of places. Definitely do the Kirby Storter boardwalk which is about .5 miles one way. Saw alligators at the Oasis Visitor Center boardwalk and H P Williams roadside park. The drive to the Tree Snail Trail was cool, that’s a short little loop with a ton of bugs, so be sure to bring the bug spray. Free as well!!

Big Cypress National Preserve was one of my biggest surprises in all of my Florida adventures. I probably saw more gators here than I did in Everglades National Park! The loop road scenic drive was my favorite area to search for gators and there were a ton! One of my drives through there I counted over 30 of them that I saw! The cypress trees are amazing and I highly recommend searching them out at different times of the day- as the light and shadows change throughout the day it totally morphs the look of them! I wish I lived closer because I would be here all the time but this was probably my most trafficked area I visited and I cannot recommend this area enough! If you are a photography buff and love the Cypress trees make sure you visit Clyde Butcher's gallery in the area as well!

Hiked about 7 miles the other day! It was great. We saw so many alligators, I lost count! There were a lot of other animals we saw too! You can even drive your car back there if you are not up for a hike. Views are amazing. We didn’t see any bears or panthers, but maybe that was a good thing because I was a bit nervous. We will be back! I miss it already.

Wonderful place to escape civilization. Nature rocks!

What a great hidden gem of Southern Florida! Loved going off the grid for awhile! Kirby Storter trail was perfect!

Calming hike with clearly marked trail options. Lots of interesting plants. Be aware that trails may include walking through shallow water. Alligators could be heard barking & small snakes were seen crossing the trail

The video was well worth the stop. I learned a great deal about the wetlands. I'm glad we stopped to check it out. Now I have information to pass along. The boardwalk at the visitor center is short but overlooks the river, so it was beautiful. We saw several manatee surface for air. So cool!

Here in mid-January 2023, and it was cold enough that we were lucky to see 3 manatees who came inland further than normal for the time of year. Also saw gators, and plenty of birds! This is a great area for birdwatchers.

There are tons of gators that are super close to the fence. Also be prepared to bring shoes you don’t mind getting muddy if you’re going for a walk.

Wonderful

An great preserve often overlooked for the Everglades. Driving on the Loop Road is a scenic way to see the beautiful Cyprus trees which were bigger and more lush than anything we saw in the Everglades. The visitors centers are informative and offer the chance to see large gators from the boardwalks in the canals.

Great, helpful rangers at the the oasis visitor center. Boardwalk was teeming with fish, gators and we even saw a couple Roseate Spoonbills fly over head. Short information video was nice to watch. High density of wildlife in this area! We took a scenic drive that connected us to Shark Valley in Everglades and saw 50+ alligators and has the road almost to ourselves on a February morning.

Backpacked out to 7 Mile camp on the Florida Trail. It's dry in March so you'll need to carry at least 2 gallons of water for the trip in and out, plus an additional gallon for each day. It was in the 90's for the 3 days I was on the trail. Loved it!!!

One of the most unique and beautiful places I’ve ever visited. This is my favourite national park; it is truly spectacular, there is so much to see and do. It’s endless, its nature is absolutely stunning, I love exploring the Everglades and have been several times now. It never gets old, I really enjoy this part of the world and I would definitely recommend visiting this place if you get the chance.

Neat park with a variety of options. Note: all pictures were taken from a safe distance using a zoom lens.

Had a wonderful time. Going back in a month to stay over so we have time to experience the dark sky.

Not much to see from highway exit, but other people have great pics. Good rest stop with dog park. Birds are fun as they try to steal morsels of food!!!

Got to see the gator close from the boardwalk. The staff at the visitor centre was very kind to help out with information. Muat visit if you are near everglades.

Really nice park with lots of trails. Easy to see alligators. Be careful where you walk and bring plenty of water. We did the fire prairie trail it was fun but exposed to sun the entire time so wear sunscreen.

First time visiting the everglades. I didn't have time to go deeper the everglades. However, I was able to visit the center. If you come to Miami, don't miss to visit the everglades. It is beautiful to see part of its floral and fauna

Definitely less crowded than it's next door national park, but still also offering all the experiences you would find in the everglades. Barely saw anyone on our mangrove tunnel kayak, but still saw plenty of alligators and birds.

The visitor center has plants of wildlife to see. If you’re feeling adventurous, take the roads and go deeper into the preserve.

We just spent an afternoon here and hiked Gator Hook trail. The terrain was very varied. Moon looking rocks, and roots and swamp was what we hiked through. We saw multiple gators, manatees, cranes, and grasshoppers. I had a more exciting time at Big Cypress than I did at Everglades. Plus. It seemed well kept up.

Amazing place to connect with nature the back trails to the campground are an adventure on there own must be self sufficient go prepared an enjoy this peaceful beautiful place

A great place to go around watching the vast diversity of flora and fauna that South Florida can offer. Walk around the various boardwalks where you can see some of the wild life of the area like herons and anhingas, and of course alligators and some manatees. The big attraction are the Cypress which can watch all around the preserve and the Loop Road is a great way to have a close up view. And as an extra note, the southernmost part of the Florda National Scenic Trail is here, at the Oasis Visitors Center, so if you are into that kind of hike, you can find information right there. It really is an awesome preserve.

One of our favorite spots in the Everglades! Passing through this time, we were able to capture some amazing photos!

Gift shop and bathrooms and some educational materials at the visitor center. Helpful staff at the desk. Beautiful nature!

I honestly saw more alligators in Big Cypress than I did in the Everglades. Driving the scenic loop to route 41, you can see a dozen gators easily. Some of the houses along the route are trashed though; many look uninhabited. Would love to explore more of the trails in the future.

Beautiful area, i stopped down at two of the centers along the main road, and there was a beautiful walkway with a bunch of wildlife along it. A little crowded, especially for a thursday.

This was a great surprise stop on a drive back from a cruise. We attempted to get into Everglades but the park was extremely full at shark Valley. Made this stop and It was not as busy with an even larger parking lot! The entire stretch of road was full of wildlife and alligators everywhere. The visitor center was a nice small one with a smaller store. The kids where able to get there junior ranger badge and passport stamp. Will definitely be making another stop at this preserve.

It's Big Cypress...

Just spent an amazing day at the Big Cypress National Preserve! We got to see birds, butterflies, and gators! We took home some great reading material, wonderful pictures, and memories that will last a lifetime! Can't wait for our next trip to Big Cypress!

This is a must see and be sure to take the family. Plenty of alligators to see if you take "The Loop". Highly recommend "The Loop". Easily find more info on it by googling it.

We came to Big Cypress to camp in our popup, canoe and hike, and enjoy the night skies. Unfortunately, we are situated next to a large motor home occupied by a man who runs his loud generator continuously. I asked him how long he was planning to run the generator, and he said for another two hours (until 9:30 at night). We realize that quiet hours are from 10 to 6, but the presence of these large RVs that require copious amounts of generator power destroy the outdoor camping experience for us.

Great place to enjoy nature in south Florida. We saw alligators, birds and raccoons. Really beautiful, I highly recommend visiting this area and would love to come back in the summer

Huge natural preserve area managed by the National Park Service. Lots to do around this area. Including among other things, air boat rides, bird watching, camping, and hiking. Stop by the Visitor Center for a list of everything there is to do.

The Big Cyprus Swamp visitor Center on the west side is great. Take time to watch the video. An incredibly helpful Ranger Athena works there. I loved watching her give the oath to two Junior Rangers. She did it solemnly and purposefully. I don't think the kids will forget the moment.

(Translated by Google) Spectacular to see the crocodiles in natural (Original) Espectacular para ver los cocodrilos en natural

Very pretty to walk around.

(Translated by Google) It was very cool 😎 (Original) Es war sehr cool 😎

Awesome, true nature

Amazing

Saw LOTS of alligators in the canals along the road!

A beautiful place

One of my favorite places to visit! Amazing wild life. Fantastically maintained.

There are many trails and places to visit within Big Cypress. However, no all trails and activities are for everybody since they might require the proper equipment and a knowledge of what's out there. Just inform yourself and plan accordingly. Keep in mind the level of physical activity you might require and factor in temperatures the day of the activity. Do your research and enjoy.

Absolutely loved it. I can see why Matt and Catherine love it so much. Very educational and fun.

Great family fun

Large vast area of marsh and woods... the best spot is kirby... be sure to go to end of boardwalk

Best suprise of our trip. Went across Florida on 41 instead of 75. A little slower, but a beautiful drive. The bird population in that area is amazing!

Only reason for this is I grew up in park. And it makes me mad at all the regulations. When they promised not to change things. Well alot has changed

Wonderful nature preserve.

Excellent.

It was to cold January 17 so we didn't see no Gators

Beautiful place to see nature especially during the winter months in Florida

Gators in the rest stop! Saw turtles and bunches of fish. Hung my toes out but this guy could care less😀

Saw a big monkey/ape in the tall grass. Seemed like a very big orangutan.

Great little detour we saw a lot of wildlife

If you want enjoy the nature this is a prefect place

Disappointed visitor center closed but Wally gater swam by..beautiful remote forest, descriptions