Florida National Scenic Trail Southern Terminus
in Florida · centroid 53 mi from Miami
The Florida National Scenic Trail threads its way up through the cypress domes, prairies and pinelands of Big Cypress National Preserve all the way up to the sand beaches of Gulf Islands National Seashore in the panhandle of Florida. The trail travels 1,300 miles throughout the state, offering recreational opportunities year-round as the nation's only subtorpical National Scenic Trail. The Florida Trail is divided to two sections within the Preserve: Big Cypress Southern Section - Length: 24.6 miles (linear) This section of the Florida Trail passes through the great swamp of dwarf pond cypress and crosses pine islands, hammocks, giant ferns, and prairies with cabbage palm and saw palmetto.
Bromeliads (air plants) are everywhere. Seven Mile Camp is a particularly interesting location, where the night sounds of the chuck-will’s-widows mingle with the occasional screams of a bobcat or the sound of wild turkeys. Bluebirds, quail, kites, wood storks, short-tailed hawks, and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker may also be seen.
Big Cypress Northern Section - Length: 8 miles (linear) Traveling north from the I-75 trailhead, enter Big Cypress north. This far dryer section of the trail in the Preserve follows Nobles Grade road while allowing beautiful swamp views. The Carpenter Camp Loop, blazed in blue, provides access to a campsites (Carpenter Camp, Panther Camp and CCC Camp).
- States
- Florida
- Trail type
- National Preserve trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Miami, FL · 53 mi · ~1.5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 25.8575°, -81.0349°
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/florida-national-scenic-trail-southern-terminus.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 Florida National Scenic Trail Southern Terminus 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
Gator Hook Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Turner River Paddling Trail
15 miles from this trail's centroid
Shark Valley Tram Trail
18 miles from this trail's centroid
Eastern Continental Trail (South Florida roadwalk)
18 miles from this trail's centroid
Halfway Creek Paddling Trail
20 miles from this trail's centroid
Everglades Paddling Trail
20 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.