Big Cypress National Preserve

Drive, paddle or walk through cypress swamp where alligators line the canals and boardwalks lead into the trees.

Oasis Visitor Center, 52105 Tamiami Trail East · Ochopee, FL

About Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve protects more than 720,000 acres of cypress swamp next to the Everglades, and in 1974 it became one of the first national preserves in the park system. Two scenic drives, Loop Road and Turner River Road, take you off the highway to look for alligators and wading birds. You can also paddle, hike, join a ranger program or ride a swamp buggy tour with a permitted operator. It has been an International Dark Sky Park since 2016.

#national preserve
#cypress swamp
#scenic drive
#wildlife viewing
#stargazing

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Big Cypress National Preserve, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
Shark Valley Observation Tower
Check prices
An elevated lookout in Everglades National Park offering wide views over the surrounding wetlands.
22 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Museums
Museum of the Everglades
Check prices
A historic museum in Everglades City, housed in a 1920s laundry building, covering roughly two millennia of regional history.
22 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Tours
Outdoor Adventure
Everglades Safari Park
$25–$50
Classic Everglades airboat rides and gator shows just 30 minutes west of downtown on the Tamiami Trail.
28 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours
Sports & Outdoors
Gator Park
$25–$50
Airboat rides through Everglades waterways to see alligators and other wildlife, plus a live alligator show.
29 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Everglades National Park
Under $25
A large southern Florida national park protecting wetlands, forests, and marine habitats, with wildlife viewing, paddling, biking, and ranger programs.
43 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
iSkydive Miami
$50+
Tandem skydiving drop zone near Miami with jumps from 10,000 feet over the Homestead area and coastline.
Transit: reachable by public transit
44 mi awayMore like this