Friends of Fakahatchee: Dedicated to financial and volunteer support to preserve the unique ecology and cultural heritage of Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park and educate the public about its importance.
Logistics: Getting Here with the Right Gear
Whatever your outdoors interest, you can follow it into the Fakahatchee. The Friends of Fakahatchee’s guided tours offer the best orientation to what the Preserve has to offer as you travel with those who know it well.
Whether your outdoor enthusiasm lies in fishing, botany, paddling, birding, bicycling, hiking or wildlife viewing, the Fakahatchee Preserve offers an experience like nowhere else.
Wilderness Experiences
The adventurous can launch a kayak or canoe at the East River (entrance via US41) to explore the mangrove tunnels and lakes. Entered via Janes Scenic Drive raised railway beds or “trams” of the old logging train still crisscross the Fakahatchee , creating a grid of trails, many of which are maintained for hiking and mountain biking.
For a more charted course, the park’s Cypress Bend Boardwalk entered via US 41 takes visitors nearly half a mile through a stand of virgin cypress into the heart of the Preserve. Volunteers are often on-hand to educate visitors about the flora and fauna of this magnificent landscape.
Guided Tours
For a guided experience, be sure to check the event calendar. From September to April, a range of guided tours from swamp walks to Ghost Rider tram rides are available.
Click on the map to see a larger version.
Download Trail Maps
Register for Upcoming Events
Directions to the Park Headquarters
Look for the fire tower for the route to the Park Office.
Via I-75 (Alligator Alley):
Take I-75 to exit 80/State Road 29. Go 15 miles south. Take a right on Janes Scenic Drive. Follow sharp curve to right and look for the Fire Tower, then turn right onto Coastline Drive. And look for the Park Headquarters flagpole.
Via US 41 (Tamiami Trail): If you go by US 41, turn north onto SR 29, go 3 miles and turn left onto Janes Scenic Drive and follow sharp right curve onto Coastline Drive.
At the Park Entrance you can pay the park entrance fee, see a Park map and get information at the visitor center office on Coastline drive. Mounted on a large limestone rock is a plaque dedicated to Mel Finn, the “Father of Fakahatchee.”
Directions to the Boardwalk
Look for the sign on Highway 41 and prepare for your boardwalk adventure.
Be Prepared
No matter what you do at the Fakahatchee, be sure to plan your visit for an experience you’ll remember for its wonders – not its discomforts. Water, appropriate clothing, and insect repellent are the basics. If you’ll be doing a wet walk, you will want to leave a change of clothes in the car for the ride home.
It’s also essential to know where you’re going before setting off. Different activities are found at a variety of access points – some without much cell or gps coverage! Unless you’re on a guided tour, a compass is a must.
With no concessions in the park and the nearest restaurant miles away, smart visitors, like this group, bring their own food. These picnickers found a dry spot right off Janes Scenic Drive.