Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park is one of the most popular parks in southwest Florida. It is the largest state park in Florida and offers wonderful hiking and biking trails. Janes Memorial Scenic Drive is the main access point for biking and hiking trails, with a visitor center located just inside the park entrance. It was the old logging road in the 1940s, and all the trails are cleared tram roads, which make the park accessible to the more remote areas.

The West Main Trail (Gate 7) is located 4 miles from the visitor center and is a wonderful place to get out into the swamp before reaching an open prairie in two miles. If you continue along Janes Scenic Drive for another two miles, you have the option to walk approximately two and a half miles along the East Main Trail (Gate 12), which leads to the “Fakahatchee Hilton,” a privately owned cabin (private but allows visitors to the property) with a boardwalk leading to a beautiful lake.

The area around the cabin, as well as the lake, is full of alligators and is a great place to stop for a picnic.

For more information about biking in this area, visit the website www.evergladesrogg.org/events and click on Fakahatchee Cycle Tour.