Things to do: Summer is a great time for a swamp hike in Collier County. What to know

Mark H. Bickel, Naples Daily News
·2 min read

Happy Swamp Hiking season!

Now that the rain has started falling again in some places in Southwest Florida ― and rain will be falling consistently until early November (we call it Rainy Season) ― this is the optimal time for hikers who want to get wet. As in, water up to their knee caps.

The good news is Southwest Florida ― both Lee and Collier counties ― have some great options for swamp hikes. Here are five you can consider. Make sure you bring bug repellent!

COLLIER COUNTY

Fakahatchee Strand

The bald cypress trees surrounding the Big Cypress Bend boardwalk are hundreds of years old.
The bald cypress trees surrounding the Big Cypress Bend boardwalk are hundreds of years old.

Pull of State Road 29 in Collier County and into another world: the Fakahatchee Strand. Janes Scenic Drive offers several pull-offs for hiking the old logging roads and tram routes shaded by towering bald cypress and sunny ponds edged by alligator flags, a wetland plant whose umbrella leaves shelters myriad species of wildlife.

Big Cypress

What Clyde Butcher has dubbed “muckabouts” are a fine way to get up close and personal with the Big Cypress Swamp. Come ready to get wet ― these are up-to-your-waist experience ― but also expect unparalleled views of cypress, bromeliads and wading birds, along with a soundtrack that includes  frog trills and drumming woodpeckers. Walks leave from his Big Cypress Gallery on the Tamiami Trail.

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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

In this Collier County must-see stop, more than two miles of boardwalk wind through pines and wet prairies past a marsh and into the largest old-growth bald cypress stand in the U.S. Visitors to the Audubon-run sanctuary can glimpse a plethora of songbirds including the brilliant painted bunting.

LEE COUNTY

Four Mile Cove Eco Preserve

In this wild corner of Cape Coral's flank, hikers can explore 365 acres of mangrove fringe on the Caloosahatchee River. Walkways are lined by sabal palm, gumbo limbo and strangler figs and wading birds stalk the shallows while raptors like hawks and osprey soaring above. Some of the watery paths can get quite narrow and shallow, especially at low tide, but turnaround points are marked, and signs help guide return trips.

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

A green heron stalks a fish that will become a meal at Six Mile Cypress Slough on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
A green heron stalks a fish that will become a meal at Six Mile Cypress Slough on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

This urban oasis within the Fort Myers city limits is 3,000-plus-acres  of green wilderness just five minutes from I-75. Its 1.2 miles of well-maintained boardwalks make it comfortable for those with diverse abilities, and from August to October, visitors can step off the boardwalks and into the water for wet walks  through the preserve’s namesake trees.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Where can you go for a swamp hike in Collier County Florida