Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park

"Mangrove Tours"

Fakahatchee Strand State Park is just outside of Everglades National Park and Everglades City. The park has a couple of entrances. We toured the Big Cypress Bend boardwalk which I imagine could get quite buggy, but in December was quite nice. The boardwalk brought us right into the mangrove where we saw gators and babies, a Pileated Woodpecker and many other birds, The trail has educational signs though out and a lookout at the end for a quiet rest. It is a great way to get into the mangroves without getting wet and the hike was easy. We also experiences Janes wildlife drive at dusk . We drove the 11 mile one way drive and spotted some deer, a giant gator and a Great Heron who lead us down the road. We would have liked to spend more time in this unspoiled area. The way we saw the park was extremely child friendly.