Big Cypress National Preserve – Gator Hook

Tucked away down a dirt road, you’ll find the Gator Hook trailhead. This amazing five mile out and back hike will take you to a magical place where you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped back in time.

When you first set foot on the trail, it will seem like any other trail, but a couple of hundred feet further, and you enter a wild limestone landscape. This is a very diverse trail, where you’ll enjoy a trek through wet swamp and a dry mixed hardwood hammock full of ferns and cypress knees. Click on the photos below to enlarge and get a feel for the trail. These are all various points along the trail. Yes, even the water. We went during the dry season, but even so water was knee high in many places. I recommend trail runners and lightweight wool socks for this type of terrain. Waterproof shoes will just trap water inside and be miserable. If you do this hike, be sure you bring plenty of water and sun protection. That sun can be brutal when you pop out of the cypress island and into the cypress swamp where there is little shade.

We didn’t see a whole lot of animals. Surprisingly, there were no alligators to be seen. We did see a couple of snakes though. You do have to watch out for the venomous Florida Cotton Mouth, also known as a water moccasin. The one we saw was about to shed, which was pretty cool! The little colorful guy here is a juvenile banded water snake, totally harmless and very cute!

If you’d like to join us on a photo walk or guided hike in the future, check out our Meetup group to sign up. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.