Hiking for the Bears in Big Cypress National Preserve

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Big Cypress National Preserve is north of Everglades National Park on the western side of the Florida Peninsula, and is home to alligators, Florida panthers, flocks of wading birds and black bears. Unfortunately, all these are threatened by human activity, but none more directly than black bears. Starting in December, wrongly being undergone in the name of conservation, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will allow the killing of 215 bears. Bears are intelligent and important animals and do not deserve to die for a trophy hunt. FWC commissioners moving forward with a second year of hunts is against the wants of Floridians and science-based conservation. Let's show we can co-exist with bears, enjoy their habitat, and promote ethical solutions for living side-by-side with bears.

Our hike will take us through pristine black bear habitat and a protected area of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Black bears can utilize a home range of 120 square miles and travel hundreds of miles a day, but we will be utilizing the beautiful Florida Trail for much less traveling. Traveling north from the I-75 trailhead, we will enter Big Cypress north. This far dryer section of the trail in the Preserve follows Nobles Grade road while allowing beautiful swamp views. We will take the trail up to the Carpenter Camp Loop, blazed in blue, and take the main trail back to the trailhead; in total a 8 mile hike. We will have to leave paper forms on our cars, which will be provided. The only facilities will be at the rest area a short drive from the trailhead.

This is a mostly flat path, alternating between gravel, grass, and dried mud. There are portions with some shade, but it is mostly open to the sun. Along the way, you will pass through open grass plains, cypress domes, and burned-out forest. There is a wide variety of plants and animals to view along the way. In short, this is a peaceful look at everything the Everglades has to offer. Who knows what we'll see in black bear habitat!