Fire Prairie Trail
in Florida · centroid 53 mi from Cape Coral
Length: 5 miles round-trip Difficulty: Easy-Moderate Soaring birds, prancing white-tailed deer, and slithering snakes can all be seen from this 5-mile round trip trail. The Fire Prairie Trail will take you through one of the more iconic landscapes in Big Cypress National Preserve - the sawgrass prairie. This trail provides a unique perspective of the Preserve that not many visitors take advantage of.
This trail is good for all skill levels. Footing can be uneven in spots, and there is little to no shade along the trail. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and a hat.
- States
- Florida
- Trail type
- National Preserve trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Cape Coral, FL · 53 mi · ~1.5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 26.0960°, -81.2652°
About Big Cypress National Preserve
This trail is inside Big Cypress National Preserve, a national preserve managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/fire-prairie-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/bicy/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Fire Prairie Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Deep Lake Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Turner River Paddling Trail
14 miles from this trail's centroid
Halfway Creek Paddling Trail
18 miles from this trail's centroid
Gator Hook Trail
21 miles from this trail's centroid
Sandfly Loop Paddling Trail
21 miles from this trail's centroid
Florida National Scenic Trail Southern Terminus
22 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.